Gambling venue policy

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The period for consultation about the draft gambling venue policy ended on 5 November 2009. The final Gambling policy will be presented at the Council meeting for adoption by March 2010.

Auckland City Council is reviewing its Gambling venue policy. Since 2004, Auckland city has taken a sinking lid approach, with council not consenting to any new class 4 or New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) venue or any increase in gaming machine numbers. A draft Gambling venue policy was endorsed by the Council in September 2009 for public consultation.

The draft policy proposes Auckland City Council adjusts its 'sinking lid' approach with no exceptions to an option that retains the sinking lid but allows some relocations in certain circumstances.

The objectives of the policy are:

to minimize the harm cause by gambling, including problem gambling
allow individuals to safely participate in class 4 and NZRB gambling in Auckland city
address the clustering of class 4 and NZRB venues in Auckland city.

To ensure the policy reflects the needs of the community, a draft Gambling venue policy has been developed for public consultation.

View the draft and existing policies

Draft gambling venue policy (86k PDF)

Existing gambling venue policy (75k PDF)

Scope of draft policy

The draft policy works within the parameters of the Gambling Act 2003 and will guide the council in role for considering new class 4 and NZRB venues.

The draft policy will not consent to any increase in venue or machine numbers, but would allow the council to consent to a new class 4 venue under the following conditions:

the new venue must replace an existing venue
the new venue must operate fewer machines than the venue it replaces
the new class 4 gambling venue is located on a premises licensed under the Sale of Liquor Act 1989 (either under an on-licence or club licence)
the new venue cannot be established:
- in a high deprivation area of the city (any area with a deprivation level of eight, nine or ten)
- on council owned land
- within 100 metres of an existing class 4 venue
- within 100 metres of a school, early childhood centre, kindergarten, place of worship or community facility.

Similarly, the draft policy will not consent to any increase in NZRB venue numbers, but would allow council to consent a new NZRB venue under the following conditions:

the new NZRB venue must replace an existing NZRB venue
the new NZRB venue cannot be established:
- on council owned land
- within 500 metres of any physical TAB betting services
- within 100 metres of a school, early childhood centre, kindergarten, place of worship or community facility.

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Updated November 2009