Last month, it was announced that the Problem Gambling Foundation would lose more than 70% of its funding, as the New Zealand government decided to hand the organisation’s clients over to The Salvation Army. Recently, the Problem Gambling Foundation decided to fight back – and the move has proven worthwhile as the organisation’s funding has been extended to February 2015.

Originally, the Problem Gambling Foundation was set to lose 77% of its funding by July 1st 2014, when the Salvation Army was planned to take over the majority of its clients. The Ministry of Health failed to provide a solid reason why the funding was pulled, leaving the Problem Gambling Foundation to take legal action.

Last week, representatives from the Problem Gambling Foundation announced that they would take the Ministry of Health to court in order to understand more about why the funding was pulled. There is no word on whether or not this warning has had an effect on the decision to extend the funding, but the Ministry of Health states that the judicial review has delayed the process.

“This funding extension means the Judicial Review into the proposed cut can take place before it is too late,” says Richard Wagstaff, National Secretary for the Public Services Association. “Problem Gambling Foundation staff do world-leading work, and it would be a devastating blow if they lost their jobs due to a funding process that appears flawed at best”. Now, the Problem Gambling Foundation will continue to receive funding into 2015.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Health will continue to review the local problem gambling counselling providers in the country. 63 staff will get to keep their jobs and the organisation’s 12 office across New Zealand can remain open while this process is carried out.

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.