From The New Zealand Herald
Health Ministry problem gambling strategy blames bigger jackpots and says SkyCity deal will add to problems.
New Zealanders are forecast to spend more on Lotto, casinos, racing and sports betting in the next three years.
A three-year problem gambling strategy, released by the Health Ministry yesterday, forecasts that spending on Lotto and other NZ Lotteries games will grow by 8 per cent between last year and 2016.
It says the continuing strong growth is because of bigger jackpots in the past few years.
Racing and sports betting through the Totalisator Agency Board is forecast to grow by 6.6 per cent, largely in sports betting.
Casino spending is forecast to grow by 2.3 per cent, but experts believe the increase will be greater because the forecast was made before last week’s Government agreement to let Auckland’s SkyCity casino increase its gambling facilities and extend its licence for 35 years in return for building a $402 million convention centre.
“When we are seeing an increase in gambling facilities like that, we could see an increase in spending,” said Problem Gambling Foundation marketing manager Andree Froude.
The deal gives the Auckland casino an extra 230 poker machines, an increase of 14 per cent from its existing 1647 machines and an increase of 8 per cent on the 2800 pokies in New Zealand’s six casinos.
The Auckland casino also gets an extra 40 gaming tables, a 36 per cent rise on its current 110 tables, and up to an extra 240 table game player stations, six times its existing 40.
