Gambling organisations have called for restrictions on pokies in Dunedin to be eased, saying the sinking lid policy risks reducing funding for community groups.
The Gambling and TAB Venue Policy was put under the microscope last week at a meeting of Dunedin’s hearings committee.
It was presented with three options: retain the current "sinking lid" policy, impose no limitations or a switch to a new alternative.
It limited gambling machines and venues by not granting new consents and dictated that venues could only relocate under exceptional circumstances.
The committee received 17 submissions, 76% of which did not agree with the current approach.
Lion Foundation spokesman Paul Allison recommended council cap the number of machines at its current level of 366, to mitigate the harm of a reduced number of machines.
"If you have a sinking lid policy you will be reducing the number of machines available which then reduces the amount of funding available ..."
Mr Allison said the funding produced from the pokies was the "lifeblood" of community organisations, and called for the current relocation clause to be retained.
He said there had been no new evidence to show a reduction in machines led to a reduction in gambling problems.
Jarrod True, of the Gaming Machine Association of NZ, also recommended a capped policy.
However, he recommended the relocation clause be extended, so venues could vacate from sensitive, unsanitary or dangerous premises.
Mr True said machine numbers nationally had reduced by a quarter in the past 10 years, but the problem gambling rate had stayed the same.
There had been a "massive growth" in online gambling, he said.
Southern Football chief executive Dougal McGowan said gaming machine funds had a significant effect on their community, all of its 22,000 participating members receiving support, and he hoped the council would consider a capped policy as an alternative.
The only speaker in support of the current policy was the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF), a national gambling support charity.
PGF Group policy adviser Kay Kristensen urged council to take the policy a step further and remove the relocation clause.
She said staff confirmed to her that council had received no requests to relocate, and venues expressed little motivation to move regardless.
A sinking lid policy would not accelerate migration to online gambling, backed by research in Australia and Finland, that cited rapidly changing technology, normalisation and accessibility to the internet as factors.
"We can absolutely assure you your sinking lid policy will not accelerate pokie players to online gambling," she said.
Cr David Benson-Pope was disappointed Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand had submitted on the review but was unable to answer questions in person.
He did not think the committee should obsess over online gambling, as it was both outside the committee’s scope and contradictory evidence was heard.
He said he was yet to be convinced there should be any modification to the existing policy.
Committee chairman Cr Bill Acklin said the big focus of the policy should be harm minimisation.
Relocation should be considered in relation to this, and he sought clarification on the impact a further reduction in machines would have on funders.
He agreed online gambling was out of their scope but should not be out of their sights.
"There are a lot of people that see this as entertainment, even though there is a harm factor in there, but that goes with just about anything we do"
The committee would reconvene next year to deliberate before making its recommendations to council.
