Three people have been arrested in Australia for breaking into social clubs and robbing video poker machines. According to Australian media reports, the poker bandits broke into a dozen clubs in New South Wales, a state in southeastern Australia, and used knives, iron bars and swords to break open video poker machines at the clubs and steal cash.

The crooks did more than a million dollars worth of damage to the clubs and the machines, the reports said.

Social clubs in the towns of Coffs Harbour, Richmond and elsewhere were hit, the reports said.

Earlier this week, police raided a building in Coffs Harbour, found evidence linked to the robberies and arrested two men and a boy, the reports said. =A0 Arrested were 21-year-old Kevin J. Dickson, 18-year-old Graham Dickson and a 17-year-old boy who was unidentified because of his age, the reports said.

All are from Coffs Harbour, the reports said.

The Dicksons were each charged with 12 counts of aggravated breaking and entering and one count of attempting to enter premises in order to committ an offense, while the minor was charged with two counts of breaking and entering, the reports said.

All were denied bail, the reports said.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)