$100,000 a day goes on pokies
West Aucklanders are pouring $109,203 a day into pokies, despite there being less machines.
Statistics requested by the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) showed in the 2015-16 financial year large increases in the amount of money put into pokies in west Auckland.
A 30 per cent increase in pokie expenditure was recorded in the Waitakere Ranges area and 23 per cent in Henderson-Massey.
The PGF requested money spent on slot machines by local board areas. Waitakere Ranges Local Board area saw $20,484 a day gambled on pokies. In that time, no machines were removed from the area. Waitakere have fewer venues (8) and machines (102) than other Auckland regions like Henderson-Massey. There was a 23.1 per cent growth in money fed into pokies across the 16 venues in the HendersonMassey Local Board area. The 251 machines in Henderson-Massey, which included Te Atatu, were collecting more than $60,000 a day from gamblers.
In contrast, the Whau region New Lynn and Avondale through to Blockhouse Bay, had 18 of its 163 machines removed and saw a reduction of 8.3 per cent in money gambled across the 13 gaming venues. People in the Whau were spending $27,961 a day on the slots. Bonnie Lovich-Hewit, a councillor at PGF, said there was no definitive reason why Waitakere and Henderson-Massey had the largest increase in spending on pokies in the region.
‘‘We would hesitate to call it a trend, as the increases have only occurred over the last few years, but the DIA are investigating,’’ she said. New Zealanders sank $843 million into pokies in 2015-16 and Lovich-Hewit believes less machines will help stem the cash flow.
‘‘This research tells us there is a clear correlation between accessibility and harm,’’ she said. Lovich-Hewit presented the statistics, and her case for continued support of the council’s sinking lid policy, to the HendersonMassey Local Board at their May 16 meeting. The sinking lid meant venues couldn’t increase the number of gaming machines.
Board member Warren Flaunty, who is also a director of gaming trust The Trusts Community Foundation, said a lot of money sunk into pokies ends up back in the community. LovichHewit argued there was no legislation to ensure money went back to the community it came out of.