New Zealand politicians are dedicating to reducing problem gambling rates across the country. They plan to do this by passing the new Harm Reduction Bill that will enable local municipalities to have a larger say in how many poker machine are permitted in individual cities. Now, the general public has thrown their support behind the bill, launching a campaign to spread the world about harm reduction strategies.

“No More Pokies In New Zealand” is a campaign that was recently launched by more than 20 organizations across the country. UNICEF, the Salvation Army, Gambling Helpline and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand are among the many groups that have banded together to increase support for a sinking lid policy regarding poker machines in the country.

A sinking lid policy aims to reduce the number of poker machines over time. It will also restrict the government from issuing new pokie licenses to venues and club owners from selling and transferring machines to new locations. Overall, the goal of a sinking lid policy is to reduce problem gambling rates by reducing the number of opportunities that local citizens have to gamble.

“Over time, the number of venues and pokie machines will reduce,” says Tony Milne, National Manager of Public Health at the Problem Gambling Foundation. The campaign is centred around children, suggesting that a sinking lid policy benefits the future of New Zealanders’ children.

The campaign video features local children describing their future plans, and its Mission reads: “When parents have problems with gambling, it is often children who suffer most and they are more likely to become problem gamblers themselves. We can break that cycle by saying No to more pokies”.

While poker machines are not inherently addictive, some clubs can be seen as taking advantage of vulnerable individuals in low-income areas by adding new pokies on a regular basis. This campaign seeks to put an end to this, ensuring that children are not exposed to gambling and problem gambling from an early age.

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.