Hotel wants more pokies

THE Royal Hotel in Featherston wants to install eight pokie machines, putting the town on course to have the second to highest pokie ratio in the country behind Kaikoura.
The hotel's application has put the South Wairarapa District Council in a trick position ? in April last year, along with the Masterton and Carterton councils, it decided to cap the number of pokie machines in the region.
Approval of the revamped Royal Hotel's application would take the number of pokies in Featherston from 23 to 31.
The Gambling Watch organisation says South Wairarapa district has 69 pokie machines. If the increase of eight is approved it will mean there is one gaming machine to every 85 adults. But in Featherston the ratio will be one machine to 54 people, second only to Kaikoura where there are 51 residents to each machine.
Featherston resident, Bob MacFarlane, one of the objectors to the proposal, described it as a credit to the Wairarapa councils at the time that they agreed to cap the pokie numbers.
He was one of eight submissions presented to the council this week. The Royal Hotel's new proprietor, Trevor Pearce said his need to seek the permission to install the eight pokies was throught "circumstance and misfortune".
He had purchased the hotel through a mortgagee sale and found the previous owner had not renewed the pokie licence. He said it appeared to be more of a "mistake" than anything.
The hotel has a gaming venue licence which allows for one machine, but Mr Pearce says this is not economic.
"We have expended considerable capital on the renovation and restoration of the ground floor," he said in his submission.
"We wish to continue the project including a total renovation of the first floor for accommodation, installation of a TAB, and subject to the outcome of the hearing, gaming machines as were previously available."
Supporting Mr Pearce were the Prime Community and Pelorus trusts, both of which receive money from the machines and distribute to community organisations.
The Featherston police also did not object.
The Featherston RSA strongly objected as did the Wairarapa Addiction Service, based in Masterton.
RSA president Ray Weighall said the joint council policy to cap pokie machines in Wairarapa was based on the issue of problem gambling.
The RSA had accepted this policy responsibly but he felt if the number of machines was to increase in the community it would create problems for those with a gambling addiction.
This was echoed by Wairarapa's recently appointed gambling co-ordinator, Glen McLennan, who spoke to his submission and said an increase of pokies in Featherston would be excessive and detrimental to "an already vulnerable community."
He said those who would use the pokies would be residents and not travellers.
"The community cannot sustain further economic jeopardy."