A family had to re-mortgage their home to pay gambling debts, the Dunedin City Council was told in just one of more than 700 submissions yesterday.
The council is proposing to retain its current gambling policy, and 708 people and organisations have sent written submissions advocating for the adoption of a sinking-lid policy.
Under a sinking-lid policy, there would be no new poker machines or pokie venues when a venue closed.
Such a policy has been adopted by 14 councils, including the Auckland and Christchurch City Councils.
The large number of submissions have largely been driven by the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, Salvation Army Oasis Centre and Te Roopu Tautoko ki te Tonga.
Oasis centre counsellor Chris Watkins said that while the recession appeared to have affected casual gamblers - with a drop in money spent on poker machines- the level of problem gambling was rising.
A sinking-lid policy was the only effective means under current legislation to deal with the problem of poker machines and their effects on problem gamblers, he said.
Many of the submissions were from concerned citizens, but others were from problem gamblers and included heart-breaking stories, he said.
Dunedin City Council liquor licensing and projects officer Kevin Mechen was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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