Pokie expenditure drops in calendar year 2013

20 February 2014

Gaming machine expenditure in pubs and clubs in the year ended December 2013 dropped 3.4 per cent from $839.7 m to $811.5 m, according to figures from the Department of Internal Affairs. There were also fewer licence holders, gambling venues and gaming machines compared with 12 months earlier.

But between the third and fourth quarters of 2013 spending rose $684,455, from $206 million at the end of September to $206.7 million at 31 December 2013.

Non-casino GM spending by Society Type – October- December 2013

Society Type	Total GMP Quarter	% of Total
Non-Club	179,627,073.40	86.9%
Sports Clubs	4,161,434.12	2.0%
Chartered Clubs	16,117,635.26	8.2%
RSAs	6,827,941.42	3.3%
Total Club	27,107,010.80	13.1%
Total All	206,734,084.20	100.0%

The spending is captured through the electronic monitoring of non-casino gaming machines (EMS), which became fully operational in March 2007, enabling the Department to track and monitor operations, ensure the integrity of games and the accurate accounting of money. Licence holders in the fourth quarter of 2013 fell from 347 to 338, venues declined from 1343 to 1335 and the number of gaming machines decreased from 17,320 to 17,266.

Further information, including numbers of venues, machines and expenditure by territorial authority and changes in the quarter, is available from the Department’s Gaming Statistics web page at: www.dia.govt.nz. The figures are based on territorial authority boundaries, including the Auckland super city.

Media contact:
Trevor Henry, Senior Communications Adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 021 245 8642