AUCKLAND: An Auckland recruitment firm has hit upon a novel idea for recruiting data entry positions  -  by recruiting problem gamblers.  The in-demand rolls are notoriously difficult to fill as few people would be willing to perform the mind-numbingly boring  work for the miserable  pay rates offered. 

An unused poker machine at Sky City.

“We were having problems recruiting data entry staff for a credit card campaign which one of New Zealand's major Australian banks was going to market with,” stated Adrian Wills,  the analyst at Opaque Recruitment who came up with the concept.  “We had no luck with traditional methods, so we started thinking outside the box; ‘Who likes to mindlessly stare at a screen all day, while clicking a random series of buttons?’  We were down to Fred’s Sports Bar in a flash and had filled the required roles in the first hour.” 

The campaign has been so successful Opaque claim their representatives have been barred from entering Sky City Casino in Auckland (reliable sources claim that Sky City gaming machine takings are down 2% since the January when Opaque placed their first batch of employees).  Sky City representatives refused to comment.

“The best thing is we don’t have to pay them!” continued Wills.  “At the end of each day we give them the option of taking their wages in cash, or putting it all on pulling a 9 of hearts to complete a straight flush.  They go for it every time.   Our clients are happy, we are happy and these problem gamblers are happy as well . After all, while they still don’t have any money to show for the days efforts, they haven't lost a cent!”  

Cha-Ching! Fittingly it’s a win-win-win situation for all involved.