Former pokie machine addict wants them banned

PHOTO/FILE

As Rotorua Lakes Council reveals more than $53,000 a day is spent on pokie machines in the district, reporter Matthew Martin talked to one local woman who knows all too well the harm they can cause.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, had battled an addiction to pokie machines for the last decade and only realised she had a serious problem when she started stealing from her family.

She said she would have owned her own house by now if she had not started gambling, but has stayed "pokie free" for the last two years.

"I really want people to understand the harm and suffering it causes people.

"No matter what those trusts say and how much they say they give back, it's the poorer people in the community that are suffering and it's not going back to them."

Toward the end of her gambling sprees she was spending everything she had, but her journey into addiction started innocently enough.

"I was a student and went with a friend, who also had a gambling addiction, to a pub and sat next to her.

"I put a $2 in a machine and from that $2 coin I won $6, I was stoked and got a real rush.

"I was going in with the intent of spending $20, then I'd end up going back to the car for my money card and losing it all in the hope of winning what I lost back.

"I was lying about where I was, where my money had gone, it was terrible."

She kicked the habit for three years before she started a relationship with another gambler and relapsed.

"I was using it as an escape, but it only caused more problems.

"I first knew it was a real problem when I stole money off my brother and had to 'fess up to that.

"I sought help with Gamblers Anonymous with support from my mum ... and now have continued support from the Problem Gambling Foundation.

"There's still not enough awareness about problem gambling and not a lot of support available."

She said she wanted the council to get rid of every pokie machine in the district.

"They are just not worth it, I hate them with a passion.

"It's been my number one struggle in life and it's really important for me to stay on top of it and manage it because I will have it for the rest of my life."

She said machines were too easily accessible.

"For me it was the sounds, the lights, the rush, the instant gratification. I could be isolated for hours.

"I'd love to see New Zealand get rid of them completely, they cause so much pain and suffering.

"I used to love them, but I see them for what they are now."