SOURCE: PGFNZ

Lotto is gambling. There’s no other word for it.

Four out of every five adult New Zealanders gamble, and one in five gamble weekly or more, according to the Problem Gambling Foundation. Lotto, raffles, and Instant Kiwi are the most common forms, with Lotto played by over half of adult Kiwis at least once a year

Lotto is exposed to more people than other forms of gambling – I mean, you don’t see adverts for casinos and pokies come on during the six o’clock news, do you? Lotto isn’t like the poker slot machines you see crammed into dark corners of pubs, lit with only neon. Lotto isn’t like the casinos in our main centres, restricted to people who are nicely dressed and aged over 20. There is no age limit for playing Lotto, Bullseye, Keno or Play 3. Instant Kiwi is restricted to people aged 18 years or over, and is currently only available from Lotto New Zealand retail stores. You’ll find Lotto at the same places you get your bread and milk. There are a myriad of variations on Lotto – people can buy Powerball, Big Wednesday and more. Multi-millionaires are created every week – although mostly it’s millions of people losing money each week.

The government has put many restrictions on advertisements for gaming machines, yet Lotto is often in your face, getting you excited about winning $9m. Lotto emphasises how much it does for the community. For example, up north this year, the Lottery Grants Board donated to Girls Brigade, schools, cancer hospices etc to name but a few (you can read an extensive list describing the millions of dollars in grants here.) However, what’s going on at the same time is a net economic loss from pokies in particular. Just ask our district health board, which is concerned about the effect of gambling on wellness.   

In Whangarei, our council has a sinking lid philosophy on gaming machines.  That’s because Lotto may have gone too far. I’m not saying that the money from Lotto isn’t helping our community out – but look at how much Northlanders waste on Lotto and other forms of gambling.  We are just shy of being the country’s poorest region per capita, yet more money comes from Northland per head of population than it does in other regions. We are a deprived region, and pokies are more likely to be found in the more deprived areas of New Zealand, the Problem Gambling Foundation has found. Each pokie takes an average of $47,500 per year from the pockets of those who can least afford it. Is Lotto – which is easier to access –  any better?

Are we too lax on Lotto? Let’s get the discussion going.

Please contact Nga Manga Puriri / Northland Gambling Support Services if you’re concerned about gambling.