Tokoroa Region in New Zealand Protests Against Gaming Machines

New Zealand’s Torokoa Region could put an end to the operations of local gaming machines.

As the Torokoa town government in New Zealand has given the green light to the operations of a new gaming salon, local newspapers have reported that a local anti-gambling lobby has begun a legal battle to keep the business from starting. Operations at the salon have not started yet, but it faces a legal battle against the group already.

Spokesperson for “Feed Families Not Pokies” which is a newly formed group, Colin Bridle revealed that the case has been taken to the Justice as the group believes that a gaming salon with 30 slot machines will cause damage to the development of local families.

He said that the group has gathered plenty of material under the Official Information Act and fortunately, two experts in this area of the law, a barrister and a senior policy analyst, have reviewed all of the collected material without any charge. The experts advised them that they have a clear case for judicial review as there were a number of significant flaws in the official processes of decision making.

Colin Bridle said that a loophole in the Gambling Act was exploited when the new venue to create a mini-casino was proposed for Torokoa. According to the Act, a maximum of 9 slot machines are permitted in new venues. The Act’s loopholes means that if there is a merger between RSAs and other genuine clubs, it is possible for up to 30 machines to be permitted in one venue. Bridle concluded that that did not want to see 30 pokie machines at a venue in their community, which is basically a commercial venture under the guise of a club.