Pokies in Ashburton: Venues and Gaming Machines
At the end of June 2026, 11 venues in Ashburton held licences for 130 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 11 venues and 131 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Ashburton, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.
Pokie venues in Ashburton
| Venue and address | Type | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Ashburton 11 Racecourse Road, Allenton, Ashburton 7700 | Hotel | 18 |
| The Phat Duck Brew Bar and Kitchen 360 West Street, Allenton, Ashburton 7700 | Restaurant | 7 |
| Ashburton Club & Mutual School of Arts 231 Burnett Street, Ashburton 7700 | Commercial Club | 18 |
| Ashburton RSA 14 Cox Street, Ashburton 7700 | RSA Club | 14 |
| Devon Tavern 116-118 Victoria Street, Ashburton, Canterbury 7700 | Tavern | 18 |
| Hinds Tavern 99 Peters Street, Hinds, Ashburton 7773 | Tavern | 3 |
| The Blue Pub 2 Barkers Road, Methven, Methven 7730 | Tavern | 11 |
| The Brown Pub 137 Main Street, Methven, Methven 7730 | Tavern | 9 |
| Railway Rakaia Tavern Railway Terrace, Rakaia, Canterbury 8355 | Tavern | 7 |
| South Rakaia Hotel 41 Railway Terrace East, Rakaia, Canterbury 8355 | Tavern | 7 |
| Tinwald Tavern 103-107 Archibald Street, Tinwald, Ashburton, Canterbury 7700 | Tavern | 18 |
Venues by suburb or town: Ashburton (3), Allenton (2), Rakaia (2), Methven (2), Hinds (1), Tinwald (1). 4 of the 11 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 2 of the 11 venues are clubs (RSA, sports, cosmopolitan or similar); the rest are pubs, hotels, TAB venues and other commercial premises. The Gambling Act 2003 caps a pub or club at 18 machines, and venues first licensed after 17 October 2001 at 9 unless the Minister approved more.
How much players lose on pokies in Ashburton
Players in Ashburton lost $1.9 million on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 5.3% on $1.8 million in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $7.2 million (up 1.6% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Ashburton accounted for 0.7% of national pokie losses outside casinos.
| Quarter | Gaming machine profits |
|---|---|
| Jul-Sep 2024 | $1.8 million |
| Oct-Dec 2024 | $1.8 million |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | $1.7 million |
| Apr-Jun 2025 | $1.8 million |
| Jul-Sep 2025 | $1.8 million |
| Oct-Dec 2025 | $1.8 million |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | $1.8 million |
| Apr-Jun 2026 | $1.9 million |
Who runs the machines and where the money goes
Pokies in pubs and clubs are class 4 gambling. Only a corporate society, such as a community trust or a club, can hold the licence, and the profit after tax and costs must go to authorised purposes such as community grants. In Ashburton the main licence holders are The Lion Foundation 2008 (5), Pub Charity Limited (2), Ashburton Club & Mutual School of Arts Inc (1).
Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB Ashburton list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.
More pokie venues in Canterbury
Christchurch (73) · Selwyn (13) · Waimakariri (11) · Timaru (12) · Hurunui (8) · Kaikoura (1) · Mackenzie (4) · Waimate (2) · All of New Zealand
Before you play
If gambling is costing more than you planned, the Gambling Helpline is free and open 24/7 on 0800 654 655 or by free text to 8006. Under section 310 of the Gambling Act 2003 a venue manager must, when you ask, issue an exclusion order that bars you from the gambling area of that venue for up to 2 years. More options are on our gambling help page.
Prefer to play from home? Our online pokies guide explains how online pokies differ from pub machines, and our gambling law page covers what is legal in New Zealand.
Source: Department of Internal Affairs, Quarterly List of Venues and Gaming Machines (June 2026) and Class 4 Gambling Expenditure by Quarter and District, published on data.govt.nz. Gaming machine profits (GMP) are the amounts players put into the machines minus the prizes paid out, before tax and grants. Opening hours are not part of the DIA data; check with the venue.