Jackie Chan Movie Made from Unclaimed Australian Gambling Winnings

A recent report published by the Sydney Morning Herald suggests that Bleeding Steel – an action film featuring Jackie Chan – was partially funded by unclaimed gambling winnings from New South Wales (NSW) pokie games.

The story alleges that the NSW’s Community Development Fund (CDF) provided the producers of the film with an AU$850 000 grant, which had been made up entirely of revenue gathered through unclaimed gambling winnings. The state organisation gathers funds through pokie winning tickets that are never collected.

Not All are Happy About Film’s Use of State Funds

Despite the movie being filmed and developed in Sydney, not all Australians are happy about the fact that the state allowed public funds to be used for such a project. Some lawmakers have stated that the decision to provide an AU$850 000 grant to the Bleeding Steel filmmakers was highly unusual. Some have stated that unclaimed gambling winnings really should only be used to fund gambling harm programmes that benefit the NSW community as a whole.

The CDF has also previously provided grants to fund other public projects including grants to organisations involved in upgrading or building war memorials across the state.

In light of these complaints, the NSW government have defended their decision to provide a large grant to a film by stating that there was community benefit due to the movie being produced in the state.

Jackie Chan Film Receives Poor Reviews

Despite state backing, Bleeding Steel received a poor reception from critics, with some even panning the film as “nonsensical garbage” and that it directly aims at pleasing a younger audience.

Jackie Chan has not yet commented on the state of the film but, as the second highest paid actor in the world, he doesn’t really need to. With over 150 film credits on his tally, some are bound to be flops.