COMMENTARY-The GAMBLING (GAMBLING HARM REDUCTION) AMENDMENT BILL

Source: Family First 

This issue was raised in 2012 with is a private member’s bill in the name of Maori MP Te Ururoa Flavell.
Please note: this bill applies to pokies in suburbs and towns – not casinos. That’s a separate issue

Purpose
The aim of this Bill is to enable “local authorities, in consultation with their communities, to reduce the number of, or even eliminate, pokies from those suburbs and towns where they are particularly concentrated or doing particular harm”. The Bill also changes the responsibility for distributing pokie funds and “proposes to give gamblers more ability to limit and control their own gambling behaviour through player tracking and pre-commit cards”.

Background
“Electronic gambling machines (pokies) venues tend to be overly represented in lower income communities and town centres. Māori and Pasifika populations are effectively beingdisproportionately targeted and often severely harmed by them. The harm generated by pokies in terms of poverty, relationship break-up, depression, domestic violence, crime, neglected children, and the greatest losses by gamblers from pokie machines tend also to be drawn disproportionately from Māori, Pasifika, and lower income communities and families”

FAMILY FIRST SUPPORTS THE INTENT OF THE BILL

1. Enabling local authorities in consultation with their communities to:
   * reduce the number of pokie machines in their districts
   * determine where pokie machines may be sited
   * how the proceeds can be distributed

2. Giving gamblers more ability to limit and control their own gambling behaviour through player tracking devices and pre-commit cards

3. Requiring the distribution of proceeds to be carried out primarily for the benefit of community organisations operating within the geographic community in which the venue is located

More on this gambling harm bill

View these Centre Right NZ Political Party Policies and voting position on REDUCED GAMBLING.

Note: Policies subject to change. Please check the Policy Links for the latest Policy if available. These are the voting positions of party leaders for the 2014 General Election as reported to Family First who asked the questions below. Please refer to the linked website ‘Value Your Vote 2014‘ for more information and updates.

PARTY	VOTING POSITION/ POLICY	Policy link
Questions asked for the 2014 election	Reduced gambling Will you SUPPORT or OPPOSE a nationwide ‘sinking lid’ (a progressive reduction) policy on gaming machines? GREEN answers support the Conservative position.
	Jamie Whyte OPPOSED	Policy link
	Peter Dunne SUPPORTS	Policy link
	Winston Peters SUPPORTS	Policy link
	John Key NO RESPONSE	Policy link
	Colin Craig SUPPORTS	Policy link

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