Hawthorn's trophies are tarnished by the club's dependence on gambling revenue. Credit:James Boddington North Melbourne, alone of the Victorian AFL clubs, is gambling-free. The club walked away from poker machines years ago when its initial investment turned sour, and it has refused to consider them since. But Hawthorn? The Hawks have two gaming venues: a club venue aptly named Vegas, near Waverley Park, and more recently West Waters, a pub in Caroline Springs. In these two venues alone, gamblers lose more than $23 million a year, every year. The Victorian government takes a slice of that, but even after tax, Hawthorn makes more than $11 million a year from its poker machines. The money flows directly into the club's coffers. It pays salaries, buys equipment, improves facilities and more. Gambling money is the reason Hawthorn is financially secure; the club makes more money each year from its gambling venues than any other revenue stream, and that includes memberships and marketing. In dollar terms, poker machines are more important to Hawthorn than premierships.

Alastair Clarkson and Luke Hodge show off Hawhtorn's trio of premiership trophies. Credit:Quinn Rooney Hawthorn is shrewd. The club has recruited well, on and off the field, managed its list and got the right people in place to keep the team performing at an elite level, year after year. But all of that would count for nothing without the dollars to back it up. Without poker machines, Hawthorn is diminished. It's a shame the club is so willing to tackle gambling head on in many ways, yet turns a blind eye to the harm poker machines cause. It has signed with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and has steadfastly refused to take on a sports betting partner. But for a club that still calls itself the family club, Hawthorn seems eager to ignore harsh realities. Illustration: Andrew Dyson Such as the undisputed statistic that at least 40 per cent of gaming machine losses come from people with gambling problems, who can't afford to lose what they do. For the Hawks, that comes to at least $5 million a year.

Or that poker machines are directly, irrefutably linked to domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, family breakdown and suicide. After tax, Hawthorn makes more than $11 million a year from its poker machines. Or that Hawthorn's gaming venues are located in low socio-economic areas. Vegas, in particular, is a stand-out; it's the seventh-highest-earning club venue in the state, and the biggest-earning club venue of all the Victorian AFL clubs. Again, most of that money is coming from the pockets of those who can least afford it. Hawthorn isn't alone in its dependence on poker machine revenue. All the Victorian clubs (except North Melbourne) have gambling venues, as do several clubs from around the country. But it's Hawthorn that has perhaps profited the most from the misfortune and addiction of others. I wish it was different. I've been barracking for the Hawks since I was five years old, when I inherited a hand-me-down footy jumper in brown and gold. I wore Michael Tuck's number on my back in primary school. I've lived the glory years and the lean years, staying loyal through thick and thin. And I've been a member at the end of the 1990s and again for a few years from 2007.

On Saturday, when the game was done and the grand final won, coach Alastair Clarkson and captain Luke Hodge both thanked Hawthorn's vast membership base. That's more than 72,000 members – but it doesn't include me.. I love my club, and I couldn't barrack for any other, but I won't be a member again. Not while Hawthorn persists in relying on poker machine revenue to underpin its success – not while pokies mean more to the Hawks than people. I know better than most what it means to be one of those people losing everything on the pokies. I was a poker machine addict in the '90s; I guess you could say I still am. It never leaves you. And I was deep inside my addiction when Hawthorn opened its Vegas club at Waverley Gardens. I was a local, living in Mulgrave, and I thought it was fantastic. My club! Poker machines! It was a perfect storm. I spent thousands of dollars in that venue, and the truly horrifying thing is that for a while there I actually thought it wasn't so bad – because at least it was my club that was getting my money. So, congratulations, Hawthorn. Revel in your success; you've played hard and well and earned the plaudits. But be aware that your achievements are built on a foundation of pain and despair, and that your premierships, admirable though they are, will forever be tainted by the gambling dollars that paid for them. Harsh? Maybe. When it comes to gambling addiction, the truth is never pretty. And Hawthorn, like most AFL clubs, is as addicted to poker machines as I ever was. But it's never too late to change – and there's still one challenge left to the reigning premiers.

If Hawthorn really wants to be known as the greatest team of all time, on the field and off it; if it truly wants to be the family club, the team that places greater value on players, members and supporters than it does on money, the undisputed leader of the competition in every way, the way is simple: walk away from poker machines. Shut down the gaming rooms, sell the poker machine entitlements, get out of the industry. If there are contracts in place, break them. Give up the easy money and do it the hard way. There are plenty of alternatives to gambling revenue, if you know where to look. Make a commitment right now to be better. To be honest. To be truly deserving of every dollar you make, and to ensure no one suffers so your club can thrive. Head into 2016 as a club that doesn't rely on the suffering of others to turn a profit. Be leaders in every way; no other club is better placed to fundamentally challenge the status quo than Hawthorn is right now. Now that's a club for which I'd buy a membership.

Tom Cummings is a gambling reform advocate. He blogs at cyenne.com.