Note: This story was first published on Monday May 28
A Northland hotel is getting rid of its pokies after discovering a baby outside on the footpath belonging to a young mother inside gambling.
Glen Dick and Lana Marie Turnbull operate the Rawene Masonic Hotel in Rawene, and posted on Facebook on Saturday recounting the reasons why they were closing their gaming section.
"This decision was a simple one for us to make which we think is long overdue," Mr Dick wrote.
"With a high unemployment rate in Northland and most of the people attracted by these gaming machines being in this bracket, we have felt the need to remove these from our establishment."
Mr Dick shared the story of a young mother who left her child unattended on the footpath to play the pokies.
"A young local girl walks in one early afternoon, says hello and asks if she can get $20 out by eftpos," he wrote.
"She proceeds into the gaming room and is in there for maybe a minute or 2 before I hear a baby crying.
"Curiously I walk to the front door and look out ... with nothing to see there, I proceed to our other entry and to my amazement/disgust, there on the footpath, outside our hotel is a baby capsule with a toddler in it.
"I take the capsule inside and ask this young girl if this baby is hers and she replied with 'Yes, but my car isn’t here'.
"A few not so nice words then came from my mouth and I asked her to leave (to put it nicely). Her reply was 'oh, but I still have money in the machine', I pushed the collect button and told her to get out.
"If these gaming machines can influence people to this kind of behaviour, then we want nothing to do with it and we hope that we have the support from our community with our decision."
Commenters on the post were hugely supportive of the decision.
"Great to see SOMEONE making a positive move in the right direction," wrote one.
" I want to say well done on this decision you've made, may the initial losses you may experience financially be brought back to you in other ways," said another.
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