The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation



 

Annual pokie spend continues down


20 July 2010


For the third year running gaming machine expenditure in the country’s 1455 pubs and clubs has dropped, according to figures from the Department of Internal Affairs. In the year ended 30 June 2010 expenditure fell 4.5 per cent from $889 million at 30 June 2009 to $849.2 million at 30 June 2010. Since June 2007 expenditure has fallen by over 10 per cent.

But the second quarter of this year was higher than the first with spending up 5 per cent or almost $10 million to $209.8 million in the three months to 30 June from $199.9 million in the March ‘10 quarter. It was similar story last year when the second quarter showed a 4 per cent increase in expenditure on the first.

There were fewer licence holders, gambling venues and gaming machines at the end of the June year. Licence holders dropped 4 per cent from 384 to 370, venues dropped 3 per cent from 1501 to 1455 and gaming machines were also 3 per cent down from 19,479 to 18,944.

The Department tracks and monitors non-casino gaming machine operations and captures spending through electronic monitoring (EMS), ensuring the integrity of games and the accurate accounting of money. EMS became fully operational in March 2007.
Non-casino GM spending by Society Type – April-June 2010
Society Type
Total GMP Quarter
% of Total
Non-Club
$180,997,910.63
86.3%
Sports Clubs
$ 4,244,655.33
2.0%
Chartered Clubs
$ 16,368,279.06
7.8%
RSAs
$ 8,206,086.57
3.9%
Total Club
$ 28,819,020.96
13.7%
Total All
$209,816,931.59
100.0%


Non-casino GM spending in quarter ended
30 June 2010$209.8 m
31 March 2010$199.9 m
31 December 2009$218.8 m
30 September 2009$220.7 m
30 June 2009$217.3 m
31 March 2009$208.7 m
31 December 2008$230.7 m
30 September 2008$232.3 m
30 June 2008$231 m
31 March 2008$218.5 m
31 December 2007$245.3 m
30 September 2007$243.5 m
30 June 2007$237.7 m
Licensed gambling operations in pubs and clubs
Date
Licence holders
Venues
Gaming machines
30 June 2010
370
1455
18,944
31 March 2010
374
1470
19,115
31 Dec 2009
378
1491
19,359
30 Sept 2009
377
1486
19,296
30 June 2009
384
1501
19,479
31 March 2009
394
1527
19,739
31 Dec 2008
399
1537
19,879
30 Sept 2008
405
1551
20,025
30 June 2008
415
1552
19,856
31 March 2008
421
1569
20,018
31 Dec 2007
428
1585
20,182
30 Sept 2007
435
1593
20,163
30 June 2007
439
1598
20,120


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
Media contact:
Trevor Henry, communications adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 0275 843 679