Russell Crowe wages war against electronic gambling machines

Actor Russel Crowe is reportedly waging a war against electronic gambling machines in Australian pubs.

43-year-old Crowe - who was born in Wellington, New Zealand, but re-located to Australia when he was four-years-old - believes the 200,000 machines, known as "pokies", are corrupting the country.

The 'Gladiator' star has started 'A club with no pokies' group on the popular social networking site Facebook -  and has had t-shirts printed with the slogan.

Crowe writes on the group's page: "We know if we are not to rely on poker machine revenue, we will have to find innovative ways of doing business.

"We have a vision for 'a club with no pokies', but to see this through we will need to build the strongest and largest fan base to support our club.

"This group is for anyone who believes the best way to act is to think about how your actions can improve the lives of people in your community.

"Thank you for your support, Russell Crowe."

Russell has already convinced the board of the South Sydney Rabbitohs to get rid of the machines, even though they rake in a huge annual profit of AUD $1 million ($868,000 USD.)

Government agencies claim there are over 200,000 machines crammed into pubs and clubs across Australia, feeding the gambling addiction of around 300,000 people.

South Sydney Rabbitohs co-owner, millionaire businessman Peter Holmes, said: "Russell threw down the gauntlet and said 'Can we do this?' We put a proposal for a family-friendly club, an inclusive club."