Woman defends pyramid game

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 1

Woman defends pyramid game

BARRY CLARKE

By

A Christchurch woman who stands to make almost $40,000 from the pyramid game, Aeroplane, has rubbished claims the scheme is crooked.

The woman, aged in her early 20s, has collected $6OOO from a $750 investment, and has seats on several other planes which she says will net her the rest of the money.

The game is based on continual recruitment of new players and has been criticised by the police. They say some people may be duped into playing; some will ultimately lose their money, and it is illegal under the Gaming and Fair Trading Acts. The woman says the decision to follow a friend and play the game is the best thing she has ever done. She was recruited in April and has not looked back. “There’s no way I could have saved the money I’m going to get,” she said yesterday. “It’s not only me making money. Heaps of people are.”

The woman has prominent seats on five “feeder” $lOO planes. The planes are designed for the small investor, who when they collect an $BOO payout then pay $750 to join the standard game. She also has three other places on $2OO planes which, will net her $l6OO and another two

places on $750 planes. “I plan to make $40,000. The chances are pretty good. There are a lot of people out there who want to play,” she says. Recent adverse publicity in the news media had fuelled interest, she said. “I had two ladies at home trying to make up their minds whether to join when the ‘Holmes’ show came on TV. After they’d watched it they joined. Two other guys who said they wouldn’t join, came on after they’d seen the programme.” The programme focused on the scheme in Gisborne, and outlined the illegal aspect of the game. The Gisborne police said yesterday they would crack down on the game if organisers did not stop it by the end of next week.

The woman said she was concerned about the legal aspects of Aeroplane, but these were outweighed by the prospect of making big dollars. “I can buy another car, go to Australia for a holiday ... I think it stinks that it’s against the law. Why can’t people do what they want with their own money? “I’m able to make a lot of money out of it because I have recruited a lot of people. Presumably they’ve come on, knowing they in turn can recruit people. That’s how it works. The more people you recruit the

faster you get to the top and take the money.” Aeroplane was thriving in Christchurch with no sign of abating, she said. People on planes she was involved with were mainly aged between 18 and 27. They were from all walks of life. There had been strong interest from Government department employees, she said. Gisborne authorities say Aeroplane is such a problem there, it is having an effect on the city’s economy.

The president of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce, Mr Morrin Hardy, said there was a noticeable drop in the number of shoppers in the city, which he said was attributable to Aeroplane. “It’s estimated that up to 5000 people could be playing the game up here,” he said yesterday.

“It’s school holidays at the moment, but the people aren’t on the streets. You can go down the main street and there are empty car-parks all the way down it. Retail sales are being affected. “People are spending $750 on the game and haven’t got enough to spend elsewhere.”

Turnover on the two race meetings in Gisborne last week was down. A spokesman, Mr John Lawrence, said Aeroplane was partly to blame.