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Cardboard Casino Protest SkyCity
The Greens Party set up a cardboard casino complete with more than 510 paper poker machines and tables in Auckland’s Aotea Square in protest against the New Zealand Government’s SkyCity convention centre deal.
Photo: facebook.com/nzgreenparty
The scene of the demonstration
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei said that the day-long display demonstrated how the Government’s gift of 230 pokie machines, 240 automated player stations and 40 gambling tables to casino operator SkyCity “is the equivalent of a whole new casino.”
In a NZ$402 million ($341 million) deal signed with the Government in July, SkyCity will design, build and operate a convention centre. In return, it receives an extension on its licence to 2048 and allowance for the additional machines and tables.
Turei called the deal “undemocratic and unconstitutional” as SkyCity had not gone through any regulatory process required by law.
The imitation casino was up through Oct. 14 collecting messages from passers-by, then taken to the city of Wellington where it was presented to Government officials.