The Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand (GMANZ) supports a call to action for New Zealanders to contribute to the consultation on the new 3-year Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm announced by Minister for Mental Health, Matt Doocey, last week.

GMANZ Independent Chair Peter Dengate Thrush says reducing gambling harm is important every week, and it was timely that the Minister announced that consultation was open for the strategy designed to minimise harm during Gambling Harm Awareness Week.

“Even though New Zealand has an incredibly low rate of problem gambling, as an industry, we share common ground with service providers and all of New Zealand in that we want those numbers as close to zero as we can make it.”

“Gambling support services in New Zealand are funded by a levy charged to the Gambling Industry operators, which is then distributed by the Ministry of Health. The Strategy, now open for consultation, sets the framework for distributing that levy, primarily through a service and delivery plan from 2025 to 2028.

“We are the industry body for gaming in clubs and pubs in New Zealand. Our people work at the coal face of just one type of gambling, and we have strict regulations to ensure that people using electronic gaming machines do so safely as part of a fun night out. If we identify that someone may be at risk of harm, we must use interventions and procedures to minimise that harm right then and there.”

“Having better visibility over how the levy we pay into is spent is crucial. We estimate we contribute over $10 million annually to this levy. Because we work so closely with players, we think it’s logical that our insights are considered and that when we provide real-world examples of what works best, that we are heard. Given that the total spend across the three years is approximately $81 million, we must get this right, providing the right services by the right people, accessible to those who truly need them.

“The gaming machine sector is operating under a rigorous regulatory regime, including some new incredibly onerous requirements that we are doing our best to meet. With increased requirements for identifying harm under these new regulations, we need to be confident that when we identify people needing help, we can connect them to face-to-face specialised support services in their locations. Research tells us that often there are many issues faced by an individual who is at risk from gambling harm.

“For so many people, gambling issues are symptomatic of broader addiction issues and should be treated more holistically than just focusing on one aspect. We would like to see more significant mental health treatment for individuals tailored to their individual needs. It’s a highly complex area and not one where a blunt instrument can be used to fix everyone.

“Initiatives like Gambling Harm Awareness Week are ideal platforms for helping people feel less stigmatised, as well as promoting the services and support available for gambling support. But it isn’t a silver bullet for this very complicated issue. We want to collaborate with the whole sector to reduce gambling harm when identified.

“We are working through the new regulations on the training we must provide to gaming venue staff, but if we’re going to succeed, we need funding to be channelled into increased provision of resources for the industry. We have previously called for establishing new qualifications similar to bar manager licenses for those who work in venues with C4 gaming machines. We provided that feedback when the last government opened consultation on the new harm minimisation regulations but this part of our feedback was ignored.

“We are on record as calling for funding dedicated to technological solutions such as facial recognition to be provided from levy funding. It should be accessible to available technology to prevent and minimise harm. This technology will assist venues in more efficiently meeting the requirements of monitoring and recording what is of us.

“We are on record as calling for funding dedicated to technological solutions such as facial recognition technology to be provided from the pool available for this very reason. Doing so would allow our venues to use technology to more efficiently meet the requirements of monitoring and recording what is being asked of us.

“Additional resources such as posters and handouts to promote and connect people with services while being confident that people can reach available support critical. Most importantly, people need to feel that it is not shameful to admit they have an issue and that they can do so safely and with a reasonable expectation of getting the help they need.

“We will be putting forward our view on the new Strategy, suggesting where we see improvements can be made to benefit New Zealanders. We will be asking as many people as possible to do so, too; diverse voices and ideas are critical if we are to get this right,” says Dengate Thrush.

People can submit to the consultation by visiting: https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/draft-strategy-to-prevent-and-minimise-gambling-harm-202526-to-202728

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