“Less availability, less harm”
New Zealanders spent $118 million more on gambling in the 2015-16 financial year than in the preceding year, even though there were fewer gaming machines, according to the Press-Reader newspaper.
The spend encompasses TAB racing and sports betting, lotteries, gaming machines outside casinos and casino gaming, according to the Department of Internal Affairs. And West Aucklanders poured more than $109,000 a day into pokies.
“We would hesitate to call it a trend, as the increases we’re seeing nationally have only occurred over the last couple of years, but the DIA are currently investigating it,” said Bonnie Lovich-Hewit of the Problem Gambling Foundation.
New Zealanders sank $843 million into pokie machines in 2015-16, and Lovich-Hewit believes accessibility is the reason. “Less machines will help, this research tells us there is a clear correlation between accessibility and harm. Less availability means less harmful gambling.”
Warren Flaunty of the Trusts Community Foundation defended the industry, saying that gaming “returns about 40 percent of profits back into the community through various trusts—money that forms the backbone of a number of organizations.”
Lovich-Hewit disputed that claim, saying it’s not proven that gaming revenues are channeled back into the communities where they are generated.
