Dismay at council's move to allow more pokies | Northland News | Local News in Northland

A leading anti-gambling advocate is "staggered" by a decision to relax restrictions on pokie machines in the Far North, despite hundreds of submissions calling on the council to do the opposite.

Last week the Far North District Council voted to lift its cap on the number of pokie machines from 261 - which would bring the district into line with the national average - to the current total of 380.

Councillors also decided to allow pokie machines to be moved if a licence holder wanted to change venues, which was banned under the old bylaw.

The Gambling and TAB Venue Bylaw review attracted a near-record 540 submissions, 471 of which called for a gradual phasing out of pokie machines through a"sinking lid" policy.

Problem Gambling Foundation boss Graeme Ramsey, of Baylys Beach, said he was disappointed at the council's decision, which went "against the flow" of what other districts were doing.

"Not only have they not taken a stronger stance on pokies, despite all the damage they do in the Far North, but they've also relaxed the criteria.

"I thought the community made its position clear but it appears the council didn't pay heed to that."

Mr Ramsey dismissed the argument that pokie machines gave tourists something else to do and increased the amount they spent in the Far North.

"To say this is about tourism is nonsense. Local people play these machines, they aren't tourist attractions. In my experience, tourists come to Northland for beaches and the natural beauty of the place. They don't come to sit in front of pokie machines."

He also described as "silliness" an argument from the Northland Hospitality Association that the foundation's figures for pokie machines per capita were misleading because they didn't take into account the district's large number of summer visitors.

"We know the Far North is towards the top of the list in terms of pokies per head of population. I'm staggered the council hasn't wanted to address that."