In New Zealand, health experts are concerned that gambling spending will continue to increase over the course of the next few years. Despite politicians’ efforts to reduce the potential harms of gambling, experts believe that Kiwis will continue to spend more money on betting, pokies and the lottery.
The experts believe that lottery spending will increase by 8% from now until 2016. The expansion of the local lottery has encouraged more players to spend more money on tickets for draws as well as instant win games, and that trend will continue in the future. The offer of bigger and better jackpots worth multimillions will also ensure that lottery spending continues to rise.
Casino gambling is another major concern, with the team of researchers expecting spending to increase by 2.3% from now until 2016. There is an increasing number of gambling opportunities for players, especially with the news that SkyCity Auckland will be receiving 230 new poker machines as part of its convention centre deal. This will result in an increase of 8% on the number of pokies in New Zealand casinos, which is expected to lead to a rise in gambling spending as well as problem gambling rates.
