Anglican Life and the Problem Gambling Foundation have joined forces to launch the campaign, which celebrates venues that refuse to host pokies. They want to show pub owners that they can be successful without poker machines, and many operators have already jumped on board with the campaign.

“We can rebuild our city without pokie machines,” said National Public Health Manager Tony Milne.

The campaign seems to be especially crucial in a city like Christchurch, which has the chance to rebuild itself. Now is the ideal time to start over, without a dependence on pokies – and Proud to be Pokies-Free aims to make that happen.

Currently, there are just five clubs across Christchurch which support the cause. However, it is likely that more will hop on board in the future.

In the first reading of the bill, which would give local authorities the power to reduce the number of pokies in their jurisdictions, it was passed by a vote of 83 to 7. It presents a new alternative to gambling reform, and many politicians are on board with the idea.

“I hope that the not-for-profit sector will speak out about this because the community needs our support,” says Kate MacMillion of Riding for the Disabled.

It is a well-known fact that profits from poker machines are used to funding local charities and not-for-profit organizations. Over the course of the past few decades, millions of dollars have been awarded to benefit good causes. Unfortunately, this means that many charities have become dependent on the resource, and will suffer if pokies profits decline.

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Dr. Fadi Anjoul of the University’s Gambling Treatment Clinic notes that common symptoms of addiction are not associated with problem gambling. Withdrawal and tolerance are issues that affect alcoholics and drug addicts; however, problem gamblers do not experience these features. As such, Dr. Anjoul has reason to believe that problem gambling does not fall into exactly the same category.

“We are dealing with habitual and poorly informed choices rather than biological processes that are beyond individual control,” says Dr. Anjoul.

While the distinction may not seem significant at first, it could have an important impact on the treatment of problem gambling. While counselling and even medication have been used to treat patients who are ‘addicted’ to gambling, this research may reveal that these are not the most effective options.

As such, Dr. Anjoul has devised a unique cognitive therapy approach, which differs from the type of counselling used to treat other types of addicts. He states that it has seen a great deal of success, as patients see lower relapse rates.

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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

Over the course of the past year, the mobile gaming market has increased from 75 million to 101 million. The majority of users (69%) take part in mobile games via their smartphones while the remainder use their tablet computers.

What’s most important about these statistics is that more users are paying to play mobile games. This is because by joining the Apple Marketplace, you are automatically required to enter your payment details. This makes it much easier for players to purchase games; as such, paying mobile players has increased by 35% over the course of the past year to $37 million.

This is great news for online gambling operators, as companies like Microgaming, PokerStars and Aristocrat have launched their own mobile applications. With mobile and social gaming on the rise via Apple, we will certainly see an increase in the mobile gambling world.

The Diamond Lounge is a high-stakes, high-roller gaming area at Sky City Auckland. Patrons can only gain access to it by earning hundreds of loyalty points and proving that their gambling behaviour is not detrimental. It contains several table games and pokies, in addition to a smoking lounge that is considered by many to still be indoors.

According to the Smoke Free Environment Act, smoking areas must be completely outside. Due to the layout of the Diamond Lounge, several healthcare groups believe that the area is in violation of the act.

The Salvation Army, Cancer Society and anti-smoking organization ASH have joined forces to file a complaint about the room. Even The Problem Gambling Foundation has gotten on board with the cause.

Despite all of the opposition, however, the Diamond Lounge will remain in its current state. According to Sky City, Auckland Regional Public Health has deemed that the smoking area is not in violation of any laws.

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