25 Feb 2010

No place for gambling machines in Maori communities - lawyer

9:01 am on 25 February 2010

A Maori lawyer says Maori should think about ways to get rid of gambling machines from their communities.

Moana Jackson addressed an international problem gambling conference in Auckland on Wednesday on the indigenous responses to gambling.

He says gambling has long been a part of Maori life, but were often community activities such as housie or poker schools where the benefits flowed back to the marae or hapu.

Mr Jackson told Waatea News that's changed with modern offerings like Lotto and poker machines.

He said gambling "became industrialised' and was marketed as "a glamorous activity" - like smoking used to be. Now, he said, gambling needs to be broken down as well.

Mr Jackson said pokies are disproportionately in poor and Maori areas, but the profits are taken out of those areas.