Illegal gaming machines in ‘many hotels’

Press, 19 September 1985, Page 4

Illegal gaming machines in ‘many hotels’

PA Timaru Many hotels have illegal gaming machines, according to the Internal Affairs Department. They will be warned to dispose of the machines and prosecutions will follow, said the inspector of gaming for Canterbury, Mr William de Malmanche. “Such machines contravene the Gaming and Lotteries Act and the Sale of Liquor Act, and a proprietor’s licence can be jeopardised by operating them,” he said. Illegal machines were those returning a player more money than was put in and where the outcome was decided partly by chance. Most common of these in Timaru were “one-armed bandits” and gold rush machines, he said. Ticket machines and ticket-dispensing machines were legal, and should not

be confused with gaming machines, Mr de Malmanche said. “The department became aware of illegal machines in this area six weeks ago as a result of complaints and observations. At that time five hotels were visited and seven illegal machines were found,” he said. The department would approach the South Canterbury Hotel Association and the police would inform hotelkeepers of the situation and give them the chance to remove the machines. The problem was by no means restricted to Timaru. Cases were cropping up throughout New Zealand. The machines were from Australia where they could be bought for $l5O.

A man who owns a number of machines in Timaru hotels said yesterday that present laws were antiquated. The man, who wished to

remain anonymous, said operators and the public wanted the machines made legal and regulated. “They should be restricted to clubs and pubs, and users limited to those 20 years and over. I would like to see a jackpot of $5O, and a payout of at least 90 per cent of income. The Government would also collect direct tax and income tax if the machines were legal,” he said. The machines would not cause social problems as they did not entice people to put all their wages into them, he said. “They are straight-out amusement machines. You can’t lose a lot of money on them,” he said. “On the other hand there is good money to be made by operators and hoteliers because the machines are popular and are working 10 hours to 12 hours a day.”