The job of New Zealand’s Problem Gambling Foundation is to point out flaws in the country’s gambling market that are detrimental to problem gamblers. The organization is dedicated to bettering the country’s gambling industry by reducing problem gambling rates. Now, the Problem Gambling Foundation has set its sights on pokies grants, stating that the system has failed by creating a dependence on poker machines.
“One of the real addictions that we’ve got in this country are sporting groups and community groups that absolutely rely upon the funding from pokie trusts,” says Graeme Ramsey, chief executive of the Problem Gambling Foundation.
Organizations have become so attached to pokies grants that many are fighting the new Harm Reduction Bill, which will change the pokies grants are awarded. Even though the new bill aims to benefit the country by reducing problem gambling rates, many community groups cannot part with the funding provided by poker machines.
So, it seems that organizations will have to find a new way to generate funding. There are plenty of sources out there, and they will simply have to look a little bit harder to find them.
