Source: Hapai Te Hauora

This week the Department of Internal Affairs achieved a successful prosecution of four men and an incorporated society for misusing the proceeds from pokie machines. They will be sentenced in the new year.

Hāpai Te Hauora says the case demonstrates the need for tougher measures to ensure misused funds are returned to the communities they came from.

Problem gambling has been linked with poor mental and physical health, and affects Māori and Pasifika more severely than others; there are persistently high rates of problem gambling and relapse rates among Māori and Pacific communities despite an overall decline in gambling across New Zealand.

ENDS

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