Suspension of licence strongly supported

Media Release: Thursday 27th April 2006

“There must be very strong sanctions to prevent the gambling industry from facilitating crime,” says John Stansfield, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF).

“When someone steals from an employer and gambles that money at the casino is that person is punished, the employer is punished, that person’s family and friends are punished, and every working person in New Zealand is punished when they pay for the cost of the trial and incarceration.

“There is only one person laughing, and that is the casino who gets to keep the money.

Where else in New Zealand do you get to keep stolen goods?” “The Commission is to be congratulated on taking a strong stance with Dunedin Casino, and upholding the legislation which could suspend the casino’s licence for up to six months,” says Mr Stansfield.

“A full hearing to suspend Dunedin Casino’s licence is a strong lesson to the gambling industry,” he says.

“We are in full support of suspending the Casino’s licence, and believe that any casino that claims they didn’t know a person has an obvious gambling problem, and broken thel law to gamble that way, should be made responsible for their actions."

“We will follow the full hearing keenly with much interest."

ENDS

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