Submissions close this weekend on a bill that seeks to minimise harm from online gambling - but another aspect of the bill has myriad organisations worried about how it could impact their future funding. The Online Casino Gambling Bill would introduce 15 licences for online casinos, require companies to provide a harm prevention strategy, ensure their users are at least 18 years old and adhere to advertising restrictions.
But where onshore operators like Lotto, TAB and pokies are required to put a proportion of their proceeds back into the community, the new bill wouldn't require that of new licence holders. And that's got community organisations and sports clubs worried. Susie discusses with Martin Snedden, Cycling New Zealand chair who's leading the charge on behalf of 50 sporting organisations concerned about the impact the Bill could have on grassroots sport.
Also joining the discussion, Claire Beard who's CEO of Asthma NZ and says the Bill as it stands would threaten respiratory support programmes her organisation runs in disadvantaged communities.
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