New Zealand’s Harm Reduction Bill is aimed at giving local councillors more power when it comes to dictating how the country’s pokies market is run. The Auckland Council has expressed its support for the bill, as plenty of other cities across New Zealand get on board with the idea of reducing potential harm from pokies.

While poker machines are not inherently harmful, those who are inclined to develop gambling problems find themselves addicted to the games. As such, city councillors believe it is their responsibility to turn things around. One of the main provisions of the bill would give city councils the right to decide how many poker machines should be allowed in their jurisdictions.

This means that they can reduce the number of poker machines in any one area, and they must be removed within 12 months. The bill will also see councillors deciding which locations should and should not be allowed to host Class 4 gaming machines. Councillors also support the bill as it would establish a new system for allocating poker machine funds, so that biases are not expressed.

In addition, gaming clubs will be required to make an active effort in preventing problem gambling amongst their customers.

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.