Mixed response to Gambling Harm Awareness Week call in New Zealand

The Invercargill Licensing Trust (ILT) has switched off most of its gaming machines for an hour on Monday to mark the start of Gambling Harm Awareness Week in New Zealand. At the other major gaming company in the country, the Mataura Licensing Trust, has chosen to look away.

Pokie machines in most ILT venues remained turned off for an hour on the morning of September 3.

However, in Gore, it was business as usual. Mataura Licensing Trust general manager Mark Paterson said: “We appreciate that there could be problems around problem gambling but we’re not doing anything.”

Statistics from the Department of Internal Affairs shows nationwide expenditure for the quarter ending June 2018 was $226,827,967.75.

There are 85 gaming machines across seven approved venues in the Gore district, where $800,802.26 was spent in the quarter.

In Invercargill city, there are 247 machines in 17 approved venues, with an expenditure of $3,982,156.06 for the quarter and $640,812.84 was spent in 94 machines in 17 approved venues in the Southland district.

The “Pause the Pokies” nationwide initiative is being coordinated by the Problem Gambling Foundation, Mapu Maia (Pacific Counselling Service), Asian Family Services, and several community partners around the country to raise awareness about gambling harm.

Foundation director of communications Andree Froude said more than 70 venues are signed up to take part.

“The awareness week starts with 15 of the 17 venues in Invercargill pausing their pokies in the morning and there are some venues participating that are pausing their pokies every day for an hour during that week.”

Froude said the national theme for Gambling Harm Awareness Week is to take time out from gambling and to put time into whānau.

“We are hoping that pausing the pokies will also allow gamblers to think about their gambling, and it may lead to people seeking help from a local service if they are experiencing harm or know someone that is.”

The latest New Zealand National Gambling Study states that although participation in gambling has fallen, rates of problem gambling have not similarly reduced, and gambling continues to impact heavily on Māori and Pacific peoples.

Source:stuff.co.nz