Gambling continues to grow in New Zealand
According to the Department of Internal Affairs, Kiwis spent €1.4 billion during 2017-18, €29 million more than the previous period.
New Zealand.- The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) of New Zealand revealed that money spent on the four main gambling areas during 2017-18 grew €29 million year-on-year to €1.4 billion.
The body revealed that spending on pokies grew 2.9%, while spending at the TAB rose 3.6%. Meanwhile, both lotteries and casinos rose as well, with each segment growing 1.1%.
Nonetheless, after adjusting for inflation and population growth, money spent on average per person was down from €388 to €380.
“Betting turnover increased due to a combination of strong acquisition through numerous successful marketing campaigns such as the Spring Racing Carnival, and FIFA World Cup, and significant growth in digital channels via product and feature enhancements to the TAB website and mobile app,” the DIA said.
Despite the news, problem Gambling Foundation spokeswoman Andree Froude took a shot at the gambling segment.
“We don’t think it’s accurate to look at it per head of population, because a lot of people don’t actually even gamble,” she said and added: “Apart from the ethics of using money from gambling to fund communities – it’s a real concern that we are looking at gambling to fund communities when we know that it causes harm – 31.4% is actually not a very good return.”
