New Zealand’s Racing Board recently met with the Auckland City Council to discuss the potential sinking lid policy. Over the course of the past year, local residents have fought hard to pass this policy, but the Racing Board does not believe that it is the best course of action. According to SkyCity’s convention centre deal, its Auckland casino will be able to install 230 new games.
It will not be affected by the sinking lid policy, which aims to reduce the number of pokies in the city over time. As such, Racing Board representatives believe that pokie players will be compelled to play pokies at SkyCity, which would put community groups at a disadvantage. But, why is that so? Pokie clubs donate a large portion of their profits to community groups.
Education, arts, heritage and sports programs all benefit greatly from pokie grants. If pubs were forced to shut down their pokies, there would be fewer games and players would simply head to the next gambling venue to get their pokies fix. As a result, less profits would be allocated to community organizations. "There's always going to be somewhere to get your fix," says Jarrod True, Racing Board representative.
"There's going to be a casino for the next 35 years." Last year, pokie pubs and clubs donated over $90 million, as upwards of 20% of their gaming profits contribute to community groups. In contrast, SkyCity is only required to donate 2.5% of its gambling profits. So, SkyCity and other local casino operators contribute significantly less money than pokie clubs.
The Racing Board urges the Auckland City Council to rethink its strategy. Although many residents believe that the sinking lid policy will reduce problem gambling rates, there is a bigger picture to look at – and it is important to get to the root of problem gambling before dealing with existing gambling methods.
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