Northland's Rawene Masonic Hotel has announced that it will no longer be a gaming venue.
In a Facebook post on the hotel’s page, owner Glen Dick explained the change.
“This decision was a simple one for us to make which we think is long overdue. With a high unemployment rate in Northland and most of the people attracted by these gaming machines being in this bracket, we have felt the need to remove these from our establishment. Fix the problem by removing the attraction to the problem,” Dick said.
The decision was influenced by a recent incident in the hotel involving a young girl and who left her baby unaccompanied outside the facility while gambling in the hotel’s gaming room.
“If these gaming machines can influence people to this kind of behaviour, then we want nothing to do with it, and we hope that we have the support from our community with our decision.”
