Community groups in Canterbury have received a generous boost of over $400,000 from the Christchurch Casinos Charitable Community Trust, helping key services weather the current economic downturn.
"With the economy in recession, we're hearing from organisations struggling to fund essential programmes," said Brett Anderson, chief executive of Christchurch Casino.
"This donation will help bridge that gap and ensure vital services remain available."
Beneficiaries include local toy libraries, Age Concern, The Aranui Community Trust, Cholmondeley Children's Centre and Canterbury Blue Light, whose goal is to help reduce the incidence of young people becoming criminal offenders while fostering better relationships between youth and police.
For the first time, these organisations received additional funding from ChristchurchCasino.com, Christchurch Casinos Ltd online casino platform based in Malta.
"There are currently no legal requirements for online casinos to donate to the community," said Anderson.
"However, we recognise that most of our online users are from Canterbury, and we believe it's important to give back to the local community."
