Pokies in Waikato: Venues and Gaming Machines
At the end of June 2026, 17 venues in Waikato held licences for 220 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 17 venues and 228 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Waikato, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.
Pokie venues in Waikato
| Venue and address | Type | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Essex Arms 151 Main Street, Huntly, Waikato 3700 | Hotel | 18 |
| Huntly RSA 42 William Street, Huntly 3700 | RSA Club | 9 |
| McGinty’s Huntly 66 Main Street, Huntly, Waikato 3700 | Tavern | 18 |
| Red Fox Tavern 2142 State Highway 2, Maramarua, Pokeno 2471 | Tavern | 12 |
| Mercer Landing 2 Roose Road, Mercer, Franklin 2474 | Hotel | 9 |
| Muddy Waters Irish Pub 36 Riverbank Road, Mercer 2474 | Tavern | 18 |
| Delta Hotel 2 Market Street, Ngaruawahia, Waikato 3720 | Tavern | 18 |
| Ngaruawahia RSA Memorial Club 4 Market Street, Ngaruawahia, Waikato 3720 | RSA Club | 7 |
| Harbour View Hotel 14 Bow Street, Raglan 3225 | Tavern | 16 |
| Raglan Club 22 Bow Street, Raglan 3225 | Commercial Club | 18 |
| Rangiriri Hotel 8 Rangiriri Road, Rangiriri, Waikato 2152 | Hotel | 12 |
| Taupiri Tavern 2 The Crescent, Taupiri 3721 | Hotel | 9 |
| Te Kauwhata Trust Tavern 20 Main Street, Te Kauwhata 3710 | Tavern | 6 |
| Elsie’s Restaurant & Bar 3 George Street, Tuakau, Franklin 1892 | Tavern | 18 |
| The Bull Rider 29 George Street, Tuakau, Franklin 2121 | Tavern | 9 |
| Tuakau Cosmopolitan Club 16 Carr Street, Tuakau 2121 | Cosmopolitan Club | 14 |
| Backyard Gastro Pub 1333 Horotiu Road, Whatawhata, Hamilton 3289 | Tavern | 9 |
Venues by suburb or town: Tuakau (3), Huntly (3), Ngaruawahia (2), Raglan (2), Mercer (2), Whatawhata (1), Rangiriri (1), Maramarua (1), Taupiri (1), Te Kauwhata (1). 6 of the 17 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 4 of the 17 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 Waikato
Players in Waikato lost $2.8 million on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 5.4% on $2.7 million in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $10.9 million (up 3.9% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Waikato accounted for 1.1% of national pokie losses outside casinos.
| Quarter | Gaming machine profits |
|---|---|
| Jul-Sep 2024 | $2.7 million |
| Oct-Dec 2024 | $2.6 million |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | $2.5 million |
| Apr-Jun 2025 | $2.7 million |
| Jul-Sep 2025 | $2.8 million |
| Oct-Dec 2025 | $2.7 million |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | $2.6 million |
| Apr-Jun 2026 | $2.8 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 Waikato the main licence holders are The Lion Foundation 2008 (5), Grassroots Trust Limited (4), Aotearoa Gaming Trust (1).
Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB Waikato list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.
More pokie venues in Waikato
Hamilton (23) · Waipa (14) · Matamata-Piako (10) · Hauraki (9) · Thames-Coromandel (20) · South Waikato (9) · Otorohanga (2) · Waitomo (4) · Taupo (11) · 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.