MEDIA RELEASE 5 February 2013

Further drop in pokie numbers and spending

Figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs show that in the year ended 31 December 2012 the number of gaming machines in the country’s 1381 pubs and clubs decreased by 463 or just over 2.5 per cent from 18,133 to 17,670. There were 29 fewer gaming machine venues compared with a year earlier.

Gaming machine expenditure in the same period declined by 3.1 per cent or $27.1 million from $866.8 million to $839.7 million. Expenditure of $214.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $5.8 million less or 2.6 per cent on the same period of 2011 but $1.7 million or 0.8 per cent up on the third quarter of 2012.

The spending is captured through the Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) of non-casino gaming machines, which became fully operational in March 2007, enabling the Department to track and monitor operations, ensure the integrity of games and the accurate accounting of money.

Non-casino GM spending by Society Type – Oct - Dec 2012

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.

ENDS

(Background statistics follow)

Background information:

Non-casino GM spending in quarter ended

Ends

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Arguably Reassuring: Inspector-General Finds GCSB "Arguably" Legal

Of the 88 individuals:

• 15 cases involving 22 individuals did not have any information intercepted by GCSB.

• another four cases involving five individuals were the subjects of a New Zealand Security Intelligence Service warrant and the GCSB assisted in the execution of the warrants. The Inspector-General is of the view that there were arguably no breaches and the law is unclear.

• the Bureau only provided technical assistance which did not involve interception of communications, involving three of the individuals, so no breach occurred.

• the remaining cases involved the collection of metadata, and the Inspector-General formed the view that there had arguably been no breach, noting once again that the law is unclear.
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