Last month, Sky City Casinos agreed to spend $350 million building a conference centre in Auckland in return for 350 – 500 new poker machines. However, a new bill has been introduced which could give the public more power decide to reduce the number of pokies in the community – and it could have dire consequences for Sky City.
The new bill will receive its first reading today. It would allow local authorities to use community feedback to determine the impact of poker machines in various areas of the country. From there, they can decide if they need to reduce the number of pokies in specific neighbourhoods.
According to Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell, the passing of the new bill could have a negative effect on the Sky City Deal. Even though city councillors have granted the operator the right to add up to 500 new pokies to Sky City Auckland, the public may now be able intervene. It could mean that casino would not be able to add the new poker machines after all.
However, this is just the first reading, so nothing is set in stone. If the bill does not pass, the Sky City deal is likely to carry on as planned
