Residents of New Zealand, also known as Kiwis, spent almost $2.1 billion on the four main forms of gambling—racing, lotteries, casinos, and gambling machines outside casinos—in the 2012/2013 financial year.
The numbers were compiled and released by the country’s Department of Internal Affairs, breaking down the amount of money gamblers bet on the aforementioned forms of gambling.
According to the DIA’s figures, a majority of the $2.1 billion spent by gamblers fell under gambling machines outside casinos at $808 million. That amount accounted for a little close to half of the total expenses, even though the number fell by $18 million compared to the previous year’s tally and was also the lowest amount spent in the past five years.
Coming up second on the list is are casinos, which accounted for $509 a quarter of the total amount spent by Kiwis in the last financial year. Like the numbers posted by gaming machines, the casino’s total fell 2.1% from the previous year when it posted expenses amounting to $520 million.
The drop in gaming machines and casino expenses were offset by the increased betting in TAB racing and sports betting. Thanks to the 2014 World Cup that attracted over 10,000 new customers, the numbers attached to these two bet types increased by 5.6 per cent from $294 million in the previous year to $311 million in the latest.
Likewise, spending on the lottery also increased from $432 million to $463 million, a 7.3% increase that has been closely associated with a steady increase in lottery sales since 2003.
All in all, the $2.1 billion Kiwis spent on gambling in the 2012/13 financial year represented a 0.9% increase from the previous year, showing that gambling in the country is as robust as it’s ever been, even though it still fell 20% short of the country’s record in 2004 when gamblers spent $2.61 billion when adjusted for inflation.