As the debate rages over whether the Government should have struck a deal with SkyCity in Auckland over building a new international convention centre, this week we revealed to our readers how much we are spending locally on pokie machines.
Figures supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post show $20.6
million was poured into local pokies in the past financial year - that's about $56,400 a day. It's meant to be good news because the previous financial year it was nearly $22 million.
It's a tough argument whether pokies are good or bad. Supporters say they provide our city with vital funds for things such as major concerts, sports clubs and educational needs but the flip side is quite scary. Children have been left in cars alone while gambling-addicted parents sit at pokie machines and families have lost homes, jobs, reputations and clean criminal records.
I for one am not celebrating a slight drop in the total amount of money being spent on local pokies - $56,400 a day would go a long way to buying more important things in our city. I also question the amount that is actually being channelled back into Rotorua.
Getting back to the Auckland debate, a flash new international convention centre would be great - it will generate jobs, bring more money into New Zealand and likely more tourists will want to pop down to Rotorua. But in my view the way this has come about will always reek. SkyCity is only funding the project on the condition it gets 230 more pokie machines and other concessions (including an extended operating licence to 2048). To allow that to happen, Prime Minister John Key changed the law. What's the point of having laws if you're just going to change them to suit your needs - controversial ones at that.
