The New Zealand government is in private talks with entertainment corporation SkyCity to relax gambling laws in exchange for the casino giant building a new convention centre in Auckland. In a move that has been criticized as ‘selling the law’, Parliament is on the verge of changing the law restricting new EGMs, or ‘pokies’, which will [...]
Posts Tagged ‘New Zealand’
NZ Government ‘selling the law’ to casino company
Thursday, March 29th, 2012NZ punter loses $50,000 on Rugby World Cup final
Monday, October 24th, 2011NEW ZEALAND – New Zealanders lost a record amount of money in the wake of an usually low scoring Rugby World Cup final. About $3 million was bet on last night’s Rugby World Cup final – making it the biggest day for the TAB ever. The TAB is the only NZ based place where NZer’s can [...]
Barbed haven for the lonely immigrant
Monday, October 17th, 2011NEW ZEALAND - Loneliness, depression and a sense of isolation are contributing to gambling problems among Asian immigrants. People from East Asia and the Indian subcontinent comprise the fastest-growing ethnic group in New Zealand. ”Asian cities like Hong Kong are very busy, but in cities like Christchurch, the streets are pretty much empty after four or five [...]
A punter profits on All Black injury disaster
Friday, October 7th, 2011NZ - With one ping of the groin Daniel Carter unknowingly set off punting’s perfect storm. And while those of us who like to wear black to rugby tests – and plenty of others – bemoan Carter’s absence from this Rugby World Cup, his injury may have made one punter A$32,000 ($40,000) in just a few [...]
Hip hop artist Scribe face of NZ “Choice not Chance” campaign
Thursday, October 6th, 2011NZ – Award winning rapper and hip hop artist , Scribe, who topped the charts in New Zealand and Australia becomes face of problem gambling campaign in NZ. After overcoming his own gambling addictions, musician Scribe is now doing his bit to help deliver a hard-hitting message to those struggling with the same problems. Video of [...]
Winning lotto a lot of stress
Friday, September 9th, 2011NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand’s luckiest Lotto winner says winning was extremely stressful and it took a year before she stopped shaking and looking over her shoulder. The Dunedin woman said she believed in luck “but I can still not understand how I could have won Lotto twice”. Otago Daily Times.
Casino ‘safe haven’ for lonely immigrants and refugees
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011NEW ZEALAND - New research has found Asian immigrants and refugees in Auckland are finding a safe haven at casinos and developing gambling habits that contribute to the “huge harm” being done to Asian communities. The Director of the Centre for Asian and Ethnic Minority Health Research at Auckland University, Amritha Sobrun-Maharaj, told the Public Health [...]
Smoke-and-gamble move attacked
Friday, August 19th, 2011NEW ZEALAND - Anti-gambling groups are outraged at a plan by New Zealand’s biggest casino to let people smoke and play gaming machines at the same time. Auckland’s Sky City has permission from the Gambling Commission to build an outdoor structure that has louvres and is open to the fresh air, allowing pokie players to [...]
Earthquake damaged Christchurch has growing gambling problem
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011NEW ZEALAND - There are new fears of problem gambling in Christchurch, as pokie machine spending reaches a two year high. Data released by the Department of Internal Affairs shows in the past three months spending in Christchurch has increased by nearly $4 million. It’s a jump the Problem Gambling Foundation is calling “unprecedented and [...]
Christchurch pokie rise ‘dramatic’, ‘unprecedented’
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011NEW ZEALAND - A spike in pokie machine spending has raised fears earthquake-hit Christchurch residents are becoming addicted to gambling. Spending on pokies in Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri increased by more than $4 million in the last three months, new Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) figures show. This is an area with an 18+ population of [...]
