Across Auckland, we are seeing fewer poker machines. As a result, pokie spending is on the decline. Players across the capital are losing less money on gaming machines, and responsible gambling advocates want to take things even further. According to the Department of Internal Affairs, there are now 95 fewer poker machines in the city’s pubs, clubs and hotels. In total, there are now 3964 pokies across Auckland.

Accord the country, there has been a significant decline in poker machines, as the number of games has fallen from 17 670 to 17 266 over the course of the past year. This decline in poker machine numbers is likely to have contributed to players spending less money on the games. According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, players losses dropped from $839.7 million to $811.6 million in 2013.

These statistics help to prove that there is a correlation between the number of pokies in country and the amount of money that patrons lose on the games. Many industry professionals believe that players will continue to gamble even if games are removed from the community, but these statistics prove otherwise.

While there may be other factors at work, the decline in spending seems to directly relate to the fact that there are fewer pokies in New Zealand. This also supports the case for sinking lid policies. Across New Zealand – especially in Auckland – responsible gambling advocates have fought for the government to enforce sinking lid policies, which aim to reduce the number of poker machines over time.

Industry professionals campaigned against the cause, stating that reducing the number of games would not necessarily reduce spending – but the DIA’s statistics certainly support sinking lid policies. It is too soon to tell whether this trend will continue into 2014. However, Online Pokies 4 U will keep you updated.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.