Across New Zealand, politicians are taking this new harm reduction initiative very seriously. Prompted by a proposal for the Harm Reduction Bill, politicians and city councils want to ensure that poker machines and gaming venues do not cause harm to local citizens. As part of this initiative, Auckland City Council has proposed a sinking lid policy, which would reduce the number of pokies in local venues over time.
Sinking lid policies have been enacted in several municipalities across the country. This type of legislation ensures that no new poker machines can be introduced into the community while actively reducing the number of games. This is done by preventing venues from moving or selling machines if they decide to relocate or happen to shut down. So, as venues move and go out of business, the number of pokies will decrease.
The new policy will also introduce a cap on the number of TAB venues that are permitted in the city. Currently, there are 43 – and city councillors would like to keep it this way. Their proposed cap would limit the number of TAB venues to 43, stopping any new venues from popping up in the area. The gambling industry is likely to resist these potential changes.
In the same way that gaming club owners and poker machine manufacturers protested poker machine reform in Australia, a similar response is expected in New Zealand. According to the New Zealand Herald, the gaming machine industry is likely to enlist in sports teams and club representatives in order to fight the proposed sinking lid policy. The situation is further complicated by SkyCity’s pending convention centre deal.
In return for building Auckland’s new $350 million convention centre, Prime Minister John Key has promised the casino operator up to 500 new pokies. This deal will certainly interfere with the proposed sinking lid policy; however, city councillors have yet to decide on a way to deal with this issue.
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