Club-based childcare on the nose

My first day back today after Christmas holidays on the coast, a vastly more leisurely experience these days with teenagers than smaller children, even if they get a bit bolshie when asked to haul themselves out of bed before midday.
With five families however, eating out is not so easy and we were forced to hit the clubs to find an establishment able to cope with all 23 of us.
And while club food was predictably unremarkable, the extent of gaming facilities in ‘Clubland’ struck me as nothing short of scandalous – cavernous, dimly-lit rooms with row after row of poker machines clinking and blinking as bored-looking gamers pressed their buttons mechanically in the hope of a windfall.
Most shocking of all was the flyer at one club promoting “Kids Fun Days”, where kids are promised “Movie, Disco & Prizes to be won!” for just $6 a day including lunch and a drink.
There’s a catch however; parents must remain on club premises, and given the profitability of gambling, there’s little doubt where clubs are hoping parents will head. I guess it’s a step up from leaving kids in the car.
We’ll probably see more of this type of thing, especially in NSW, now that the NSW government is allowing clubs to open in shopping centres despite its previous and public apprehension about such a move.
Naively, the minister responsible for gaming, Grant McBride, says a requirement for clubs to have separate entrances than the shopping complexes will protect people for irresponsible gaming. Give me a break. For a UK doctor’s honest account of just how insidious gambling can be, see his blog .
So addictive is gambling for some people that they’ll lie, cheat and steal trying to win back their losses - I suspect they’ll manage the separate entrances.
Perhaps craziest of all is that under the new plan, gamblers will simply pop in to the adjacent mall’s ATM to get a cash advance on their credit card, presently not allowable at club ATMs.
Fortunately, gambling leaves me cold. Otherwise I’d be betting it’s the clubs who’ll be the winners in this move.