Pokies in New Zealand: Geography, Trends, and Impact

BetPokies NZ's latest publications highlight the impact of pokies on people's lives in New Zealand. Being one of the first New Zealand sites to focus on reviews and responsible gambling, BetPokies NZ focuses on the complexity of gambling as recreation and provides expert advice to clients.   

Gambling Map  

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), which reviews the gambling system every three months, has shown that the distribution of pokie machines is uneven throughout New Zealand, which explains why some areas have higher play rates than others. There are approximately 14,000 registered pokie machines in New Zealand. Along with the population, Auckland and Christchurch have shown the most gambling activity. For example, PGF Services reported pokies in Auckland lost gamblers $298 million from March 2021 to March 2022. There were 3,000 machines across 210 venues.

This article, which was written with the help of BetPokies NZ’s gambling experts, analyses how pokies affect the everyday lives of people in New Zealand. BetPokies NZ is a site that highlights responsible gambling reviews, and for this reason, primarily, New Zealanders seek the site for balanced insights and expert recommendations aimed at players trying to understand the social and recreational implications of the gambling activity. To quote the entrepreneur and director of BetPokies NZ, John Gold:

"The more concentration of pokies in certain areas will mean people will gamble more in those areas, which will impact those communities and the overall gambling environment in that region."

Trends In The Industry

While pokie machines have always been a staple of New Zealand gambling, the rise of digital gambling has shifted the gambling population away from pokies. In 2003, according to gamblinglaw.co.nz, there were approximately 25,000 gambling machines, and by 2024, that number had fallen to 14,000. This decline can also be attributed to additional local authority control, a decreased number of venues, and adverse community sentiment about gambling.  

Research has also been conducted to quantify the gambling harm in New Zealand, and in 2021, “problem gamblers” were reported to be around 8,000 adults, equaling about 0.2% of the population and about 69,000 adults,1.8% of the population, are at risk of becoming a “problem gambler”. Even more concerning, there are a large number of these individuals identifying pokies as the primary source of their gambling harm and addiction.

Future Considerations: Regulation, Responsibility, and Opportunity

At BetPokies NZ, responsibility goes both ways: assisting players with casino reviews and guides, and fostering a thoughtful appreciation of the broader pokies ecosystem. As John Gold rightly notes:  

“Regulating the return-to-community and harm minimisation frameworks integrated within the pokies ecosystem will allow us to guide players to safe and reputable places and understand the machines and the community within which they operate."  

With the trends and community impact articulated, BetPokies NZ firmly indicates that the implementation of effective regulations will be the next step in the evolution of the industry. While framework policies around machine caps, ‘sinking lid’ policies, and venue zoning help to advance maturity in the pokies sector, the focus pillars for a balanced and sustainable future are:  

• Coordination and alignment of policy East and West, local and national,  

• Advocacy for responsible gambling frameworks,  

• Increased community dispositional feedback,  

• Funding and reporting, and the transparency of accountability,  

• Council, business, and regulator participation.

BetPokies NZ Features Local Casinos in New Zealand  

BetPokies NZ provides patrons with the opportunity to access online casinos in New Zealand and digital pokies. In conjunction with these, BetPokies NZ provides access to Local Casinos pages, which spotlight licensed gambling establishments in New Zealand. Authors provide a gambling landscape which encompasses the metropolitan areas of Auckland and Wellington and the smaller regions of Dunedin, Hamilton and Christchurch.  

The aim of these articles is to provide an understanding of the diverse set of legislations that govern the locations and operational functions of the establishments. This understanding provides a basis to highlight differences in local attitudes, gambling laws and the regions. The intent is not to advocate for these establishments, but to highlight varying legislation within the country.  

By incorporating regional insights and legislative reports alongside gambling impact studies and professional reviews, BetPokies NZ illustrates harmonised regulatory practices that govern geographically dispersed land-based casinos and online gambling. This is important within BetPokies NZ’s larger operational context of providing New Zealand gambling insights, which are online, offline, and evidence-based.

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