Pokie machines are being prevented from breeding in Tauranga City and current nests are confined, in a series of decisions made by the city council's Strategy and Policy Committee this week.
The numbers of the gambling machines are limited to about what they are now. Councillors voted to reduce the number of pokie machines in the city from 1:147 people to 1:220 people.
The number of pokie machines in Tauranga has been limited.
This keeps the number static, reflecting the 548 machines licenced in the city by the Department of Internal Affairs. As of March 1 there were 541 machines operating in 37 venues in Tauranga city, just over half of the 821 machines permitted under the current policy.
The changes are a result of the legally required three yearly review of the bylaw. The second decision prevents nests of pokies relocating to new bars. Venues licenced before 2003 were permitted 18 machines. Since then, the numbers have been limited to nine.
The relocation decision prevents owners of premises with 18 machines from transferring the old licence to a new venue – unless the old venue is destroyed in a natural disaster. Pokies can only be located in a commercial or industrial zoned area on the city plan.
The TAB policy remains the same, which opposes new TAB venues unless they specifically exclude sports betting terminals and pokie machines.
The draft policy was subject to community consultation in accordance with the Special Consultative Procedure set out in section 83 of the Local Government Act (LGA). This included a Gambling Social Impact Assessment.
Tauranga's current pokie machine density is considered to be low risk of gambling harm. The rise of internet gambling is thought to be why the growth in the number of pokie machines has been reasonably stagnant in recent years.
The council received 26 submissions during the consultation period, which ran from November 16 to December 18.
Some submitters supported the proposal to reduce the cap on the number of machines as they believed this would help reduce harm from problem gambling. Other submitters expressed concerns that the cap would impact on the ability of community sports groups to access funding.
Pokie machine gambling is considered the most harmful type of gambling. In a 2012 study, nearly 70 per cent of problem gamblers cited the machines as their primary mode.
3 comments
Get rid of them
Posted on 16-03-2016 17:24 | By The umpire
When you have lived with someone who gambled 80 thousand dollars away in pokie machines, you will want them banned for good, they are no good to any one and the only winner is the owner of the machine.
on the contrary
Posted on 17-03-2016 08:41 | By CC8
I think we need a Casino in Tauranga,I gambling addiction isn't the councils business, the are bending to pressure from "doo gooders" and "hand wringers"...Gamblers like all other addicts have to sort their own problems... Banning anything has never solved ,the issue. All it does is strengthen the policing industry. t would be the biggest tourist attraction we could build here, along with a couple of theme parks and a proper organised charter boat base which is not part of a leisure marina or a fishing boat wharf/repair facility..
You must be kidding
Posted on 17-03-2016 16:38 | By The umpire
On the contrary needs to get a grip, obviously a gambler from the comments.If you take the machines away they have nowhere to go, I remember going to the RSA before pokies, what a difference there is now, people who can't help themselves or can't stop throwing their money away sitting for hour upon hour feeding the machine. They used to buy a couple of raffle tickets and go home. Poor lost souls.
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