Opponents of poker machines are lining up to fight their introduction to Glenorchy, near Queenstown.
Southern Trust has applied for consent to operate nine gambling machines at Glenorchy Lodge - the first time the machines would be present in the town.
The application has attracted community opposition, with all but one of the 19 public submissions received opposing their introduction.
Gavan and Barbara Poff, Glenorchy ratepayers who live in Invercargill, said Glenorchy was a small town with few permanent residents who chose the peace and quiet of the town over the busier Queenstown.
‘‘Why on earth would a small place like Glenorchy need gaming machines?''
Kirsty Sharpe said she feared the introduction of the machines could lead to a rising crime rate in the town.
‘‘The gaming machines could be an attraction for unfortunate people who can least afford to gamble,'' she said.
‘‘It's entirely possible that the crime rate could rise if some locals became addicts.''
Southern Trust compliance manager Campbell Wilson, in a letter to Lakes Environmental planning manager Brian Fitzpatrick, acknowledged the application had drawn ‘‘opposition from some members of the community''.
‘‘I am not at all surprised by that outcome because many people hold strong views regarding gambling,'' Mr Wilson said.
However, none of the submissions challenged the hotel's suitability for poker machines under the council's gambling venue policy, and the application should be processed on its merits, he said.
The Gambling Act 2003 required territorial authorities to adopt a policy to regulate the growth and location of some gambling machines within the district.
The application will go before the Queenstown Lakes District Council regulatory committee's hearings panel on February 11.
