Children In Cars - A Price Of Pokies-- PGFNZ

Children in cars - a price of pokies

Reports of Roturua children being left in cars while their parents gamble on the pokies comes as no surprise to the Problem Gambling Foundation.

National Operations Manager Graham Aitken says that this is happening in towns all over the country on a regular basis.

"Everybody concerned with these machines could be doing more. The pokie trusts and venue operators are not exercising good host responsibility or installing readily available safety features and regulators are not insisting on them doing so'

He is disappointed that too many local authorities still believe the gambling industry spin that pokie related problem gambling only affects a few unfortunate people with addictive personalities.

"The truth is that many ordinary people are being hurt by pokie machines," he says.

"Research has shown that the problem gambling behaviour is a normal outcome of regular play on these machines.'

'For every person with a gambling problem at least five others are affected. All too often it is children who pay the price when authorities choose to ignore or downplay the damage that is being done."

Mr Aitken says that some councils are not being responsible when forming their gambling policies and questions whether they have become seduced by the easy money they get from pokie trusts for community activities.

"Local councils have the ability to impose some controls on the number of pokies in their area under powers given to them under the Gambling Act," he says.
 
'Some councils are using those powers well by introducing sinking lid policies while others seem more concerned about keeping the pokie money flowing."

Mr Aitken says that his organisation is finding that communities around the country are increasingly seeing through gambling industry misinformation and demanding more be done about pokies.

"Public pressure will eventually push both central and local government into acting more responsibly, but in the meantime innocent children are being hurt unnecessarily."

ENDS

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