Pokies in South Waikato: Venues and Gaming Machines
At the end of June 2026, 9 venues in South Waikato held licences for 133 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 8 venues and 124 machines, a net change of 1 more venue. Below is every licensed pokie venue in South Waikato, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.
Pokie venues in South Waikato
| Venue and address | Type | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| The Troff Gaming Sports Bar 79 Princes Street, Putararu 3411 | Tavern | 18 |
| Crown & Anchor 4 Princes Street, Putaruru, Waikato 2371 | Tavern | 9 |
| Hog and Hounds Sports Bar 57-61 Tirau Street, Putaruru, Waikato 2371 | Tavern | 9 |
| Focal Point Sports Bar 42 Mannering Street, Tokoroa, Waikato 3420 | Tavern | 16 |
| H2O Tokoroa 233 Leith Place, Tokoroa 3420 | Tavern | 18 |
| Nexus Restaurant & Bar 44 Bridge Street, Tokoroa, Tokoroa 3420 | Tavern | 9 |
| Scotty’s Sports Bar 204-206 Rosebery Street, Tokoroa, Waikato 3420 | Tavern | 18 |
| Tokoroa Club 38 Chambers Street, Tokoroa 3420 | Commercial Club | 18 |
| Tokoroa Cosmopolitan Club 275 Balmoral Drive, Tokoroa 3420 | Cosmopolitan Club | 18 |
Venues by suburb or town: Tokoroa (6), Putaruru (2), Putararu (1). 5 of the 9 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 2 of the 9 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 South Waikato
Players in South Waikato lost $2.1 million on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 10.6% on $1.9 million in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $7.8 million (up 0.7% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so South Waikato accounted for 0.8% of national pokie losses outside casinos.
| Quarter | Gaming machine profits |
|---|---|
| Jul-Sep 2024 | $2.1 million |
| Oct-Dec 2024 | $2.0 million |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | $1.8 million |
| Apr-Jun 2025 | $1.9 million |
| Jul-Sep 2025 | $2.0 million |
| Oct-Dec 2025 | $2.0 million |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | $1.8 million |
| Apr-Jun 2026 | $2.1 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 South Waikato the main licence holders are Pub Charity Limited (2), We Care Community Trust Limited (2), One Foundation Limited (1).
Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB South Waikato list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.
More pokie venues in Waikato
Hamilton (23) · Waikato (17) · Waipa (14) · Matamata-Piako (10) · Hauraki (9) · Thames-Coromandel (20) · 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.