Gambling Policy

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Introduction

The Green Party stands for a sustainable social, economic and physical environment. The proliferation of gaming opportunities and the associated increase in spending by New Zealanders on gambling over recent years is socially and economically unsustainable.

Social justice, democracy and healthy communities are under threat by the unrestrained growth of the gambling industry.

Social justice is threatened by the gambling industry as it takes away money from one group, predominantly the one that can least afford it, and redistributes this wealth in a manner that is unfair and inequitable.

Democracy is threatened when communities have casinos and other gambling venues imposed upon them, despite the objections of people in those communities.

Healthy communities are threatened when people from families that are already struggling to survive get caught up in the detrimental effects of gambling.

Key Principle

The Green Party will ensure that public policy operates to reduce the harm done by gambling to individuals, their families and communities and to the community and voluntary sector itself.

Specific Policy Points

The Green Party will:

1. Conduct a full social, economic and environmental impact study on the effect of the gambling industry on all aspects of life in New Zealand.

2. 1. Develop a national database to monitor the economic and social sustainability of all forms of gambling; and
   2. Support this through an independent research programme that ensures future decisions can be based on facts and high quality analysis.
3. Establish an independent regulator to oversee the entire gaming industry, a regulator who is free from the current conflicts between policy advice, enforcement and the preservation of a number of Government funding streams.
4. 1. Support the government moratorium on issuing any new casino venue licences and public input about the future of existing casino whose licences come up for renewal; and
   2. When existing casino venue licences come up for renewal, the Green Party supports the right of communities within the territorial authority area in which the casino venue is located, to vote in a binding referendum on the future of the casino.
5. Prohibit the advertising and promotion of internet and interactive television gambling.
6. Require the potential impact of all substantially new forms of gambling, or major amendments to existing forms of gambling, be comprehensively researched and require a legislated amendment to the Gambling Act before their introduction into New Zealand.
7. Facilitate the speedy adoption of harm minimisation measures in the gambling industry on a best practice model; remove regulatory and legislative impediments to this.
8. 1. Ensure gaming operators pay the full costs of mitigating the harm caused by their products, by imposing a levy on gaming turnover that must be paid to problem gambling support services run independently of the gambling industry.
   2. The problem gambling levy should be assessed on the most recent and accurate statistics and other information available. Statistics on harm should be disaggregated between pubs and clubs; problem gambling presentations should not be counted as the only proxy for harm.
9. 1. Work towards getting rid of all pub non-casino gaming machines, in the first instance by giving councils the power, in full consultation with local residents, to eliminate pub based pokies from their district altogether, and ultimately by legislation to abolish pub pokies; and
   2. Take steps to mitigate the impact of ending pub pokie grants to community and voluntary sector organisations by establishing a special transitional fund of $150 million which will be administered through the existing range of Government grant-making bodies and covering all parts of the sector.
   3. Increase government support to organizations that do not accept funding from the proceeds of gambling.
10. Oppose political parties benefiting from the profits of the most addictive forms of gambling, including gaming machines and casinos.
11. Require casinos and gaming machine venues to distribute a fair percentage of the profits of their gaming machines to the wider community through transparent and publicly accountable funding distribution processes
12. Place limits on the amount of non casino gaming machine proceeds which can go to racing purposes; replace racing stakes with racing infrastructure as a legitimate purpose.
13. Educate the public about the risks of gambling and help them make informed decisions about gambling.
14. Review gambling advertising standards, particularly in terms of their impact on children.