By VERNON SMALL deputy political editor
After facing bruising public opposition to new licences in Queenstown and Hamilton, New Zealand's biggest casino owner-operator wants the Government to find better ways to take public opinion into account.
In its submission to the Government's gaming review, Sky City said there was a widely held view that public opinion was not given enough weight.
It pointed to official opinion surveys that showed 60 per cent wanted "up to six casinos, as there are now."
It said the survey showed the public was reluctant to see more gaming opportunities.
But if an effective "public veto" were to be instituted, it should come early in the process to keep down unnecessary costs for applicants.
Sky City appeared open to a cap on the number of gaming venues, outlets and Machines, and argued against TAB and Lotto outlets having gaming machines.
Its submission is one of more than 1000 on the review. The Government will respond with its plan in July and will introduce new laws this year.
Sky City argued for a consistent approach to gaming machines, saying most problem gamblers pointed to non-casino machines as their prime mode of gambling.
It was also concerned the Alliance's pre-election rhetoric would lead to higher taxes on casinos, which pay less than other gaming outlets.
It said comparisons showing casinos were taxed less than other types of gambling were inappropriate.
Racing and sports betting is taxed at 20 per cent of a win, the Lotteries Commission at 5.5 per cent of its turnover, non-casino gaming machines at 20 per cent of a win and casinos at 4 per cent of a win.
But Sky City said all deductions should be taken into account, closing the gap between the rates paid by casinos and other outlets.
An economic assessment by Business and Economic Research (Berl), commissioned by Sky City, estimated gaming brought $1.4 billion in total benefits to the economy.
Taxes from the sector, which included casinos, non-casino gaming machines, the TAB, racing and Lotteries, totalled $343 million.
Berl said the social and economic costs of gambling were between $358 million and $1.1 billion in a "snapshot," which might not be the same as the annual cost over a long period. The bulk of the bad impact came from the cost of emotional stress on the families of problem gamblers.
Sky City says let public decide
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