SkyCity’s 30 percent profit increase comes at the cost of problem gambling affecting Auckland families and is no cause for celebration, the Green Party said.
SkyCity today posted a first half profit of $71 million, up 30 percent on the previous six months, reportedly boasting that it was already profiting from the pokies for convention centre deal.
“SkyCity’s boosted profit results reveal just who the Government’s dodgy convention centre deal was designed to benefit – and it’s not Aucklanders,” Green Party Auckland Issues spokesperson Denise Roche said.
“Every dollar of SkyCity’s casino profits has a real human cost.
“A huge gambling empire isn’t the kind of business that Aucklanders want in the centre of our beautiful city.
“Having now installed 70 percent of the new pokie machines it gets under the convention centre deal, despite work on the convention centre just beginning, SkyCity must be laughing all the way to the bank.
“Huge multinational casino companies have no role in building the world’s most liveable city.
“The National Government showed how out of touch it was with Aucklanders when it decided it was a good idea to a deal with a casino. It’s certainly not the way to build an economy that works for everyone,” Ms Roche said.