Gaming machine expenditure spend lifts

Gaming machine expenditure in the country’s 1400 pubs and clubs has staged a small recovery in the first three months of 2011 compared with the same time last year. This is the first time since 2008 that the first quarter spend ($205.1 million) has been up on the previous year’s first quarter ($199.9 million), according to figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Spending usually drops over the summer months and this year was no exception with the take 5 per cent down – from $215.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 to $205.1 million at 31 March 2011.

Nationwide there were fewer operators, venues and gaming machines compared with a year earlier – 365 operators (374 at 31 March 2010), 1430 venues (1470) and 18,484 gaming machines (19,115).

The Canterbury earthquake on 22 February affected about a quarter of Christchurch’s pub gaming machine venues. Expenditure in the city for the first three months of 2011 was $19 million – $1.2 million less than for the last quarter of 2010 but $600,000 more than a year earlier.

Internal Affairs’ Acting General Manager for Regulatory and Compliance Operations, Mike Hill, said gambling increased significantly in many Christchurch venues not affected by the earthquake. It reflects similar trends across the hospitality industry in Christchurch.

“There are likely to be many reasons for this including the closure of the Christchurch Casino. Some patrons may be particularly vulnerable in the post-earthquake environment and the Department asks gaming machine societies to remind venues of their host responsibility obligations and to be proactive over any changes in gambling behaviour.”

Gaming machine spending in pubs and clubs is monitored electronically, enabling the Department to track and monitor non-casino operations, ensure the integrity of games and the accurate accounting of money. The electronic monitoring system (EMS) became fully operational in March 2007.

Non-casino GM spending by Society Type – January to March 2011
Society Type Total GMP Quarter % of Total
Non-Club 177,574,763.53 86.6%
Sports Clubs 3,936,725.80 1.9%
Chartered Clubs 15,974,027.69 7.8%
RSAs 7,629,224.89 3.7%
Total Club 27,539,978.38 13.4%
Total All 205,114,741.91 100.0%

Non-casino GM spending in quarter ended
31 March 2011 $205.1 m
31 December 2010 $215.8 m
30 September 2010 $215.2 m
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
31 March 2011 365 1430 18,484
31 Dec 2010 367 1443 18,681
30 Sept 2010 369 1438 18,601
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. The figures are based on territorial authority boundaries that existed prior to the new Auckland super city.