Press Release

Wharf causes more problems than its worth

“Queenstown residents must be questioning the value of having casinos in their community,” says John Stansfield, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF).

“The Wharf Casino was allowed to be established on the basis that it returned a share of profits to the community through a community trust. The casino has never shown a profit so presumably there has been nothing to return to the community,” says Mr Stansfield.

“At the same time, the casino has been dragging money out of the community in the form of gambling expenditure, often from those who can least afford it,” he says.

“Gambling is responsible for a great deal of hardship in our communities and is responsible for a great deal of crime, poverty and other social ills,” says Stansfield.

“Supporters of the type of wide-spread legal gambling that we have in New Zealand point to the funds returned to the community as a justification for its existence. If a gambling operator is not able to return funds to the community, then it becomes an unacceptable burden on that community and there is surely no point in allowing it to operate.”

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