Booze Baron PR man fights back!

You know you’ve hit a nerve when the hospitality industry [booze] leaders and Mike Knell Chief executive of NZ Community Trust start defending themselves via the letter to the editor pages…over their use of pokie machines to make money.

They really are a strange lot, firstly they create the problem, they profit by the problem, then the blame others for the problem and yet have the audacity to say, we know nothing and we are only here to help the community”. They are like the lawyers [blood-suckers] who chase the ambulance to traffic accidents in the US. Mike Knell is in my view nothing more than a paid Public Relations face for the Pokie / Booze / Gaming industry. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wears a Sky City badge on his lapel. Reducing the number of pokie machines will assist with reducing the number of problem gamblers simply because it may stop or delay the problem gambling addiction commencing. We put warning messages on all tobacco products about addiction; we control outlets and advertising and so on. People employed by the gambling industry should wear the same warnings on their foreheads. Mr. Knell may suggest my message to the PNCC was emotive and subjective, and he is correct it was emotive…because I’ve seen the harm done and being done by pokie machine use…subjective well we can each have our own view. But any outfit that collects 1.5 million dollars a week from my community and that’s around 55 million a year and gives back 10.2 million in community grants which includes the racing industry, professional sports bodies leaves little room for anything other than subjective comments.

We managed before pokies and we will manage once they have disappeared. We would also save on Prison, health, Justice and police running costs which would lead to much better social outcomes for all.

PS, If I was Mike Knell I too might write a letter defending pokie machines especially if my job depended on it...but then again I might not because PR is not my game.