Health promoter Eru Loach spoke at a meeting of the Southland District Council yesterday at which the council's review of its gambling machine policy was discussed.
Mr Loach said a gambling addiction was not easy to identify and in many cases the problem combined with other social issues, such as domestic violence, alcohol and drug addiction.
A strong sinking lid approach would be more effective in reducing gambling-related harm than allowing licences to be transferred or relocated, he said.
The council's gambling venue policy outlined a soft sinking lid approach, which allowed venues to continue operating machines but did not allow permits for new machines.
The Southern District Health Board also supported a more restrictive approach.
In a written submission, Public Health South suggested the council should include sensitive sites - areas near schools, places of worship and other public facilities - in the definition section of the policy.
''If council decided to retain the soft sinking lid approach, Public Health South suggests any licence transfer or relocations are restricted to a boundary of at least 100m to a sensitive site and potentially any residential area.''
The Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand representative Jarrod True said Southland did not have large problem with gambling addiction.
From July 2017 to June 2018, only one additional person from Southland sought help for a gambling problem, Mr True said.
A sinking lid approach was unlikely to reduce problem gaming, but would, over time, reduce the amount of funding available to community groups, he said.
Instead of a sinking lid, the council should introduce a cap of 88 gaming machines in total, which was the number now operating in the district.
The council is expected to adopt a draft policy at its next full meeting in August.
