A dramatic drop in poker machine spending in Northland last year has been offset by an increase in internet gambling.
The rise has led to addiction workers calling for more restrictions to curb punting on the net.
Online gambling is a new addiction for Northlanders, helping to reduce regional spending on poker machines by $8 million in 2011, almost a quarter less than in 2010.
Internal Affairs figures show $32 million was poured into Northland pokies in 2010, but a 24 per cent fall last year trimmed the amount spent on the addictive machines to $24.3 million.
The number of gaming machines also dropped from 758 in June 2010 to 745 at the end of January.
In the three months to the end of December 2011, Northlanders put $8,065,372 into poker machines across the district, or about $90,000 daily. There are no figures on how many Northlanders gamble in Auckland or elsewhere.
However, a Problem Gambling Foundation counsellor in Whangarei, Diane Matthews, said online gambling was becoming more popular in the region.
"People are getting a bit bored [with gaming machines]. internet gambling is way more accessible, but the sad thing about that is all money goes overseas," she said.
Ms Matthews called for restrictions on online gaming because it could be as damaging as playing poker machines.
She blamed the recession for the drop in gaming machine spending in the region last year, attributing some of the reduction to Northland having fewer poker machines.
"At the start of recession people usually gamble more, but as time goes by they gamble less. The number of people gambling is also directly related to the number of machines," Ms Matthews said.
Since 2003 local councils had some say on how many gaming machines should be located in their districts, a move the Whangarei District Council and Kaipara District Council supported.
The Far North District Council, she said, had a sinking lid policy, arguing in the past that the number of gaming machines or venues would be reduced only when the national average was reached.
Internal Affairs spokesman Trevor Henry said the department did not monitor online gambling.
"The law says it's not illegal to gamble over the internet, but it's illegal to advertise or promote online gambling," Mr Henry said.
A department survey in 2005/06, the most recent research available, showed fewer than 1 per cent of respondents gambled online.
Pokies
- Pokie machine venues, numbers and losses by district October-December 2011.
- Whangarei: 24 venues, 322 machines (1.70 per cent of national total), $3.705 million lost (1.68 per cent of national total).
- Far North: 29 venues, 354 machines (2.06 per cent of national total), $3.701 million lost (1.68 per cent of national total).
- Kaipara: 10 venues, 69 machines (0.71 per cent of national total), $658,173 lost (0.3 per cent of national total).
- Source: Internal Affairs
- Where to go for help: Problem Gambling Foundation: 0800 664 262 or email help@pgfnz.org.nz; Nga Manga Puriri: (09) 437 0167 or email: tatou@ngamangapuriri.org.nz