On June 21, 2007, a gambling lobby group supported the call of Green Party MP Sue Bradford for a public inquiry regarding loan sharks and other criminal activities that are currently happening with the gambling casinos in New Zealand.
Gambling Watch Leader, Dave Macpherson, commented that the comments by the casino industry that everything in their organization is alright are hard to believe given what is currently happening and the evidence that supports it.
Macpherson said that the tip that the loan sharks have been operating on the gaming floors like Sky City has been made to police officers several times in recent years, as well as complaints regarding betting rings and other criminal organizations.
Macpherson said that Sky City, with a tight grip on the casino industry in New Zealand, is an influential corporate figure in the country, as well as a major political donor.
Macpherson said that neither the present nor the previous government have been willing to investigate what is really going on in the casinos and those people or groups that have called attention to the issue in the past have been blatantly ignored.
In their opinion, nothing was a sure thing when both parties voted for the casinos in the 1990’s and that criminal and social problems would soon become a part of everyday life of the people living around it.
Macpherson said that the rules regarding gambling are pretty one sided when it comes to gambling and the amount of profit that is at stake.
Macpherson said that the government needs to show that they have the public interest instead of that of the casinos. The government must set a public inquiry regarding the problem as soon as possible.
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