More gamblers are abandoning their children at Auckland’s SkyCity casino. Last year 49 children under 14 were left unattended by their parents at the casino’s central city site, including in its vast underground car park. The figure for 2011 was 42. The numbers are revealed in the company’s Host Responsibility report to the Gambling Commission, Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Gambling’
SkyCity costs greater than benefits, MPs told
Friday, September 20th, 2013The Law Society says it appears the costs of the SkyCity convention centre deal outweigh the benefits to the public. SkyCity is to build a $402 million centre in central Auckland in exchange for an extension of its casino license and being allowed to operate more gaming machines and tables. The bill allowing the deal Read more
Auckland Justice & Peace Commission concerned about gambling
Friday, September 6th, 2013
The Gambling (Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill passed its final reading on Wednesday night. In its original form, the Bill would have required gaming machine proceeds to be solely distributed locally. It would also have forced machine operators to track players and provide pre-paid cards. But these provisions were scrapped during the select-committee stage, to ensure the Read more
A church’s attitude directly affects its members gambling habits
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013
New research shows a church’s position on gambling directly affects its congregation. Whether Pacific people gambled was largely influenced by their church, and whether the denomination endorsed gambling or not, researchers found. Additionally, the study found that New Zealand offered more gambling opportunities and more free time than Pacific countries, and many study participants viewed Read more
Confused reporting of Catholic position on SkyCity Casino deal
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013
On Monday, the Chair of Auckland’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, Peter Garrick, had to issue a clarification of a report on National Radio about the Catholic church’s views on the Sky City International Convention Centre. The National Radio report said that a commissioner with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church, Seamus Donegan, told the New Read more
Proposed SkyCity deal potentially devastating for Pasifika people
Tuesday, July 16th, 2013
The National Party’s two Pasifika MPs are being urged to ‘do the right thing’ and vote against legislation for the SkyCity convention centre deal. Under a deal with the Government, the casino operator will build a $400 million centre in Auckland in exchange for a 27-year extension to its licence and the right to have Read more
Guam approves continued gambling as a temporary measure – Church concerned
Friday, June 28th, 2013
On Monday Guam lawmakers unanimously voted to approve Bill 19, which would allow legal gambling activity to temporarily continue on Guam in order to subsidize the Guam Memorial Hospital and other public agencies. Once those debts are paid off, all gambling would be outlawed, the bill states. The Catholic Church on Guam said its main Read more
Pokies charity accuses Anglicans of hypocrisy
Friday, June 28th, 2013
The biggest pokie charity in the country has accused the Anglican Church of hypocrisy and leadership failure and is rejecting a funding application by the Christchurch Cathedral because one Anglican organisation has spoken out against gaming machines. Pub Charity chief executive Martin Cheer said a submission by an Anglican body seeking Pokie reform was a Read more
Catholic opinion divided on Samoa’s casinos
Friday, March 22nd, 2013
A spokesperson for the Church, Father Ioane Ono, was recently reported as saying the Catholic church is not too concerned about the casinos opening on Sundays. “Gambling is optional. It is a matter of a person’s choice,” he said. “There is no specific teachings of the [Catholic] church with regards to gambling,” says Father Ioane. Read more
Strong support in Auckland for curbing gambling
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
Nine out of every 10 people in Auckland want cuts to the number of poker machines in the poorest and most vulnerable parts of the city. A Curia poll found support from 87 per cent of respondents as lawmakers prepare to set new rules governing the availability of poker machines. Across the Auckland region there Read more