Pokie fund theft is becoming a significant problem in the local gambling market. Many pub owners and gaming trusts have been found guilty of misappropriating poker machine income that should be spent on charitable donations, highlighting the need for more transparency in the industry.
The latest case of pokie theft involves a pub owner from Auckland, who stole over $93 000 worth of poker machine grant money. Patrick Francis Williams is a 67-year-old who owns the parent company of various pubs across New Zealand, including the Milestone Bar and the Courtyard Bar.
According to One News, he failed to send $93 127 worth of pokie profits to the North and South Trust, so that the money could be redistributed to local community groups. He has pleaded guilty to five counts of theft by a person in a special relationship. This is just one of many cases of pokie theft that have taken place recently.
In fact, a similar case was recently uncovered last week, as former hotel manager Micheal McGurk was found guilty of having stolen $35 000 from pokies. According to News Talk ZB, rather than banking the money to be used by the Pacific Sports and Community Trust, he used it for hotel trading expenses.
Many individuals believe that stealing money from pokies is a victimless crime, but they are actually taking money that belongs to community groups. Sports clubs, education programs and health initiatives all lose out when tens of thousands of pokie profits are stolen. "The community is the ultimate beneficiary of the gaming machine proceeds,” says Debbie Despard of New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs.
“So, when someone fails to bank the proceeds it is community groups that miss out”.
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