New Zealand’s Harm Reduction Bill is gaining steam among local politicians. MP Te Ururoa Flavell is taking advantage of the opportunity by introducing new responsible gambling measures that aim to reduce gambling addiction rates across the country. The original harm reduction bill suggested a number of provisions that would give local community councils the right to control their pokies.

Since local councillors are more in touch with their gambling industries and what players need, it ensure that they would make the right decisions with regards to poker machine numbers and regulations. Now, Flavell has introduced new provisions which will also benefit local community members. The first ensures that 80% of all poker machine profits are returned to the community from which they were derived.

Currently, profits are distributed throughout the country, and the states that spend the most on gambling receive relatively small amounts of poker machine grants. Since areas with high gambling spending levels have higher rates of problem gambling, they would benefit from more pokie grants – which would be used to fund counselling and other aid programs.

Flavell is also urging local councillors to support the introduction of pre-commitment cards and tracking technology. The cards would enable pokie players to set their own betting limits and the tracking system would help them stick to their budget. In Australia, this type of technology is currently being installed in pokie clubs and pubs. Politicians feel that this is an effective way to curb problem gambling rates, and Flavell echoes their sentiments.

Now is the ideal time to garner support for these new responsible gambling measures. Local politicians have already thrown their support behind Flavell’s Harm Reduction Bill, so they are likely to back any new ideas that are presented. We hope that these new provisions make their way into the Harm Reduction legislation.

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.