Many Aucklanders have shown their support for a sinking lid policy on poker machines in the city – but community groups are not so pleased about the prospect of reducing the number of pokies. The Lion Foundation and other community trusts are concerned that fewer pokies will result in less funding.
If you are unfamiliar with the term ‘sinking lid policy’, it refers to a legislation that aims to reduce the number of poker machines in a city or state over time. Responsible gambling advocates believe that reducing the number of poker machines in a particular area will help to reduce problem gambling rates, and local residents are convinced that this will solve the issue of rising gambling addiction rates in Auckland.
Last month, a group called No More Pokies launched a huge campaign in support of introducing a sinking lid policy in Auckland. They gathered nearly 1000 submissions and presented them to Auckland’s City Council in order to make a statement about the vast support for a sinking lid policy.
The implementation of the sinking lid policy is looming nearer, and community trusts fear that reducing the number of poker machines will result in less funding for local organizations. Upwards of 30% of poker machine profits are donated to community groups via trusts like the Lion Foundation. If the number of pokies were to be reduced, there is the chance that community organizations will lose out on funding.
Many community trust representatives are concerned that a sinking lid policy will not be effective in reducing problem gambling rates. Some believe that facial recognition technology is a more successful method, and would prefer the implementation of that technology to a sinking lid policy. Auckland City Council will continue to review the submissions, but there is a compelling case for either side of the issue.
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