Gambling policy doing the trick

A review of the Queenstown Lakes District Council Gambling Policy has shown that it is working well in reducing the number of gaming machines around the district.

“The council is required by the Gambling Act 2003 to adopt a Gambling Policy to control the number and location of Class 4 gaming machines, aka pokies, and TAB outlets in the district,” QLDC general manager corporate and regulatory Roger Taylor said.

“The policy applies only to pokie machines in pubs or clubs, it does not include those in casinos,” he said.
The policy must be reviewed and, if required, amended every three years to make sure it is working and still relevant to community needs.

“The outcome of the latest review is that the current policy is promoting and achieving the objectives of the Gambling Act 2003, and should remain unchanged,” Mr Taylor said.

The current policy has seen a significant reduction in the number of gaming machines per 1000 usually resident population (aged 18 years and over), from 9.78 in September 2003 to 5.27 in January 2010. The actual number of pokies has reduced from 144 to 107 over this period.

“Because the recommendation to council is not to make any changes to the policy, a formal consultation process is not necessary; however informal comments from the community are welcome and will be considered,” Mr Taylor said.

A report on the review and the current Gambling Policy are available on the council website www.qldc.govt.nz or council offices district-wide. To be considered by council, comments should be made by 12 February 2010.