Fewer Kiwis punting, but those who do spend more
The number of New Zealanders who gamble at least once a week has dropped by almost half since 1999, according to new research from Auckland University of Technology. About 22 percent of Kiwis gamble weekly, the study reported, compared to 40 percent in 1999 and 48 percent in 1991, 3News New Zealand reported.
Lead researcher Max Abbott said there has been a big drop in the number of people patronizing casino table games, pokies and track betting. The number was 6 percent in 2012, when the research was completed, down from 18 percent in 1991 and 10 percent in 1999.
The AUT study is the largest gambling survey undertaken in New Zealand in 15 years. More than 6,250 people were polled. And though the number of total gamblers is down, the amount gamblers spend is up, the report noted.
Gambling is “disproportionately popular among Maori and Pacific people, the unemployed and those with no formal education,” News3 reported.
“This means that while there have been significant reductions in gambling involvement since the 1990s, a number of groups remain at risk and the overall levels of harm may not have changed appreciably,” said Abbott.
