This blog has been set up to set the record straight and counter the misleading claims being made by pokie trusts and casinos about
proposed gambling reforms - including Te Ururoa Flavell's
Gambling Harm Reduction Bill.

News Archive - July

Loaded 26th July

Lotto bosses investigated finances of Maori mental health provider Lottery bosses carried out an investigation into a mental health provider which linked Lotto to an increase in problem gambling, raising questions about how it used taxpayer money. The investigation report said the finances of the mental health provider "should be of immediate concern" to the Ministry of Health. It also rubbished statistics showing Lotto-related harm. The report was handed to the Internal Affairs Minister at the time, Nathan Guy, with a request he pass it to fellow minister Peter Dunne, whose portfolio deals with problem gambling. Figures from Maori mental health provider Haurora Waikato showed an increase in problem gambling, leaving the Lotteries Commission faced with paying more under a levy applied to the gambling industry.
Legge backgrounds TTCF (pokie trust) and Portage and Waitakere Licensing Trusts and DIA - Gaming industry whistleblower Martin Legge backgrounds comments in David Fisher’s article ‘MP keeps heat on pokie trusts‘ The full article has TTCF Chairman, Ross Clow claiming the new TTCF structure has reduced costs. What he has failed to tell readers is that the former structure returned in excess of 50% to the community for many years. That was in the time before TTCF began paying $600k per annum to a private company (TTCF West Auckland Ltd), a company purposely set up by the Portage and Waitakere Licensing Trusts, and of which Mr Clow and Warren Flaunty were Directors.http://dunedinstadium.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/martin-legge-backgrounds-ttcf-pokie-trust-and-portage-and-waitakere-licensing-trusts-dia/
Pokies Shutdown After Licensing Breach - There was formerly a loophole in local gaming laws that allowed gaming developers to continue operating despite having their licenses suspended. For several months, a few local operators were able to continue having their poker machines accept wagers, despite not having met their tax requirements. Now, the Department of Internal Affairs has finally stepped in, enforcing the law and suspending the operation of Grassroots Trust’s poker machines. The company’s license was initially suspended in December 2011. Despite not having paid over $500 000 in pokies funding to the community, Grassroots Trust’s pokies remained operational until this month. It was only in July 2012 that the local government decided to get involved.http://onlineroulette.co.nz/2012/07/nz-pokies-shutdown-after-licensing-breach/

Loaded 25th July
Gambling trusts and venues must help problem gamblers - Gaming machines in a Huntly bar will be switched off for two days next week (30 and 31 July) because a staff member was not trained to deal with problem gamblers. Internal Affairs' Gambling Compliance Director, Debbie Despard, said the two-day suspension of Pub Charity's gaming machine operator's licence at a Huntly bar emphasises the responsibilities gambling trusts have to ensure bar staff are adequately trained to deal with problem gambling. It also highlights the importance of gaming societies ensuring that their venues comply with all gambling law requirements. The Department suspended Pub Charity's licence for one day after a complaint that the sole staff member at McGinty's Turf and Sports Bar failed to issue a self-exclusion order to a problem gambler, due to lack of training.

Pokie machine ban irks publican - About 30 pokie machines run by the Grassroots Trust in Rotorua have been temporarily shut down after financial issues, but a local publican says the community will ultimately suffer. Vice-president of Hospitality New Zealand and local publican, Mr Hennessy, said the decision of the department missed the mark by penalising the community and pokie machine operators, while the trust's board and management faced no penalties whatsoever. "There is simply no justice or common sense in this approach. Why are the trustees and managers not being fined? Department of Internal Affairs Gambling Compliance director Debbie Despard said the department was satisfied the trust had taken the appropriate action.
http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/news/pokie-machine-ban-irks-publican/1477432/
Marlborough - Woman stole to keep gambling  - A Spring Creek woman has admitted stealing more than $6000 in five months to fund a gambling habit and debts. Karen Joy Warmouth, 49, a cleaner of Spring Creek, admitted a charge of theft by a person in a special relationship. Warmouth had debts and a gambling problem, Judge Hobbs said. Warmouth's lawyer, John Holdaway, said Warmouth had offered to repay the victim, but she had refused, wanting the matter to go through the courts.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7336148/Woman-stole-to-keep-gambling



Loaded 24th July
MP keeps heat on pokie trusts - Pokie trusts are lining up to return greater cash payments to the community as proposed new gaming legislation puts the entire industry under threat. Select committee hearings are expected this year on proposed legislation put forward by Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell. His proposed bill would dismantle gaming trusts, put councils in charge of distributing grants and require 80 per cent of money to go back to the community. The possibility of the gaming system being restructured to cut out trusts provided "an incentive to behave". There had previously been little reason to keep the rules, said Graeme Ramsey from PGFNZ.
Gambling – harmless flutter or community addiction? – On the Chris Laidlaw show on Sunday - Chris Whitta talks to David Grant the author of On a Roll: A History of Gambling and Lotteries in New Zealand” (Victoria University Press); and Peter Adams, a University of Auckland associate professor of community health and the author of Gambling, Freedom and Democracy (Routledge New York) tells Jeremy Rose about his concerns that the community has become dependent on the proceeds of gambling addiction. (44’40”)


Nelson - Driven to rap about gambling - Nelson people who write a rap, song, story or poem will have the chance to be mentored by successful New Zealand artists. Rapper Scribe, artist Ladi6, writer Oscar Kightley and poet Hinemoana Baker are supporting this year's Scribe With Us competition where entrants write about the harm caused by gambling. “Harmful gambling can become a horrible addiction, which I have experienced first-hand. I don't want other people to make the same mistakes I did, which is why this competition means so much to me,” said Scribe. The Choice not Chance roadshow will visit Nelson on August 25 as part of the campaign.

Loaded 23rd July
Dirtymoney crackdown - THE GOVERNMENT'S crackdown on money laundering appears to be gearing up, with the Department of Internal Affairs preparing to implement new systems to help it monitor compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. Casinos, which have been implicated internationally and here in money laundering, are one of several types of business Internal Affairs will be supervising. Last week the Green Party announced it has drafted a bill to amend the Criminal Proceeds of Crime (Recovery) Amendment Act that would require casinos to pay back some of the proceeds derived from criminal activity they receive through gambling. (Not online so attached in word document)


Loaded 20th July
Bay pokies ordered to shut down - A selection of gaming machines in the Bay of Plenty will be shut down for 16 days following a gambling society’s failure to comply with gambling laws. A total of five facilities in Rotorua and Whakatane are among the 21 establishments affected by Grassroots Trust’s discrepancy. The department initially decided to cancel Grassroots’ licence in December 2011, but Grassroots was entitled to continue operating while it appealed the decision to the Gambling Commission. A negotiated outcome has resulted in the trust distributing a minimum of 40 per cent of its gaming machine profit to the community and limiting the expenses it pays to its venues in a year to 14.5 per cent of GMP, rather than the statutory cap of 16 per cent.

Stiassny goes from Racing Board - Insolvency specialist Michael Stiassny, brought in to clean up racing's tarnished image, has been replaced as New Zealand Racing Board chairman. Auckland-based Stiassny was picked in December 2006 by then-racing minister Winston Peters to head the board, replacing Warren Larsen, who was not reappointed at the time after losing the support of the thoroughbred code. Mr Stiassny’s second term ends on July 31 and racing minister Nathan Guy, who congratulated Mr Stiassny for his work, has just announced he will not serve a third term. Dr Alan Jackson has been appointed new independent chairman. The announcement comes at the time a Wellington High Court jury is deliberating in a defamation case against the racing board. First Sovereign Trust, its trustees and founder are seeking $750,000 in damages after the racing board issued a statement on November 26, 2010, in a bid to put its side after an NBR article focused on "pub pokie fraud".


Free casino bus ‘a great service’ - Sky City’s twice weekly bus service transporting Tauranga residents over the Kaimais to spend an afternoon at its Hamilton casino is under fire from critics - but users say it’s a great service. The Problem Gambling Association communications manager Andree Froude says the foundation is concerned the casino is targeting vulnerable people and encouraging them to gamble.“I think a lot of the people on this bus don’t have a great deal of money to gamble.“We’d be a lot happier if there were pamphlets or contact information for people who may be problem gamblers. It’s not about stifling peoples fun. But the casino must play its part in offering leaflets as part of being a responsible host,” says Andree. Sky City Casino general manager Arthur Pitcher can’t understand what all the fuss is about.




Loaded 19th July
Pokies - Critics of the convention centre for pokies deal believe the Prime Minister's claim no more pokie machines will enter the community is misguided. John Key said on TV ONE's Breakfast programme in May that SkyCity would not get any more than 483 gaming machines, the number he predicted will be lost this year through attrition. Figures show that in 2011, 483 community based pokie machines disappeared nationwide. But 204 of them were destroyed in the Christchurch quake. Critics of the deal say transplanting machines from the community to the casino is not a zero sum equation. "Pokie machines are very different, it is like comparing a Mini to a Ferrari," said Andree Froude from the Problem Gambling Foundation. Private investigator Danny Toresen says it is the perfect environment to launder money.
Pokies operator failed to pay $561,482 - A gaming machine operator has been ordered to turn off its pokies after an audit revealed it had not handed out enough of it profits to charity. The Department of Internal Affairs has ordered Grassroots Trust, which operates in 21 pubs across the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland, to shut down its machines for 16 days after it failed to distribute more than half a million dollars to charity. Internal Affairs gambling compliance director Debbie Despard said Grassroots was sanctioned for breaches from the financial year ending March 2010.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/7296151/Pokies-operator-failed-to-pay-561-482

Gaming machines shut down  - Gaming machines operated by Grassroots Trust in 21 pubs will shut down for 16 days after the society failed to comply with gambling laws. This penalty is the most severe suspension that a class 4 gambling society has faced. "We are satisfied that Grassroots has taken an appropriate response to the compliance issues. High expectations for the future have been set, and the trust has already shown signs of improving its performance. The successful end to negotiations shows the Department is prepared to be flexible in order to maximise benefits for the community.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/gaming-machines-shut-down/5/129258 
Greens draft gambling regulations amendment – TV3 - The Greens are proposing a shake-up to gambling regulations in order to ensure casinos aren't profiting from crime.The party's drafted a bill that would amend the Criminal Proceeds of Crime Act - insisting casinos pay back takings if they are found to originate from illegal means. MP Denise Roche says casinos already have the required technology in play.
Newstalk ZB - New gambling-related law proposed by Greens - Proceeds of crime gambled through casinos will have to be paid back by the operators under a law proposed by the Greens.MP Denise Roche says the proposed member's bill will impose a special obligation on casinos to return profits derived from significant criminal activity they should have been able to detect. Massey University research shows about 10,000 people act illegally because of their gambling addictions, with pokies seen as the worst trigger.


SkyCity luxury hotel decision will ride on annual result - SkyCity is to reveal next month whether it will go ahead with plans to build Hamilton's first five-star hotel. Council consent has been granted for the three-storey luxury hotel, to be built atop the existing central city casino on Victoria St. The development will add 135 hotel suites, and includes plans for a pool, gymnasium and sauna facility. The top mezzanine level of the Hamilton hotel will be reserved for SkyCity's VIP customers

Greens seek clampdown on illicit casino proceeds – One News - The Green Party has drafted a Bill which would require casinos to pay back the sum of the proceeds of crime they receive through gambling. The Bill would impose an obligation on casinos to return profits derived from criminal activity and which should have probably been detected. Green Party gambling spokesperson Denise Roche told ONE News that the money should go back to the people it was stolen from.

Watchdog -  Pokie checks not up to mark - The public servant charged with regulating the gambling industry has described his department's capacity and capability as not being fully up to the mark. In an email to an informant, Maarten Quivooy of the Department of Internal Affairs also wrote that "our practice isn't always as sharp as we would want it to be".The comments were made in letters to former Otago Sport chairman Russell Garbutt, who spent years raising concerns about grants from a gaming trust which took money from pokie machines in the North Island and paid it out in the South Island.




$425,000 fee not recovered - The Department of Internal Affairs was "unable" to recover more than $400,000 paid to a Queenstown-based pokies' trustee. In his role as "executive trustee with special responsibilities" Murray Acklin was paid $425,254 by The Trusts Charitable Foundation (TTCF), between April 2006 and March 2009. He later resigned from the position, on the advice of the department, but remains a trustee. Mr Acklin told the ODT the money paid was the result of a "legitimate contract between TTCF and me, and it was highly successful and even the Gambling Commission highlighted that in a report".
Five-star hotel plan for Hamilton casino - Details of Hamilton's first five-star hotel have emerged, with high rollers set for a taste of the high life once building begins on the million-dollar development. The hotel, atop the existing Skycity casino, was first confirmed last year but details since then have been closely held by the publicly listed gaming company. However, consent documents obtained by the Waikato Times reveal the extent of the hotel, the latest in a string of projects set to boost the city's CBD.


Elderly punters on pokie run  - SkyCity is luring Tauranga pensioners to its Hamilton casino with a free bus and cheap meals. A cynical corporate targeting the vulnerable or a helpful social service? In the end, the bus wasn't big enough. The 48-seater coach arrived at Mt Maunganui at 9am, ready for a 9.30am departure, and already a group of elderly people were waiting. One couple, pensioners who admitted they were problem gamblers, had travelled from their home in central Tauranga, even though the bus stops in the city. They wanted to make sure they got seats. By the time the coach made its third and final pick-up, in Greerton, the seats were all taken and people were turned away. The Problem Gambling Foundation says it is another example of the "serious questions" that surround the host responsibility programmes of SkyCity, at a time when it is under intense scrutiny over the "pokies-for-convention centre" deal with the Government.



Free bus enticing problem gamblers, say critics - A free twice-weekly bus service enticing Tauranga pensioners to gamble in Hamilton has been panned by those who say not enough is being done to help problem gamblers. The Problem Gambling Foundation has raised red flags over the practice and accused the casino of targeting the vulnerable. Foundation chief executive Graeme Ramsey said the bus service was inducing people to gamble, adding it raised further questions of SkyCity's host responsibility programmes. Some bus users admitted they were problem gamblers.
Auckland plays on Waikato pokie profits - A pokies trust which earns nearly half its proceeds from Waikato and Bay of Plenty gamblers is giving most of its grants to groups in Auckland, Green Party gambling spokesperson Denise Roche has revealed. An analysis of data provided by pokie trusts reveals Nautilus Trust owns pokies in pubs throughout the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, as well as Auckland - but 98 per cent of the grant funds are distributed to Auckland groups, many of them sports organizations."Out of the total 229 grants Nautilus made, only eight Waikato groups received funding. The rest went to Auckland," said Ms Roche.


Loaded 13th July
Nelson - Licences pulled, pokies remain - Two gaming trusts are continuing to operate poker machines in Nelson despite cancelled licences, raising the ire of the anti-pokie Nelson Gambling Policy Taskforce. The Trillian Trust has nine pokies in Brewers Bar at Victory Square. Last year the taskforce went to the High Court and won a ruling that the Nelson City Council erred in the way it changed its gambling policy to allow the machines back into the square, and on November 30 the Department of Internal Affairs cancelled the licence for Brewers Bar. The trust lodged an appeal, and the Department of Internal Affairs confirmed yesterday that the appeal process was still incomplete, allowing the trust to keep the machines running. Now Internal Affairs has cancelled the licence of Blenheim-based Bluegrass Trust, which has 18 pokies in Nelson's Hardy's Bar, housed in a building in Hardy St in which Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio has an ownership interest. Bluegrass is allowed to continue operating its machines while the licence cancellation is appealed.

Loaded 12th July
Where are Auckland's pokie machines - Just where are our pokie machines in Auckland Pokie machines are all over Auckland but many are located in communities which can least afford gambling. Lisa Owen continues her special series on SkyCity and pokies. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/auckland-s-pokie-machines-video-4965075

SkyCity Deal under more PressureConcerns are mounting that problem gambling will continue to rise if Sky City gets extra pokie machines. Denise Roche from the Green Party is interviewed on this dilemma and voices her opinion. She is concerned of the social harm the extra pokie machines.http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/wednesday-july-11-4963940/video?vid=4963997


Casino deal feeds 'an engine of crime' – Greens - The Prime Minister's convention centre for pokies deal continues to haunt him, with critics saying the deal will make crime and problem gambling worse. Green Party spokesperson on gambling Denise Roche said the deal with SkyCity to increase the number of pokies at the casino in order to get a 'free convention centre' does not stack up. "You're getting the Government suggesting they will be complicit in what is a harmful industry in order to deliver what Auckland needs, which is a convention centre, it is not on," she told TV ONE's Breakfast.


Pokies still operate despite cancelled licenses - The Nelson Gambling Policy Taskforce (NGPT) is appalled Blenheim-based Bluegrass Trust is allowed to continue operating its pokie machines while its licence cancellation is appealed. Despite the Department of Internal Affairs cancelling the licence of the multi-million dollar gaming machine trust for allegedly supplying false information about trotting club loans to set itself up, all the trust’s venues and machines are still trading unabated. NGPT spokesperson, Darci Goldsworthy, says this is unacceptable.http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1207/S00201/pokies-still-operate-despite-cancelled-licenses.htm



Loaded 11th July
PM misguided over pokie machine numbers – critics – TVNZ – Part of Lisa Owen’s exclusive investigation. Critics of the convention centre for pokies deal believe the Prime Minister's claim no more pokie machines will enter the community is misguided. John Key said on TV ONE's Breakfast programme in May that SkyCity would not get any more than 483 gaming machines, the number he predicted will be lost this year through attrition."This year alone we are going to take 483 pokie machines out of service, if you like, across New Zealand. SkyCity will get less than that," Key said.ONE News wanted to ask Key how he came up with the figure, but he did not want to talk. Figures show club machines take an average $48,000 a year, while a SkyCity pokie machine takes an estimated $140,000. Private investigator Danny Toresen says it is the perfect environment to launder money.

Call for review after pokie funds go to Auckland - The Waikato and Bay of Plenty have 44 per cent of the trust's 154 pokie machines, but receive only 1.4 per cent of the grants A pokies trust which gets nearly half its proceeds from Waikato and Bay of Plenty gamblers gives $2.8 million worth of grants to Auckland groups and only $40,000 to those in Waikato. Information obtained by the Green Party shows Nautilus Foundation - a trust owning 154 pokie machines throughout Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland - gives 98 per cent of grant funds to Auckland groups.http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/news/call-for-review-after-pokie-funds-go-to-auckla/1447689/


Loaded 10th July
TV One Breakfast – SkyCity targets banned gambler –Andree Froude from the Problem Gambling Foundation talks about host responsibilities, after the Lisa Owen report on a gambler banned from SkyCity was asked to go back to SkyCity.


SkyCity is introducing sophisticated software which analyses player behaviour and will show who is at risk of problem gambling. Chief executive of the Problem Gambling Foundation Graeme Ramsey said he is concerned the research could be used to keep problem gamblers just below the high risk level. Experts are concerned SkyCity will use its research on potential problem gamblers at the casino to keep revenue flowing.  Money Laundering is also of concern says. A reporter was sent into SkyCity undercover who purposely showed gambling risk symptoms but not picked up by trained staff.


Sky City apologises to banned gambler – 3 News - Auckland's Sky City casino has apologised to a former VIP customer - now banned for two years because her husband stole $5.5 million for gambling - after it says a computer glitch sent text messages enticing her back.Selina Watson and her husband gambled close to $50 million over 10 years as VIP customers at the casino.


Auckland gets Waikato and BoP gambling proceeds - A pokies trust which gets nearly half its proceeds from Waikato and Bay of Plenty gamblers gives $2.8 million worth of grants to Auckland groups and only $40,000 to those in Waikato. Information obtained by the Green Party shows Nautilus Foundation - a trust owning 154 pokie machines throughout Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland -gives 98 per cent of grant funds to Auckland groups. Green Party gambling spokeswoman Denise Roche said the Gambling Harm Reduction Bill put forward by Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell would deliver a fairer distribution system.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10818407

Loaded 9th July
Blenheim trust to appeal as gambling licence revoked - The Department of Internal Affairs has cancelled the gambling licence of a Blenheim-based gambling trust. Bluegrass Trust, which gave out nearly $3 million in grants last year, plans to appeal the decision, which was announced yesterday. The trust had 15 days to appeal the decision, and Bluegrass Holdings chairman Pat O'Brien said it had already instructed its lawyers to file an appeal. The trust's licence remains active until the appeal has been heard.

Pokie laws need change so funds go to communities, not on pub fishing trips, flatscreen TVs or fit-outs, former Community Gaming Association CEO says - Laws regulating how pokie machine cash is distributed need to change to stop it being funnelled into pub fishing trips, flatscreen TVs and expensive pub fit-outs, when more should be going to communities, former Community Gaming Association (CGA) CEO Francis Wevers says. The relationship between the gaming societies which owned pokie machines, and the pubs which hosted those machines, needed to be revamped. That would stop societies favouring certain pubs and being able to channel pokie proceeds to those pubs rather than to applications from community groups, who were the intended recipients of pokie funds, Wevers told interest.co.nz.

Changes to Lotto – Newstalk ZB - AUT's Max Abbott talks to Leighton Smith about proposed changes to Lotto including allowing easy access online. There is a need of caution to online access especially scratchies. Abbott says there needs to be policing of age restrictions and somehow flag up any potential gambling problems of an individual http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/player/ondemand/629696730-changes-to-lotto
 'Mcgambling' is a slippery slope – Newstalk ZB - Critics are calling it 'Mcgambling' and they're describing it as a slippery slope. New Zealand Lotteries is looking at a new online sales platform for MyLotto, including the creation of a website for mobile phones. Professor Max Abbott from AUT's Health and Environmental Services says generally speaking, lottery products are much safer than other forms of gambling, such as poker and electronic gaming machines. But he says convenience gambling carries greater risk because it's so easily accessible.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbnat/71150094--mcgambling--is-a-slippery-slope
Loaded 4th July
Bill would see DCC allot gambling proceeds - One of the biggest recipients of pokie grants in Dunedin - the Dunedin City Council - could be involved in the future distribution of gambling cash. Released figures reveal the council was the second-biggest recipient of pokie grants for the Dunedin area, receiving $1.27 million for the two-year period ending March 31, just behind racing with $1.28 million. Under the proposed Gambling (Gambling Harm) Reduction Amendment Bill, pokie proceeds would be distributed to the community from which they were raised, at the lowest electoral level. The council's first preference was that pokie proceeds be distributed by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission, "because that would get rid of that area of conflict", Cr Kate Wilson told the Otago Daily Times. A gambling report by the Problem Gambling Foundation reveals the largest grant in the city was $605,556 from the New Zealand Community Trust to the Dunedin City Council.


Loaded 2nd July
Criticism that the pokie industry's corrupt – Newstalk ZB - Harsh criticism that the pokie industry is corrupt and needs a total overhaul. It's come from Former Community Gaming Association executive director Francis Wevers, who after leaving the association, wrote a report highlighting the industry's flaws.He says the hospitality sector has too much power, with pubs commanding too much of pokie proceeds.Francis Weaver says even though more than half of pokie trusts were under sanctions by the Department of Internal Affairs for breaking the rules, they were considered 'light' and an 'irritant'.


Former chief slams pokie trust system – ODT - The former head of the industry association representing pokie trusts says the system is corrupt and needs total reform. Former Community Gaming Association executive director Francis Wevers said the incentives to take advantage were too powerful. The result was "endemic non-compliance" and "corruption" in a business which had a turnover of $9 billion. The pokie trusts face extinction under a private member's Bill brought by Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell, which would strip them of their powers and create a new system for distributing funding.


Allegations of corruption in gambling industry 'must be scrutinised' The damning allegations by former Community Gaming Association executive director, Francis Wevers, must be taken seriously by all politicians says Gambling Reform MP, Te Ururoa Flavell. "Over the last few weeks we have learnt that Pub Charity Chief Executive Martin Cheer was using gaming machine money to fight my Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill. We have also heard from the Lion Foundation that legislative reform is necessary to address some of the problems in the charitable gaming sector and increase the returns to the community "The revelations in the Herald (Saturday) morning that the current system gave the hospitality sector too much power, make it even more evident that gambling reform is necessary

http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/allegations-corruption-gambling-industry-must-be-scrutinised/5/127887 

The pokies fraud fall guy - How did an elderly sports administrator with decades of community service end up convicted for a $605,000 fraud? David Fisher delves into the murky world of pokies, pubs and gaming charities. The chorus of whistleblowers from gaming trusts is becoming deafening. Among them is Francis Wevers, former chief executive of the Community Gaming Association. "The motivation to operate unlawfully is more powerful than the motivation to comply," he wrote last year in a briefing paper to the Government minister in charge. "The corrupt behaviour has been all-pervasive and pernicious." The Department of Internal Affairs gained few convictions, and those they did get were fairly meaningless.


Hamilton - Council to change way gaming trusts distribute funds - Hamilton City Council is supporting a bill to stop trusts distributing gaming machine profits because it wants the funds to be more evenly shared across the community. The bold move by the city council comes as former Community Gaming Association executive executive director Francis Weaver told the Herald at the weekend that the system was corrupt and needed to be changed. Councillor Dave Macpherson, who is an anti-gambling advocate, said: "Councillors were saying the system was stuffed and it doesn't deliver the right results."


Gisborne District Council decisions - Gisborne District Council’s 2012-22 Ten Year Plan was adopted with the unanimous support of all Councillors. Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has prepared a submission on the Bill. The submission supports the aim of the bill, does not believe the proposed amendments will achieve their purpose. It also suggests that the costs to councils of complying with this proposed legislation will be high, with no ability to recover costs. Council endorses the LGNZ submission on Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill and in particular that administration costs incurred by council’s be covered from proceeds. Council recommends that full delegated authority be given to the committee to make final grant decisions. This would mean that Council’s could not amend or change grant decisions.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1206/S00658/gisborne-district-council-decisions.htmhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816782&ref=rss

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