Anti-gambling facilitator providing wrong facts

Anti-gambling facilitator providing wrong facts at local authority meetings, says GMANZ

Facilitators at local territorial authority meetings where gaming regulations are being discussed have been accused of providing misleading information, according to the Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand.

GMANZ chairman, Garry Ward, says he has fielded complaints from several of his members who are claiming that Auckland University’s John Raeburn (who has been the facilitator at several such meetings) is presenting provocative, anti gambling scene-setting speeches containing statistics and facts that are incorrect.

“The facilitator should be there to promote sensible and constructive consultation, not to promote wowserism and insular narrow beliefs.

“The community and the gaming industry deserves professional facilitation at these local territorial authority consultations, and the likes of Mr Raeburn are failing to deliver,” says Mr Ward

“Quite rightly, there has been a call for greater transparency in the gaming sector and much of the recently passed legislation will go a long way towards achieving that. The territorial authorities need to get their act right … they have an obligation to get the facts right, and at the Auckland meetings we’re hearing about, that’s not happening,” he said.

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