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.
