A great deal of organizations and charities across New Zealand benefit from poker machine funding; however, there seems to be some unfair treatment lurking beneath the surface of the scheme. In a recent interview, Francis Wevers, formerly of the Community Gaming Association (CGA), uncovers some of these transgressions and makes a case for a review of the pokies funding system.
Wever states that some favouritism is at work in the pokies funding market. He believes that many pubs receive more funding than they should, spending it on big screen televisions and renovations. However, more money should be pumped back into the community, and the new Harm Reduction Bill could ensure that happens.
The proposed Harm Reduction Bill not only aims to reduce the number of poker machines in the country over the course of 12 months; it will also give community leaders the ability to decide how the money is allocated. Wevers believes that this presents a great opportunity for the government to ensure that the right groups are receiving poker machine funding.