Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti recently proclaimed that a review of Class 4 gambling machine regulations for harm minimisation will greatly benefit vulnerable communities.
The review is currently proceeding and seeks to diminish the amount of gambling harm experienced by some pokies users and the people they are close to.
Tinetti, who doubles as Labour’s List MP for Tauranga said,
“Pokies are known to be the most harmful form of land-based gambling in Aotearoa, and this review will target ways to reduce harm experienced by people who use pokies and those close to them. Harmful pokies gambling accounts for the majority of referrals to gambling treatment providers and for much of the second-hand gambling harm experienced by a gambler’s whānau and friends.”
According to data from the 2020 Health and Lifestyles Survey, close to 10% of New Zealanders play pokies and one in five of them can be classified as at-risk from gambling harm.
“The review will bring greater clarity around what venues need to recognise and manage at-risk gamblers, how pokie machine features can assist, and enforcement tools for non-compliance with gambling harm minimisation rules,” Tinetti continued.
Venue staff will be provided with tools and training to help them identify problematic gambling behaviour, and changes to certain machine features are planned, with the intent of discouraging continuous, harmful gambling.
Tinetti pointed out that gambling harm appears to be more prevalent among those in the least stable financial positions and who are likely experiencing significant life challenges. He mentioned the Māori and Pacific communities where gambling has led to debt, but financial hardship, family violence, and other social ills.
“We encourage any community or individual who wishes to get involved with the review to have their say, by providing feedback and ideas on the proposed changes. We have the chance to create serious change. Feedback from public consultation in addition to harm treatment providers, societies and gambling venues will help us create regulations informed by gamblers, their whānau and friends, and people who work with those experiencing harm,” the minister concluded.
The public consultation was launched on March 17 2022 and has a planned six-week run. Anyone interested in reading the public discussion document has been invited to head over to www.dia.govt.nz/reducingpokiesharm. The text has been made available as quick-read versions and in several languages.
If all goes according to Tinetti’s plans, a series of targeted harm minimisation regulations for pokies will be implemented by the first half of 2023.
