Millions of dollars are spent on pokie machines in the Bay of Plenty each year. Photo / Andrew Warner
Millions of dollars are being lost on pokies across the Bay of Plenty, a region with some of the highest gambling spending in the country.
In a bid to tackle the harm the addictive pastime has on communities a new Government investment was announced last week.
Health Minister Andrew Little and Tauranga-based Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced $76 million in funding for the Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm.
In its announcement of the investment, Little said gambling harm was a serious public health issue that could have a devastating effect on the wellbeing of individuals, whānau and communities.
One in five New Zealanders will experience gambling harm in their lives, or know someone close who does.
The strategy will include training pathways, new and expanded digital services and supports, education initiatives to reduce harm to rangatahi (young people), a de-stigmatisation initiative to help change the conversation around gambling harm and better support for vulnerable communities including Māori, Pacific, and Asian people.
Tinetti said effective regulation of gambling meant it could deal with harms including financial problems, relationship problems, family violence, and alcohol abuse.
The strategy will be funded by a problem gambling levy paid by non-casino gaming machine operators, casinos, the TAB NZ and New Zealand Lotteries Commission.
Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand marketing and communications director Andree Froude said of the five highest-spending territorial authorities in the country, four were in the Bay of Plenty when population was factored in.
These were Kawerau, Rotorua, Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne.
"There are huge losses in those areas."
She said, overall, the Government strategy recognised that much more needed to be done to prevent and minimise the harm from gambling in Aotearoa, particularly for Māori, Pacific and Asian populations who are disproportionately affected.
Froude said a 2020 study showed about 367,000 people, nearly the population of Christchurch, were or will be impacted in some way by their own or someone else's gambling.
"The strategy also takes a strong public health approach – prevention, rather than the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff."
She said it also included a focus on addressing the stigma associated with gambling harm that prevents people from seeking help and it recognises that rangatahi (youth) are likely to be experiencing gambling harm.
"Many people will not seek help until they have 'hit rock bottom'.
"Gambling can cause poverty, loss of employment, loss of relationships, poor mental health, child neglect, family violence, fraud, and suicide."
The losses on pokies nationally were close to $1 billion and have been trending upward despite the numbers of pokies going down, she said.
She painted the picture of where pokie machines were situated in the Bay with data collected by the Department of Internal Affairs. All three of Kawerau's pokie venues were in high deprivation areas, as were all four of those in Ōpōtiki.
In Rotorua, there are 25 venues with 373 pokies, and 23 of the venues are in high or medium-high deprivation areas.
Eleven of the 12 venues in Whakatāne are in high deprivation areas.
Further west in Tauranga, 22 of its 34 venues were in high or medium-high deprivation areas, as were four of the 10 in Western Bay of Plenty.
"We strongly advocate for sinking lid policies to keep the numbers of pokies going down. There is a record 30 councils around the country with sinking lid policies."
Te Tuinga Whānau Support Services Trust director Tommy Wilson said it supported councils moving to a sinking lid policy, which Tauranga City Council did in 2019.
It meant the number of venues and machines would decline over time if venues shut down or gave up some of their machines.
Wilson said great damage was done by gambling addiction.
"Invariably it's the police, hospitals and organisations like us that have to pick up the tab."
He said about 15 per cent of the population was impacted, and it was people who could not afford to gamble that were hurt.
"Why don't we stop more gambling outlets? If people want to play pokies, go to a casino."
If a lens was put over a map of Rotorua and Tauranga, he said there would be no venues found in affluent areas.
Rotorua-based Manaaki Ora addiction counsellor Hohepa Walker said it helped people struggling with gambling.
This involved one-on-one counselling for those with an identified problem and self-exclusion, but there were no group sessions yet.
"Gambling is such a clandestine thing ... there's some kudos to saying you've overcome a meth addiction but gambling is so secretive."
Walker said there were a lot of people who came in for other services and gambling was then identified as a problem for them, but it was not something they wanted to talk about.
He was not surprised to hear the region had four of the five areas with the highest gambling spending.
"Given the high Māori population ... you follow the signs of deprivation."
It was no secret gambling was addiction by design, he said. There was nothing random about them.
"The more you lose or invest in these machines, another barb, another part of the addiction is you are going back to try to recoup the losses. It's multifaceted, it's not just having a good time."
He said last year's spending of about $25m on pokies in Rotorua showcased the impact it had on the community.
"That's a s***load of money for an impoverished town.
"If you look at those who put in the lion's share of money; I'm not a gambler, but I would bet they were those who could least afford it."
While he had not looked at the specifics of the investment, all he could say was "great".
He was hopeful for change.
The strategy has been welcomed by the mayor of Ōpōtiki, one of the most prolific gambling towns in the country.
When the Department of Internal Affairs consulted on its document Reducing Pokies Harm, the Ōpōtiki District Council submitted highlighting the high impact pokies caused the community.
In a letter to Tinetti, the council said Ōpōtiki was consistently in the top five districts for gaming machine proceeds per capita.
Ōpōtiki mayor Lyn Riesterer said she was pleased to see the announcement but in particular the support for vulnerable communities.
"That's Ōpōtiki District when it comes to what I call the 'pokies plague'."
She said she was glad that a levy paid by the owners/companies of the pokie machines will fund the new strategy.
Tinetti told NZME she was very concerned about harm caused by gambling, including in the Bay of Plenty.
She was confident the investment would help to reduce that harm.
"The Government is also reviewing pokies regulations to reduce gambling harm. This will support vulnerable communities, including Ōpōtiki."
A disregard for authority could be why those attending court are thumbing their noses.