The Australian – New Zealand’s opposition Labour Party is calling for tighter controls for online casino pokies following a survey that shows Kiwis are the world’s fourth biggest gamblers per capita.
Internal affairs spokesman Trevor Mallard says the government’s deal with SkyCity for a convention centre in exchange for more pokies in its casino will make the situation even worse.
“It’s a disgrace that New Zealand is number four in the world for gambling, according to the analysis in The Economist,” he said on Tuesday.
“We need tighter rules and greater controls on pokies.”
The survey by UK consultancy H2 Gambling Capital puts New Zealand gambling losses at about $US500 ($A573) per resident.
Australia has the biggest gambling losses on a per capita basis, at over $US1000 ($A1,146), with Singapore and Finland second and third respectively.
