Recently, the design of the SkyCity Convention Centre has received a makeover. It is much smaller than it was originally made out to be, and some responsible gambling advocates believe that this should effect the number of pokies that SkyCity receives in turn for funding the new building. Originally, the cost convention centre was budgeted at $402 million.

It was not only before the cost skyrocketed to $530, so a makeover was needed. It is one level lower than was originally planned, but developers state that there may still be the need for public funding to build the convention. According to Scoop, responsible gambling advocates are not pleased with this news, and they would like to see several other changes along with the size of the convention centre.

Hundreds of new pokies were promised to SkyCity in return for building the convention centre and, since the building has been downsized, they would like to see the number of pokies reduced as well. “A Convention Centre may sound good but not when it is being funded on gambling losses,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First.

“Government deals and legislative concessions should not be used as cheerleaders for casinos and the gambling industry”. The advocates also maintain that SkyCity was not the best choice for the convention centre’s sponsor. They note that several other parties were interested, none of which asked the government for permission to install new pokies in venues across the country.

“There were four other interested parties in building a convention centre. The Deputy Auditor-General was concerned with how unfairly they were treated in the tendering process,” he continues.

“What has been shown is that the Convention Centre – if needed – could be built without a mass increase in pokie machines,” The issue continues to be contentious among Kiwis. While many residents support the plan to open a new convention centre and bring in more tourism, others are concerned that it will not be worth the addition of hundreds of new pokies into the local community.

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.