Pokies in Invercargill: Venues and Gaming Machines
At the end of June 2026, 15 venues in Invercargill held licences for 226 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 15 venues and 226 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Invercargill, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.
Pokie venues in Invercargill
| Venue and address | Type | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Ascot Park Motor Hotel 41 Racecourse Road, Ascot, Invercargill 9871 | Tavern | 18 |
| Homestead 67 Avenal Street, Avenal, Invercargill 9810 | Tavern | 18 |
| Golden Age Tavern 86 Gore Street, Bluff 9814 | Tavern | 7 |
| The Eagle 134 Gore Street, Bluff 9814 | Hotel | 8 |
| Glengarry Tavern aka Eastern Suburbs Tavern 61 Glengarry Crescent, Glengarry, Invercargill 9810 | Tavern | 18 |
| Club Southland 115 Leet Street, Invercargill 9810 | Commercial Club | 7 |
| Invercargill Workingmen’s Club 154 Esk Street, Invercargill 9810 | Workingmen’s Club | 24 |
| Kelvin Hotel 2 Kelvin Street, Invercargill 9810 | Tavern | 18 |
| Waxy O’Shea’s 90 Dee Street, Invercargill 9810 | Tavern | 9 |
| Southland Tavern 410 Elles Road, Kew, Invercargill 9812 | Tavern | 18 |
| Newfield Tavern 315 Centre Street, Newfield, Invercargill 9812 | Tavern | 18 |
| Glasine Cafe 257 Elles Road, Strathern, Invercargill 9501 | Restaurant | 18 |
| TAB South Invercargill 261 Elles Road, Strathern, Invercargill 9812 | TAB | 9 |
| Waikiwi Tavern 181 North Road, Waikiwi, Invercargill 9810 | Tavern | 18 |
| Northern Tavern 8 Sydney Street, Windsor, Invercargill 9810 | Tavern | 18 |
Venues by suburb or town: Invercargill (4), Strathern (2), Bluff (2), Ascot (1), Glengarry (1), Avenal (1), Newfield (1), Windsor (1), Kew (1), Waikiwi (1). 10 of the 15 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 2 of the 15 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 Invercargill
Players in Invercargill lost $4.9 million on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 6.3% on $4.6 million in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $18.9 million (up 7.6% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Invercargill accounted for 1.8% of national pokie losses outside casinos.
| Quarter | Gaming machine profits |
|---|---|
| Jul-Sep 2024 | $4.5 million |
| Oct-Dec 2024 | $4.3 million |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | $4.2 million |
| Apr-Jun 2025 | $4.6 million |
| Jul-Sep 2025 | $4.7 million |
| Oct-Dec 2025 | $4.7 million |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | $4.6 million |
| Apr-Jun 2026 | $4.9 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 Invercargill the main licence holders are ILT Foundation (9), Club Southland Incorporated (1), Aotearoa Gaming Trust (1).
Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB Invercargill list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.
More pokie venues in Southland
Southland (13) · Gore (6) · 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.