After failing to reduce problem gambling numbers in Porirua, city council members have decided that it cannot hurt to relax their gambling laws. As such, they have proposed that pokie and TAB outlets should be opened in suburban locations across the city. The current gambling policy had caused a decline in the number of poker machines in the city.

The policy was originally aimed at reducing gambling harm, but spending continues to rise and problem gambling rates have remained the same. Today, there are 25% fewer pokies in Porirua than there were 10 years ago. However, players continue to spend more than $10 million on pokies every year. So, city council members are interested in relaxing Poririua’s gambling laws.

Currently, gambling laws restrict venues to being open in the city centre and in industrial areas. Politicians have proposed that laws should be relaxed to allow outlets to open in the suburbs. There would be not limit on the number of venues that are allowed to open, but each location can only have nine games. “It harm hasn't been reduced in not allowing these venues then it's not increasing harm,” says Bronwyn Kropp, a city councillor.

The Problem Gambling Foundation has spoken out against the plan. The group of responsible gambling advocates are opposed to the idea that gambling laws would be relaxed in Porirua. They believe that, if anything, gambling laws should be further tightened to prevent problem gambling rates from climbing even higher.

While Porirua councillors have denied that reducing the number of games has reduced gambling harm, the Problem Gambling Foundation extols sinking lid policies. Representatives of the group state that research has shown that sinking lid policies actually are effective in reducing problem gambling rates.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.