January 25 2017
A sharp rise in spending on pokies despite falling machine numbers has prompted calls for an investigation into whether there is a link to money laundering. Figures from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) show that $223.6 million was spent in non-casino gaming machines across New Zealand in the final three months of 2016, the largest quarterly spend since the end of 2008.
But the spending comes despite New Zealand’s long standing “sinking lid” policy, which has seen the number of gaming machines fall by more than 11 per cent since 2011.