Pokies in Gore: Venues and Gaming Machines

At the end of June 2026, 6 venues in Gore held licences for 79 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 6 venues and 79 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Gore, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.

Pokie venues in Gore

Venue and addressTypeMachines
Croydon Lodge
100 Waimea Street, Croydon, Gore 9776
Hotel6
Gore District Memorial RSA Inc
12 Bowler Avenue, Gore 9710
RSA Club18
Gore Town & Country Club
2 Bury Street, Gore 9710
Commercial Club18
Traffers Inn
18 Hokonui Drive, Gore, Southland 9700
Tavern18
Falls Hotel
1 Main Street, Mataura 9712
Hotel12
The Mataura RSA
49 River Street, Mataura 9712
RSA Club7

Venues by suburb or town: Gore (3), Mataura (2), Croydon (1). 3 of the 6 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 3 of the 6 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 Gore

Players in Gore lost $976,965 on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, down 0.3% on $980,329 in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $3.7 million (down 1.4% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Gore accounted for 0.4% of national pokie losses outside casinos.

QuarterGaming machine profits
Jul-Sep 2024$879,145
Oct-Dec 2024$913,448
Jan-Mar 2025$1.0 million
Apr-Jun 2025$980,329
Jul-Sep 2025$955,333
Oct-Dec 2025$883,378
Jan-Mar 2026$907,989
Apr-Jun 2026$976,965

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 Gore the main licence holders are The Trusts Community Foundation Limited (3), Gore District Memorial R S A Incorporated (1), Gore Town & Country Club Inc (1).

Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB Gore list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.

More pokie venues in Southland

Invercargill (15) · Southland (13) · 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.

Gambling Responsibility

Gambling is meant to be a form of entertainment—not a way to make money. Always play responsibly: set personal limits, stick to your budget, and avoid chasing losses. If you're in New Zealand and need assistance, free and confidential support is available 24/7 from Gambling Helpline NZ at 0800 654 655 or gamblinghelpline.co.nz.

Spintown.nz editorial desk

Published by Spintown.nz. Our editorial method explains the document checks and their limits. Send factual corrections through our contact page.