SkyCity Casino Auckland has become the first gambling venue in the city to open its doors for gambling help services, providing the latter with the opportunity to directly reach and support gambling addicts.
According to Hāpai Te Hauora, the local leader in public health, policy, advocacy, infrastructure, research and evaluation services, the move is unprecedented, as it allows social services aimed at gambling addicts to immediately reach players who are trying to find some help and support in their battle against gambling-related harm.
“We see ourselves as having a real responsibility in ensuring that those people who do come to our properties enjoy their time and see gambling as a form of entertainment and have fun with it”. – Callym Mallet, Support Services General Manager at SkyCity Casino Auckland for Māori Television.
Haylee Koroi of the organisation commented on the initiative, describing the SkyCity Casino as the largest gambling venue in New Zealand where problem gambling takes place and added that it was Hāpai Te Hauora’s paramount goal to help every player who needs help, especially the ones who place bets on poker machines, also known as pokies.
The move comes during the Gambling Harm Awareness Week (GHAW) which kicked off on September 3rd to boost local residents’ awareness of gambling-related harm and problem gambling. SkyCity Casino Auckland has revealed its intention to work hand in glove with gambling help services again during the GHAW in 2019.
Gambling Harm Awareness Week Kicked Off on September 3rd
The Gambling Harm Awareness Week started on September 3rd to raise New Zealanders’ awareness of the possible damage which compulsive gambling could inflict. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, this is the inaugural Pause the Pokies initiative seen as part of the GHAW in New Zealand.
Problem gambling help organisations have been concerned that problem gambling rates remain high, despite the fact that overall gambling participation rates had declined. That is why the Problem Gambling Foundation has launched the initiative, in order to make sure that problem gamblers are at least given the chance to stay away from the harmful poker machines for some time and probably seek some help for their gambling habits.
According to the latest statistics from the industry, there are currently 1,140 gaming venues in New Zealand, a figure which represents a 3.4% drop in their number.
Unfortunately, figures showed that more money is spent on the 15,000 gaming machines across the country, despite the decline registered in the number of gambling venues. As previously reported by Casino Guardian, residents of the Pacific region have been the ones who were most exposed to gambling-related harm, with the highest gambling problem rate of 7.6%. Māori people were second, with a problem gambling rate of 6.3%.
Recent research data has also shown that poorest communities in the country were the ones which were most affected by gambling-related harm. Reportedly, an average of NZ$56,500 on an annual basis was spent on gambling by disadvantaged people who can hardly afford to spend such amount of money.
- Author
Olivia Cole
