Peter Dunne an apologist for the gambling industry

A recent speech by United Future leader Peter Dunne MP claiming that there is no evidence linking gambling addiction problems to pokie machines has been described as “unadulterated rubbish” by a gambling issues lobby group.

GamblingWatch co-ordinator Dave Macpherson said Mr Dunne was “ignoring the strong factual evidence clearly showing a historical rise in presentation to problem gambling treatment agencies in line with rises in pokie machine numbers.”

“But we would expect that of Mr Dunne, who has been an apologist for the gambling industry since his days as Minister of Internal Affairs when he allowed pokie machines into New Zealand.”

Mr Macpherson said that three years ago, in a speech at a ‘Gambling Expo’, Mr Dunne proudly said:

“But when it came to poker machines, I know from my own experience when Minister of Internal Affairs that a stroke of the pen was all that was required, and I still have the pen that ………gave me and with which I made that stroke!”

“For Mr Dunne to describe now the gambling industry levy, collected to pay for gambling addiction treatment services as an “envy tax”, is despicable, and is insulting and belittling to everyone who has suffered from a gambling addiction, or has seen one of their loved ones, or a client so suffer.”

“He should be called the MP for Pokie-Machines, not the MP for Ohariu-Belmont!”

“Last year pokie machine trusts and clubs made a profit of over $900 million off punters, several thousand of whom had gambling addiction problems. Of this amount, only a pitiful $20 million was paid over in the levy to treat these people.”

“Now Mr Dunne wants Government to withdraw even further from the regulation and management of gambling; but it’s clear that the only beneficiaries of such a move would be his friends in the industry itself.”

ENDS

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