Evaluate current policy effectiveness

This section of the guidance outlines the steps you can take to gather evidence on your community profile, gambling data, harm, social impact to support your decision-making on whether changes are required to your policy.

There are three main sources of information:

1. Your local community profile
2. Gambling data and gaming machine proceeds
3. From your community including Iwi, gambling providers and gambling harm service providers. In addition, there are some parties who you must notify Section 102(1)

Local community profile

In terms of the impacts of class 4 gambling on your community, there are three main groups or areas to consider:

• the groups and organisations that benefit from class 4 gambling by way of grants from gaming societies
• the populations that are disproportionately harmed by class 4 gambling, and
• the economic and entertainment benefits for your community.

You will already have considerable community profile data from your Long-Term Plan and other policy processes. In addition, you may find it helpful to seek further data on your vulnerable communities and the impacts of gambling.

Gambling harm

Section 101 of the Gambling Act states that a territorial authority must adopt a class 4 venue policy, and this policy must have regard to the social impact of gambling within the district.

Involving the community in the development of the policy meets the purpose of the Gambling Act 3 (h) to facilitate community involvement in decisions about the provision of gambling.

The Gambling Act does not specify how you should go about the task of assessing the social impact of gambling in your area. Some councils have commission a social impact assessment of gambling harm in their communities, but this is not a statutory requirement.

A summary of some of the key findings that have emerged from Ministry of Health research to date is available and may be of assistance to you in meeting this requirement. Research is updated on a regular basis and will be subject to change over time as further studies emerge.

Assessing the social impact of gambling in your area

In assessing the social impact of gambling in your community, some key questions include:

• How much money is gambled on class 4 in your community?
• How much harm is being experienced in different areas of your community, especially high deprivation communities?
• How much money is returned to your community in the form of grants, and how these grants are being distributed?
• What are the economic benefits of having class 4 venues in your community, eg employment opportunities?
• What are the entertainment benefits of class 4 venues?

Here are some of the tools you may find helpful to review when assessing social impact:

• Community profile information produced for your Long-Term Plan
• Community profiles SOLGM’s Community Well-being Data Service
• Your internal experts such as your alcohol licensing, and community development, and engagement teams
• GMP Dashboard
• Beneficial impacts of grants into your area
• Gambling harm impacts.  

We have developed a detailed list of other useful research and engagement resources.