Gambling statistics

New Zealand Gambling Survey 2023/24

The New Zealand Gambling Survey 2023/24 (NZGS 2023/24) is part of the Gambling Harm research programme. This survey collects data on gambling activities, risks and impact of gambling harm, and help-seeking in the New Zealand adult population (age 15+).

Learn more about the New Zealand Gambling Survey and its findings .

Department of Internal Affairs gambling industry statistics

The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is the mandated regulator for gambling activities in New Zealand. As part of its activities, it collects and publishes a range of data about gambling and gaming from the gambling industry.

Data is collected on a wide range of gambling industry activities. Key statistics include:

time series data about the amount spent on the four main types of gambling activity in New Zealand
various reports on non-casino gaming machine venues, numbers and expenditure by territorial authority/district
tables showing the total number of gaming machines, licensed societies, and venues
reports by suburb about electronic gaming machine proceeds
pie charts showing the total number of gaming machines by society
a line graph showing gaming machine numbers at three-monthly intervals (from June 1994)
tables of summary data such as gaming machine proceeds.

The information is updated at quarterly intervals. The data represents a ‘snapshot’ of the current state of affairs at the time the statistics were collated. Much of the data is available in various formats, including downloadable Excel CSV files. The information can be found on the DIA website

Health and Lifestyles Survey Gambling Module – Incidence and prevalence of gambling harm and behaviour in the total New Zealand population

The Health and Lifestyles Survey (HLS) was conducted every two years and is a nationally representative, face-to-face, in-home survey that facilitates the monitoring of a range of health behaviours and attitudes (including tobacco control, mental health, alcohol use and gambling) of New Zealanders aged 15 years and over. The final survey is HLS 2020.

Gambling and Problem Gambling: Results of the 2011/12 New Zealand Health Survey

Gambling and Problem Gambling: Results of the 2011/12 New Zealand Health Survey (in the Library Catalogue) provides an in-depth quantitative analysis of gambling and problem gambling data from the 2011/12 New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS).

Intervention service data

Health New Zealand collects data on the numbers of clients who received gambling treatment services and who have identified to the service provider a primary problem gambling mode causing them harm. Insights about service utilisation are used to inform operational decision-making.

Published intervention service data is currently available from 2004 to 2023, and represents a snapshot at a point in time for the period reported. The reported statistics are subject to slight variation from time to time as updates are made to data elements in accordance with the data collection and submission rules required of treatment service providers. For further details or more recent data please contact [email protected].

Data is available in downloadable figures and Excel table on:

The data indicates that the levels of service utilisation have remained static in recent years, even though the number of at-risk gamblers in the population has grown due to population growth.

National Gambling Study (2012–15) – Understanding gambling behaviour

The National Gambling Study (NGS) was the first New Zealand population representative longitudinal study into gambling, health, lifestyles, and attitudes about gambling. The NGS started in 2012 with an initial randomly selected national sample of 6,251 people aged 18 years and older living in private households, who were interviewed face-to-face with computer assistance. Participants remaining in the study were re-interviewed in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Because of the unique design of the study, changes in the behaviour of individual gamblers have been studied over time.

Survey questionnaires included questions on leisure activities and gambling participation, past gambling and recent gambling behaviour change, problem gambling, life events, attitudes towards gambling, mental health, substance use/misuse, health conditions, social connectedness, level of deprivation and demographics. The study results complement the information from the Health and Lifestyles Survey and other gambling research.

A suite of research reports from the study have been published by the AUT-Gambling and Addictions Research Centre. The reports include information on:

national-level epidemiological changes in gambling participation in New Zealand
problem gambling in New Zealand
risk and protective factors
groups such as Māori and Pacific peoples who historically have had high rates of problem gambling
attitudes towards gambling
new cases of problem gambling and the factors that influence peoples transitions to and from risky levels of gambling
patterns of changes over time in gambling behaviour (including relapse) and harm, and explanations for the changes.

The published reports and questionnaires can be found on the AUT website.

Related publications

Youth 19 Gambling Brief

The Youth 19 Gambling Brief is an output of the Youth19 Rangatahi Smart Survey (Youth19), which is the latest in the Youth2000 series of health & wellbeing surveys. The brief provides a summary of the key findings on student gambling experiences, weekly spend, and attitudes towards gambling harm prevention.

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