08.06.05

Community groups win over site rentals

"The Department of Internal Affairs should be congratulated for putting the interests of community groups before those of greedy publicans," says John Stansfield, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF).

This comes after a report that the Regulations Review Committee threw out complaints by the Charitable Gaming Association about lowering site rentals for pokie machines.

"It was predictable that the Department would take a responsible approach with site rentals, and this is a definite win for the community sector," says Mr Stansfield.

"The community sector have been robbed for too long, and is very satisfying to see the Department playing Robin Hood with their community grants," says Mr Stansfield.

"It is about time the community sector got their share of the pokies cake. After all, pokies are the most dangerous form of gambling, which is why almost 88% of problem gamblers say pokies are the reason they are seeking treatment," says Mr Stansfield.

"Perhaps now the scare-mongering of community groups by the Trusts is over. They undertook a failed campaign, scaring the community sector into thinking that the they would lose out after safety measures in the Gambling Act were implemented," he says.

"Now they ought to consider their future as responsible operators and get on with business."

ENDS

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