Call for Regional Sinking Lid on Pokies

Call for Regional Sinking Lid on Pokies

A regional sinking lid policy on gambling machines (pokies) across Auckland would steadily reduce their numbers and therefore their harmful effects say Auckland City Councillors Cathy Casey and Denise Roche on today, Gamble Free Day.

Cr Cathy Casey said, “Gambling machines (pokies) proliferate in the poorest areas. I was a member of the hearing panel that introduced a ‘sinking lid’ policy on pokies during the Hubbard term of Council. Under the sinking lid policy, the number of pokie machines in Auckland city was reduced by one third from just over 2000 to 1482 in six years, from a peak of 4.8 for every 1000 people in March 2004 to 3.3 for every 1000 at the end of 2009. The number of gambling venues was reduced from 168 to 112.”

“Earlier this year John Banks and his Citizens & Ratepayers (C&R) council threw out the sinking lid policy. This, despite the fact that 97 percent of the nearly 4000 submissions on the draft policy were in favour of retaining the sinking lid approach. From 1 June, operators have been able to transfer their pokies to a new venue as long as they reduce the number of machines by at least one. This new policy greatly slows down the reduction in the number of venues and machines in Auckland city.”

Cr Denise Roche who was a member of the recent hearing panel, which lifted the sinking lid on pokies, said, “A sinking lid policy has been adopted by major councils throughout New Zealand. Manukau City Council has had one in place since 2007 and Waitakere City Council since 2009. This Council chose to remove the sinking lid in the face of massive public support to keep it in place and introduce a new and untested policy just a few months ahead of the election.

“This is all about money - pokie money. Many community organisations who are dependent on funding from gaming trusts lobbied C&R hard to ensure they kept their funding source. John Banks and C&R prefer to maintain a funding source than to listen to the community who want to minimise the massive harm that pokies do to children, and families.

Cr Casey concluded, “This Council seems content for gambling machines to proliferate in the poorer areas of the city – like Mt Roskill, Oranga and Glen Innes – while the good folks of Eastern Bays are able to have a drink in a largely pokie-free zone.”

ENDS