#Community Charities and Gambling in New Zealand

• An adequate and binding Gambling Act has been enacted and is still in place, presently.
• Noble deeds like charity donations are in full effect to bolster the development of the nation as a whole.
• Measures are in place to ensure that ills like irresponsible gambling and problem gambling are taken care of and a sane and responsible gambling culture is in place.

With these and many more in place, we can categorically appreciate to a large extent, the level of orderliness and sanity that is present in the gambling environment across the country.

Furthermore, gambling in the safest casinos with trust among New Zealanders according to certain precepts preexisting in the country’s Gambling Act of 2003, offers a level of support to the course of development in the nation as there are provisions to ensure a certain amount is given as charity every year.

There should be rules to ensure this culture of giving to charity stands and that the donations received are likewise utilized judiciously. Yes, there are rules!

Rules For Casino Owners Concerning Charity

The Gambling Act 2003 directs that gambling activities in the country must be performed to generate enough funding only for specific purposes. These purposes are known as “authorized purposes”. When the funds are utilized for other purposes outside these authorized purposes, there can be sanctions like prosecutions and most times, cancellation of such a casino’s license.

These authorized purposes according to section 4 of the Gambling Act 2003 include:

• a charitable motive;
• any non-commercial intent that is helpful to the entirety or a portion of the society;
  facilitating, regulating, and administering race meetings following the guidelines provided in the Racing Act 2003, without exempting the payment of wagers;
• Classes 1-3 gambling can yet generate cash for an electioneering objective

The rules binding on casino owners as regards them giving to charity and the use of their donation is that:

• No person should earn an explicit commercial yield from any authorized purpose donation.
• Donations made to individuals should be prevented because they always create “personal gain” or an individual commercial gain.

Note, however, that sometimes there will be a lawful “incidental” commercial privilege as a circuitous outcome of an authorized purpose donation. Take for instance, when manufacturing an educational booklet is an authorized purpose, it would remain lawful to pay the printers as an indispensable part of the creation.

Similarly, any group that partakes in lobbying may be deemed fit for donations for other activities they venture into, as long as such activities fall within the frame of authorized purposes.

Certain social events do not fall within the realm of authorized purposes. The creation and care of such facilities to make these social events possible are as well not an authorized purpose.

Instances when social events are categorized rightfully as authorized purposes are:

• a Christmas party for kids in a hospital;
• a concert for old people in an old people’s home.

These social events are not authorized purposes:

• Pastime in bars or clubs;
• Sporting excursions for fans or spectators;
• Post-match events for sporting communities.
• Family reunions;
• Promotion and advertising, except when what is being advertised is completely not-for-profit and is of help to the community.

Gambling Donation Purposes

Here, we will expose you to the different aspects of our daily lives that are impacted by the donations that are received from gambling donations regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.

1. Charitable Purposes

Some instances of charitable acts are:

• welfare relief for needy people;
• hospital stops for the aged;
• payments to IHC, Barnardos, or the Cancer Society;
• providing a computer to any school of your choice.

2. Education and Training

Donations to educational units are seen as representations of charitable intentions, provided that the grant is for public motives, not private ones.

3. Religious Purposes

Donations will continually be for the creation and sustenance of grounds and places where religious activities take place.

4. Electioneering Purposes

Party political objectives asides the ones directly connected to electioneering cannot be deemed an authorized purpose.

5. Grants For Sport

Grants must exclusively be given to amateur sports, as professional sports are not classified as authorized purposes, except where it pertains to coaching, training, or improvement for junior sport. Donations can only go to sporting activity, club, or organizations that are:

• related or joined to a national body;
• legal and credible;
• played regularly as a facet of an important competition; and
• allows membership from the public.

6. Other Community Purposes

Purposes that fall under this category include:

• non-commercial museums and art galleries;
• amateur Maori cultural groups;
• amateur theatre groups;
• non-commercial societal cultural or arts festivals.

7. Racing and other semi-commercial sports

Under the Gambling Act 2003, the proceeds from gambling can be spent on racing purposes as long as such donations are not spent on the commercial areas.

8. Wages and Salaries

The due payment of an amateur sports coach for certain short-term coaching lessons is classified as an authorized purpose.

9. Travel Outside New Zealand

This purpose is permitted as long as:

• The goal of the trip is an authorized purpose.
• The travel fees to be paid are real and acceptable.

(This is a sponsored article)