Sky City's Claim On Lotto Harm Doesn’t Stack Up

The claim that SkyCity pokie machines are less harmful than Lotto tickets does not stack up says Professor Max Abbott, director of AUT University’s Gambling and Addictions Research Centre.

Professor Abbott took issue with comments made by SkyCity chief executive Nigel Morrison regarding social harm associated with pokie machines.

"The most recent Ministry of Health, New Zealand Health Survey found 99.5 percent of problem gamblers participated in a form of gambling other than, or additional to, Lotto. Only 0.5 percent of problem gamblers engaged in Lotto alone,” he says.

"Furthermore, during the past two years, nearly 200 problem gamblers seeking help from the national gambling helpline (for the first time) reported that casino gaming machines were their primary gambling mode. A further 150 or so, said casino machines were their secondary mode. During this period only six people said they had a primary problem with Lotto and 21 said Lotto was secondary.”

"These facts and similar results for the 12,090 people who obtained specialist face-to-face problem gambling treatment services last year clearly indicate that casino pokies are a much greater health and social hazard than Lotto,” says Professor Abbott. “Very few weekly Lotto players have gambling problems. Nearly one in five weekly pokie players do."

According to Professor Abbott, Morisson's further claim that "those at risk were not casino customers but 'mums in South Auckland' who were shopping in communities where there were pokie machines at clubs and pubs" is also incorrect.

"It is true that people living in deprived neighbourhoods have much higher rates of problem gambling and related harm than those living elsewhere. However, according to the latest New Zealand Health Survey, the rate for males in deprived neighbourhoods is double that for females."

"There is also some validity to Morrisson's assertion that ready access to pokies, particularly in pubs, is an important factor and that more people have problems with machines outside casinos. Whereas 191 first time Gambling Helpline problem gamblers reported problems primarily with casino machines, 45 mentioned clubs and 1,374 mentioned pubs. However, while ready access may well be an issue, in large part the difference between casinos and pubs reflects the much greater number of machines in pubs."

Professor Abbott said casino table games also contribute significantly to gambling harm. During the past two years, 121 first-time Helpline callers mentioned problems with casino table games/cards, compared to four people in pubs and 11 via the Internet.

"I agree that from a public health perspective there may well be merit in confining pokies to casinos, especially if they are located at sites away from large local populations including those neighbourhoods most at risk. However, SkyCity Casino is located in the middle of our major city and at best can only partially be described as a "destination" gambling venue. As I understand it the casino relies predominantly on revenue from Auckland residents, particularly local pokie players."
Notes:
Ministry of Health: A Focus on Problem Gambling: Results of the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/focus-problem-gambling-results-2006-07-new-zealand-health-survey

AUT’s Gambling and Addictions Research Centre
http://www.aut.ac.nz/research/research-institutes/niphmhr/gambling-and-addictions-research-centre

Gambling Helpline New Zealand: Report for National Statistics to 31 December 2011. Email: Dylan@lifeline.org.nz

Ministry of Health: Intervention client data, 2004-2011 financial years.
http://www.health.govt.nz

ENDS

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