Palmerston Locals Want to Keep Pokie Numbers Intact

Across the country, it is becoming apparent that gambling addiction is big problem among residents. As such, local politicians in Palmerston are considering the possibility of removing poker machines in order to curb problem gambling rates. A committee was recently assembled to determine the viability of the idea – and some surprising results were uncovered.

Navid Foroutan of the NZ Problem Gambling Foundation has urged local politicians to lower its sinking lid policy cap from 430 pokies in the area to 400. As in many other cities across new Zealand, the lowering of the sinking lid policy cap is meant to reduce the rates of problem gambling.

However, the committee discovered that the public does not back the idea. While some believe that a sinking lid policy would be helpful, the vast majority believe that it would not be effective enough to truly treat gambling addiction problems in the area.

It seems that locals want to maintain the number of poker machines while searching for other ways to deal with problem gambling. Some submissions to the committee were from actual problem gamblers who would like to see more education and counselling programs made available, which would get to the root of the problem gambling issue.

Wonderland Slots Mystify Online Casino Players

In this day and age, it takes a lot for an online slot machine to truly surprise and engage fans. The new Wonderland slots game from GameSys, however, accomplishes that goal easily. With several fun and engaging bonus rounds, Wonderland slots presents players with a completely unique online gambling experience that they will be hard-pressed to find with other casino games.

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Sky City Convention Centre Deal Kept Under Wraps

Auckland residents are growing increasingly more worried, as casino executives and city councilors discuss the plans for the construction of a convention centre behind closed doors. The deal, which would relax gambling laws for Sky City in return for the construction of the convention, is being discussed in private, and residents are not pleased that they have been kept in the dark.

All that is currently known is that Sky City wants to build the new $350 million convention centre. In return for this, the casino operator wants to local government to relax its gambling laws. At first, it was assumed that this meant allowing for more pokies in the local Sky City casino, but as negotiations drag on, it could mean more.

“It’s a secret negotiation,” says David Cunliffe of the Labour Party. “This is not a transparent process with a number of parties.

With problem gambling presenting an ever-greater problem in New Zealand, it is important that politicians work on ways to reduce the opportunities available to gamblers. However, the deal will result in an increase in gambling activity – an issue that residents in Auckland and across New Zealand should be able to have a say in.

Sky City Fails to Keep Problem Gamblers Out

In Australia and New Zealand, all casinos and gambling venues must offer exclusion programs. Whether banned by the casino operator or by themselves, operators must agree to keep problem gamblers off their premises. However, Sky City has had problems keeping its end of the bargain, allowing over 250 excluded gamblers play casino games.

Over the course of 2011, 265 banned gamblers have been allowed to play at Sky City Casinos across New Zealand. 201 had been banned by the casino operator while 64 had taken part in a self-exclusion program. Regardless of how the bans had been enacted, Sky City sill had a responsibility to keep the gamblers out, but ultimately failed to do so.

With this news reaching the public, critics of the Sky City conference centre deal have more reason to complain. They believe that the city should not agree to relax gambling laws if the casino operator cannot deal with problem gamblers. It will be an unhealthy move for the city at large, and critics believe that Sky City should correct its problem gambling tactics before it is allowed more table games and pokies.

Locals Upset About iPad’s ‘Misleading’ Claims

The new Apple iPad’s 4G internet technology is meant to revolutionize the mobile gaming market. However, New Zealand and Australia residents have some complaints about the viability of these claims.

The main selling point of the latest Apple iPad is its ability to support the fastest WiFi network: 4G. So, many local residents purchased the device, exciting about the possibility of gaming on a revolutionary platform. However, this was not the case, and consumers are none too pleased.

Why is this? Well, 4G internet is not actually available locals. The technology simply is not available here. So, those who purchased the new iPad have been left very disappointed.

Things have gotten so serious that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced that it will be taking its complaints to the federal government. The ACCC believes that Apple mislead local residents, allowing them to buy the device under false pretences. However, the website does claim that the networks are only available in the Canada and USA – so the commission’s case may not actually hold up in court.

Christchurch Upholds Sinking Lid Policy

After the devastating earthquake hit Christchurch last year, gambling rates soared. Despite there being fewer poker machines in the area overall, more and more residents found themselves compelled to spend their money on gambling activities.

36 gaming venues across the area were damaged due to the earthquake. 21 gaming venues have closed since the disaster happened. Regardless, gambling rates are still up, but club owners still want to lift the ban on new pokies.

Some pubs and clubs with damaged machines requested that the sinking lid policy on pokies be lifted so that they could get their machines back; others wanted to relocate their machines. In either case, the local government refused, upholding the sinking lid policy in order to protect pokies players from harm.

A sinking lid policy not only bans the installation of new poker machines across a city. It also seeks to reduce the overall number of poker machines over time. This is not only beneficial for reducing problem gambling rates, but also ensuring that venues get used to depending less and less on poker machine revenue.

Lotto Jackpot Up to $22 Million

The NZ Lotto Powerball jackpot has gone another week without being won by a lucky New Zealander. Fortunately, this means that the jackpot can continue to grow over the course of the coming weeks, making for some very exciting draws with high lottery sales. This week’s jackpot was $20 million, but since the prize was not won, it means that it will rise to $22 million for next week.

Large lottery jackpots mean great things all around. Players across the country are excited about the prospect of winning huge jackpot prizes, causing lottery sales to skyrocket. A recent report revealed that the biggest earnings for the NZ Lotto result when there is a multi-million dollars jackpot up for grabs, and this will certainly result in that situation taking place yet again.

The last time the Powerball was won was in December. One lucky player took home a jackpot prize of $5.5 million. Ever since then, the prize has gone unclaimed and the jackpot has just continued to rise. The last time a multi-million dollar jackpot was in April 2011, when $35 million was won. Two lucky players split the prize, and set a record for the NZ Lotto.

NZ Games Developer Wins Award

IGT is New Zealand’s leader in gaming development. The company has been in operation in the country for three decades, developing hundreds of slots and pokies for gaming venues across New Zealand. Having won plenty of awards in the past, IGT is well-known for provided great games, but has rarely been recognized for its business practices. Now, IGT has earned some accolade for how it runs its operations, after receiving an award and several nominations from the Manufacturing Executive Organization.

The company received an award under the Operational Excellence category, for its “Engineering and Manufacturing Cost Reduction Project”. This project aims to reduce the costs associated with produce expensive poker machines and slots. It has displayed the company’s dedication to forward-thinking business practices in an unpredictable economy, and the MEO is very impressed with the initiative.

IGT has also been nominated for 3 other awards from the MEO: High Achiever Award, the 2012 Manufacturer of the Year Award and the 2012 Project of the Year Award. All of these nominations highlight IGT’s excellence in the gaming development market. Over the years, the company has worked hard to establish an impressive reputation, and it seems that IGT has finally achieved that status.

Marvel-ous Slots Promotion at InterCasino

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In order to take part, players must deposit $25 and quote the bonus code STAN (for Stan Lee, X-Men comic creator). The code only lasts for one day, so players have to activate it each time they wish to take part in Marvel-ous March. We suggest having a look at the calendar and planning which days you would like to play.

The event runs all month, so there are plenty of chances to win amazing cash bonuses during Marvel-ous March at InterCasino.

New Tarzan and Jane Slots from Aristocrat

The online gambling market is full of amazing designers and developers. IGT has emerged as one of these incredible brands, providing players with a high-quality gambling experience based on the wide range of games it offers. The company is always releasing new and exciting titles, and IGT seems to be on a roll with its latest slots, titled Tarzan & Jane Forbidden Temple.

This new slots game is based on IGT’s original Tarzan Slot, King of the Jungle. It features some of the features you grew to love from the original while implementing some cool new aspects that a wide range of players will enjoy.

Firstly, there are two sets of reels available: one for Tarzan and one for Jane. Both reels can be triggered by placing just one wager of 50 coins. This also means that players do not have to wager on individual paylines, making it a multi-way game, so players can access all paylines with each spin. This makes the game even more exciting, as players pretty much double their chances of winning.

Players should also be well-aware that there are four progressive jackpots available. Aristocrat has not created many slots with multiple jackpots, but this is a great place to start. The highest jackpot resets at $100 000, so there are some very generous prizes to be won.