Tauranga's ratepayers are being asked to submit on the city's pokie machine numbers after an attempt to limit the gambling machines failed at a committee this week.

By law, the city's gambling venues policy is required to be reviewed every three years.

The city's pokie machine numbers are under review. Photo: File.

Staff are asking councillors whether the new policy should reduce the number of gambling machines in the city and whether to include a relocation clause to allow owners of gambling machines the opportunity to take their machines from one venue to another.

Councillor Steve Morris received some support for a motion to set a ‘sinking lid' policy to stop issuing new licenses and refuse to allow machines to be transferred if a venue closes.

This is the best way to reduce harm caused by this type of gambling, says Steve, which is the stated aim of the council policy.

He also challenged the financial returns from gambling, saying both TECT and the Bay Trust return far more to the people of Tauranga than the $1.6 million from pokie machine operator Pub Charity.

He was out-voted, with councillors challenging his criticism of pokie players. The also suggested other cities might be successfully operating a sinking lid policy because they are not growing.

Bill Grainger says problem gamblers are going to be present whether they use pokies or not. 'They were there before the machines,” says Bill.

Since 2007, the number of pokies operating in Tauranga has dropped from 615 to 529, while venues have reduced in number from 44 to 37.

However, the percentages have grown slightly, with the number of venues and sites making up a slightly larger proportion of the national average than in previous years.

Based on the 2015 city population of 120,819, the current policy allows 821 pokies. The city is at 64 per cent capacity within the policy, meaning there is scope for pokie growth.

Options facing council are to continue with the status quo of one pokie per 147 people, implement a sinking lid policy or to change to a population-based ratio of one machine per 228 people.

Pokies venues are limited to nine machines, except for 22 of the 37 venues in Tauranga that have 18 machines because they were in existence before the law change in October 2001.

Steve Morris's sinking lid motion was defeated and the decision to send the policy out to the public carried.

The staff recommendation is to reduce the cap for the number of machines that are able to operate in Tauranga, and clarify that all relocations are to be considered new applications under the policy (unless for reasons beyond the venue's control).

The submissions period will run from Monday, November 16 to Friday, December 18, with hearings and deliberations to be held in January/February next year.