17/11/2008

North Shore Loses $32 Million To Pokie Machines

North Shore City Council gets to vote tomorrow on whether it wants to put a stop to this drain on their community. Pokie machines are generally sited in poorer areas where they do the most damage to people who can least afford it.

The Shore has 650 pokie machines and 46 venues and on average every man, woman and child will lose $156 per year on these machines.. The majority of submitters to the Gambling review, 336 of them, want a sinking lid moratorium which would mean that over time the number of machines in the City would reduce. The majority of Councils in New Zealand have taken a firm stand against the growth of pokies as they recognize that the majority of the public have a high degree of unease over this form of gambling and also over the growing dependence of community funding being reliant on someone else's misfortune.

A growing number of organizations, such as the Salvation Army, have taken a clear stand against taking this form of funding. At best, a community will never see more than 40 cents in the dollar back in the form of community funding, but the reality for most communities is that it is significantly less which makes it an incredibly poor form of community funding. Problem Gambling Foundation, along with well over 300 submitters, hope that the North Shore City Council makes the right decision for its community.

The hearing is at the Council and will be heard from 2pm onwards. The public are urged to attend to show their support for a sinking lid on pokie machines.

ENDS

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