Councillors are due tomorrow to discuss a planned submission to the Department of Internal Affairs, which is considering adjusting regulations and penalties.
Minister of Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti has said the department’s discussion document proposes being more prescriptive about harm minimisation measures pubs and clubs need to have in place, such as identifying and excluding people experiencing harmful gambling, better training of staff and limiting access to money in venues.
One in five pokie players are considered at-risk gamblers.
Although the number of places where people can gamble on pokie machines is decreasing in New Zealand, the amount spent on them has continued to rise.
In its draft submission, the city council signalled it would support stronger compliance requirements and training of licence holders, venue operators and staff.
The department indicated technical changes could be required for machines to make play sequences less addictive and to reduce ‘‘jackpot allure’’.
The council signalled support for such changes.
The city council has a sinking-lid policy on pokie machines and venues, resulting in machines not being replaced.
This has been described as a slow, but effective way of keeping gambling-related harm in check.
However, the council has historically expressed concern about communities having less access to gaming proceeds.
It resolved last year to lobby for a more sustainable model of funding for community organisations to replace the reliance on gambling proceeds.
