SkyCity wants more cashless gambling machines that are banned
in other casinos in the country, as part of a deal with the
Government in exchange for investing $350 million in a
national convention centre.
A Queenstown man appeared in court yesterday after he stole
$4195 from his employer to fuel his gambling addiction, even
taking the money during early-morning casino binges.
The resignation of Willie Ripia from the Western Force due to
alleged pick-pocketing from his team-mates brings his
promising rugby career in Australia to an embarrassing and
premature end.
The amount of money being lost gambling on Dunedin poker
machines has decreased during the past four years, with
Mosgiel, the central city and the suburbs of City Rise home
to the venues where players are most likely to lose their
cash.
A head for numbers and figures initially gave Tony a "sense
of control" when he started playing the pokies, until his
monthly bank statements highlighted the "horrendous" amounts
he was losing on a regular basis.
"The crack cocaine
of gambling", was how Waitaki District Councillor Hugh
Perkins has described poker machines, but his attempt to
reduce numbers in the Waitaki district failed yesterday.
Student perceptions about gambling were challenged during a
"down-to-earth" demonstration at Otago Polytechnic yesterday,
which aimed to highlight how gaming machines can shatter
lives.
