TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
THURSDAY JULY 27, 2023
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Pokie report disputed By Mary Anne Gill
The country’s fourth largest gambling operator has taken issue with a Waipā District Council report which suggested community funding from pokie machines was going from the poor to the rich. Grassroots Trust, which operates 70 per cent of the gambling machines in the district, is opposing a suggestion to reduce machine numbers via a sinking lid policy. Currently under the council’s existing Gambling Policy the numbers of pokie machines are limited to 232. If a new venue wants machines, it must wait for an existing venue to relinquish its licence. Staff, who prepared a social impact assessment of gambling as part of a report, recommended the status quo when the revised policy went to last month’s Strategic Planning and Policy committee. But pressure from elected members and community groups around problem gambling and how much of the profits were being distributed within the district resulted in the council’s decision to go out for informal consultation instead. Cambridge Community Board supports a sinking lid policy while the Te Awamutu and Kihikihi board has yet to make a decision. Grassroots executive chairman
Martin Bradley said his trust took its grants process seriously with the area where the funds are raised, and community need at the top of the list. The gaming sector is legally required to return a minimum of 40 per cent of the funds raised from gaming machines to the community via grants. The report considered by councillors last month did not look at the percentage granted from profits, but the percentage granted from the total amount gambled, ultimately leading to a view in some quarters that the trust was well shy of the 40 per cent grant rate. The report said about 10 per cent of the $10.71 million put into Waipā machines in Zealander have, or may need to, access the 12 months to March 31 one day, regardless of their demographic,” was returned to the district Bradley said in a response to The News. in the form of community The trust also provided funding to schools, grants. early childhood centres, local charities and Bradley said for the sporting organisations, he said. period January 1 to June 30, Trusts like Grassroots were world-leading Grassroots Trust returned $1.335 million – or 45.47% in terms of minimising harm from gambling, he argued. The trust provided all its venue - to the community, staff with unlimited training and education with a further on identifying signs of problem gambling. $638,508 to national It had also committed to installing facial organisations in recognition across all venues to identify selfWaipā. excluded gamblers. And a claim in Forty one people had excluded themselves the council report that from Waipā gaming venues as of February groups benefitting most this year. from the funding were “Considered against a population of from less highly deprived approximately 53,600 residents, the Waipā areas was untrue, he said. district’s problem gambling rate is very low,” “The trust is a large saidPage Bradley. funder of essential Te Awamutu News – Front Small Space Ad “There is no proven correlation between services such as 81.5mm high x 84mm wide – insertion 27th July23 the number of gaming machines and rescue helicopters, problem gambling. The number of gaming St. John Ambulance, machines in Waipā has stayed mostly static surf lifesaving, and Hospice; services every New over the past five years with a growth in
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revenue, while problem gambling numbers have not increased.” Any move to reduce the number of machines would accelerate the migration to online gambling, he said. “(That’s) an environment that is accessible 24 hours a day, usually via mobile, has no restriction on bet sizes, is not monitored for problem gambling, and only benefits offshore providers,” said Bradley. There are 72 gaming machines in Cambridge, 36 in Leamington, 106 in Te Awamutu and a further 18 in Kihikihi. Class four gaming societies like Grassroots – the largest in the North Island and fourth largest in New Zealand – are regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs. The industry pays a levy of over $20 million to the government each year, and $3-4 million on prevention and minimisation measures. Grassroots Trust Group operates 1369 gaming machines across 92 venues nationwide. Feedback on the council’s Gambling Policy opens next Monday on its website and must be provided by Friday August 25.
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