The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

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Further Drop in Gaming Machine Numbers


23/01/2007

The number of gaming machines in New Zealand pubs and clubs continued to decline in the last quarter of 2006, according to gambling licensing statistics compiled by the Department of Internal Affairs.

In the three months to December 31, 2006, licence holders declined 1 per cent on the September 06 quarter and by 9.5 per cent over the calendar year. The number of gaming machines over the same 12-month period dropped by 3.9 per cent.

    Licensed gambling operations in pubs and clubs
    Date
    Licence holders
    Venues
    Gaming machines
    31 December 2006
    476
    1666
    20,518
    30 September 2006
    481
    1676
    20,571
    30 June 2006
    496
    1701
    20,739
    31 March 2006
    513
    1721
    21,026
    31 December 2005
    526
    1747
    21,343
    30 September 2005
    535
    1770
    21,684
    30 June 2005
    553
    1801
    21,846
    31 March 2005
    568
    1838
    22,159
    31 December 2004
    584
    1850
    22,231
    31 December 2003
    672
    2031
    22,734
    30 June 20031
    699
    2122
    25,221
    1.Machine numbers peaked in the quarter before the Gambling Act was passed.

    The Department’s Director of Gambling Compliance, Mike Hill, said that this decline was expected but he now anticipates a levelling out of gaming machine numbers with the installation of the Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) being completed by March 18 2007.
    Further information, including numbers of venues and machines by territorial authority and the changes in these numbers, is available from the Department’s website: Gaming Statistics

    Twenty-three regions recorded decreases in machine numbers while 20 registered increases. The most significant decreases were in Wellington (23 machines), Napier (22) and Tasman District (15). Significant increases were registered in Whangarei and Invercargill with 18 each and Auckland 14.

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