Many clubs and adult entertainment venues across the country are interested in adding or introducing poker machines. The extra revenue and business generated by new pokies would certainly boost profits for the owners, but local councils are scrupulous when it comes to potentially approving applications for the addition of new electronic games into the community.
This week, The Lumber Yard in Napier has had its request to install new pokies denied by the Napier City Council. Trillian Trust submitted an application for nine new pokies, which would be hosted by the gentlemen’s club. Although the venue does not currently have any pokies, the request was denied. The reason that the application was denied was due to the number of pokies that already exist in the area.
Local regulations permit new clubs to install pokies, but this request would have exceed the existing cap. 350 pokies at 26 venues are permitted and the local council was concerned that introducing pokies at The Lumber Yard would cause the city to surpass the number of pokies that are permitted. However, Mayor Barbara Arnott is not entirely convinced that this was the best decision.
She stated that she, herself, has no problem with the trust requesting new pokies. "I think as long as the managers are good managers, and we have evidence of that, otherwise the police will put in a submissions against it. But the police have not done that,” she said. Arnott finds that poker machine can be beneficial to the community.
She notes that pokie profits are used to fund community groups, but the opportunities to introduce poker machines into local venues are limited. As such, she would like to see more pokies in the community in order to generate funding for community sports, education and arts programs.
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