Community and Public Health (CPH) has urged the Timaru District Council to adopt a strict sinking lid policy as a measure to reduce the large number of gaming machines in the area.
The public health service branch has made a submission to the draft gambling venue policy introduced by the Council and highlighted the fact that no limit for the number of gambling venues or terminals has been established for the district. The CPH has also criticised the Timaru District Council for its lack of commitment to a sinking lid policy.
According to the submission made by the CPH, 31% of New Zealand’s authorities had already adopted sinking lid policies regarding non-casino gaming machines. A further 55% of the local authorities had also imposed certain limits on the number of gambling venues and/or gaming terminals in their districts.
According to data provided by the Department of Internal Affairs, there are currently 14 venues offering gaming machines on the territory of the Timaru District, with a total of 165 machines available to residents and visitors of the district. These figures represent a decline from five years ago, as there were 24 venues and 265 gambling terminals in 2014.
Community and Public Health used its submission to explain that a sinking lid policy means that no new gaming machines operating licenses are allowed to be issued in the district, and the machines are not allowed to be transferred to a new pub or owner in case that the venue that holds the original operating license ceases operation. As shared by the CPH, there are no circumstances under which any relocations or club mergers are allowed.
CPH Says Relocation of Gambling Machines Is Not a Good Option for Timaru District
The relocation policy that the Timaru Council has proposed is not supported by CPH, which says that if a venue relocates, it should apply for a new license under the conditions of the existing gambling policy. It is exactly the transfer of gambling machines from one entity or location to another that is aimed at being prevented by the new policy, as it is focused on protecting the health of the communities in the Timaru District.
According to Community and Public Health, the fact that the existing policy of the District Council allows venue owners to shift their machines in case they want to relocate their operations would only result in more harm inflicted on communities. That is why the CPH called for the council to take into account the possible negative impact that gambling machines could have on people, and reminded that a larger number of terminals would only make things worse.
CPH also reminded that the Department of Internal Affairs had called for venues not to depend too much on gambling revenue to survive. According to Community and Public Health, boosting gambling opportunities puts the health, safety and prosperity of communities in jeopardy, as gambling terminals are developed to be addictive and usually have a harmful effect on people’s health.
As of November 11th, the total number of submissions on the proposed policy received by Timaru District Council was 13. Hearings on the issue are scheduled for November 26th, with the final decision of the matter set to be made at the Council meeting on December 10th.
- Author
Daniel Williams
