Anti-smoking group ASH and the Problem Gambling Foundation are vehemently opposed to the plan and say expanding the pokie smoking deck will just keep more vulnerable people gambling for longer.

SkyCity has not said how many pokie machines will be moved to the expanded deck if it goes ahead.

Andre Froude, from the Problem Gambling Foundation, told Checkpoint it was concerned that letting a person smoke or vape and use pokies at the same time removed opportunities to have a break from gambling.

“We know that’s a vital harm minimisation tool. They can walk away from these machines that are highly addictive and can reflect on their gambling and just have a break.”

The casino already allows people to smoke and gamble at the same time in other balconies around the casino.

However, Froude said the new balcony the casino was proposing was a significantly larger area.

“We already have an issue with people being able to smoke and use pokie machines and you would think in 2025 with Aotearoa’s smokefree goal that this would have evolved significantly, given what we know about the harm from tobacco and gambling.”

She said the balcony would encourage more people to smoke, and, when a person is a smoker, they were more likely to be a problem gambler.

“We know that gambling is highly co-morbid with smoking. There’s research in New Zealand and in line with overseas studies as well that has found clear links between riskier gambling and smoking.

“Continuing to smoke tobacco or cannabis over time has also been associated with an increased likelihood of moving into risky gambling.”

SkyCity told Checkpoint that it “applied to modify an existing balcony area for customers who choose to smoke”.

“The balcony will comply with all legal requirements, including that it be an open area and that gambling activity will not be visible from the outside”.

Froude said although SkyCity had obligations by law to check in on people who it suspected may be problem gamblers, the balcony was taking away a strategy to reduce harm.

“People fall through the cracks, they’re taking away one of those good harm minimisation measures, which is people going to take a break and moving away from the machine and by allowing them to do this why would they want to do that?”

The casino, in its application to the commission, said it would meet all legal requirements that the balcony is open and the activity of gambling will not be visible from the street.

However, Froude said it should not be allowed because of the links between smoking and gambling harm.

“We need to be taking harm minimisation seriously. We need to be identifying low-risk gamblers because we know that low-risk gamblers contribute to nearly half of all gambling harm in New Zealand.

“We need interventions to happen at that point before they go on to experience real, real harm. That needs to all be factored in and allowing patrons to do this is just keeping them sitting at those machines for longer.”

The application from the casino says the balcony will be an open space, but Froude said the graphics did not depict an open area.

“I fail to understand how it could possibly be deemed an open area when it looks like a room with walls.”

The Problem Gambling Foundation would be putting in a submission to the Gambling Commission, she said.

“They have to be in toward the end of this month and we will be highlighting our concerns and there are a range of other stakeholders that have been invited to do the same.”

Director of anti-smoking group Ash Ben Youdan said in a statement that the pokie deck only served to exploit groups who were more at risk from smoking harm.

“Smoking rates are now under 7% in Aotearoa New Zealand and highly concentrated in the lowest income communities, people experiencing poor mental health and vulnerable populations.

“We’ve known for decades that people who smoke, and who are addicted to tobacco, are significantly more likely to problem gamble. The operators are fully aware that keeping people smoking keeps them gambling. Building a large dedicated smoking and gambling deck is deeply manipulative of people who smoke. It will increase harm all round and [is] a double blow for public health.”

He said the plan did not make sense from a business perspective.

“Aotearoa New Zealand has a well-publicised goal to be smokefree, potentially by the end of this year. We have seen record declines in smoking rates over the last five years, yet SkyCity wants to invest in a significantly increased size of the smoking deck.”

– RNZ

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