Waitaki to review gaming machines

Published on 28 January 2022

Gaming machines or ‘pokies’ in pubs and clubs are classified as 'Class 4' gambling. Every council in New Zealand must adopt a policy on Class 4 gaming venues, and that policy must be reviewed every three years. Waitaki District Council’s Class 4 Gaming Venue and TAB Venue Policy is currently under review. Consultation starts February 1 and we will be seeking feedback from the community on proposed options.

As part of the review, Council is interested in exploring a ‘Sinking Lid’ policy, which would see no new Class 4 Gambling licences granted in the Waitaki District. Venues’ licences would not be allowed to be transferred to another location, and once a Class 4 venue is closed, it cannot be reopened by another operator. 

Mayor Gary Kircher said, “We welcome the opportunity to get public feedback on gaming machines, as an important part of the review on Waitaki’s bylaw. There is no doubt that many groups and organisations benefit from the funds coming from the machines, but unfortunately that also comes at a social cost for those people who become addicted to them. Please take the time to have your say, good or bad, so we can make the best decision for our community.”

There are no changes proposed for the TAB Venues Policy.

Options for proposed amendments to the Class 4 Gambling Venues Policy are:

Option 1:

• Status quo: Council chooses not to amend the policy

  To keep the ‘Status Quo’ would mean that the policy would not change, and that the maximum limit of 140 gaming machines, and 22 venues and other restrictions (such as where in the district a venue may be established) would stay the same.

  Option 2:

• Sinking lid policy (no new venue licenses will be given in Waitaki District).

  Under this option no new Class 4 licenses will to be granted by Waitaki District Council. Venues’ licences would not be allowed to be transferred to another location, and once a Class 4 venue is closed it cannot be reopened by another operator

  Option 3:

• Sinking lid policy (no new machine licences will be given in the Waitaki District)

Under this option once the number of machines licenced to operate in a community decreases, council will not issue any other society a licence to replace those machines

PURPOSE

The purpose of options 2 and 3 is to prevent new gaming machine venues from opening, and to reduce the numbers of gaming venues and machines in the district over time.

How it would work

Under a sinking lid policy, venues cannot relocate, and no new licences would be issued. This means that the number of gaming venues may reduce over time, as new venue licences will not be given.

It should be noted, however, that Section 98 of the Gambling Act states that territorial consent is only required for a venue if it has not been held by a public society for more than 6 months. Therefore, under this option a venue operator could get consent to take over an existing venue that had been closed for less than 6 months. This significantly undermines the effectiveness of a sinking lid policy.

We’d like to hear from you. 

Please consider the proposed changes, along with how the current policies are working and tell us what you think. 

From February 1 you can make a submission online at www.waitaki.govt.nz, email consult@waitaki.govt.nz or post your submission to Class 4 Gambling and TAB Venues Policy, A Bardsley, Regulatory Services Manager, Waitaki District Council, Private Bag 50058, Oamaru 9444.

We need your feedback in by Tuesday 1 March 2022.

More information and an online submission form will be available on the Consultation page of Council’s website from 1 February 2022.