June 19, 2013
Gambling reduction bill becomes industry jackpot
Māori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell’s gamble that he could shape gambling reform with a private members bill has failed, with the National Government taking over the reform programme.
Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain today announced a package of reforms for non-casino gaming.
He says Mr Flavell’s Gambling Harm Reduction Bill, which lost many of its key features at the select committee stage, will be the first in a set of significant changes.
He says they will focus on improving the transparency of grants to community groups, increasing the amount of funding that goes back to the community and reducing compliance costs for pokie operators.
Mr Tremain says his department will be able to prosecute more easily and cancel or suspend licences as a penalty, but societies and venues who are compliant can be granted longer licences.
Green Party gambling spokesperson Denise Roche says the changes could actually create more harm, because allowing venues to get a percentage of pokie machine takings is an incentive for them to allow more risky gambling behaviour.
She says the government has been named by the gaming industry, which it is allowing to dictate the terms of any reforms.
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