Pokies in Southland: Venues and Gaming Machines
At the end of June 2026, 13 venues in Southland held licences for 90 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 13 venues and 85 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Southland, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.
Pokie venues in Southland
| Venue and address | Type | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Tokanui Tavern Tokanui Tavern,, 18 McEwan Street, Tokanui 9884 | Tavern | 2 |
| Pioneer Tavern 14 Ferry Road, Edendale, Southland 9690 | Tavern | 3 |
| Otautau Hotel 167 Main Street, Otautau, Southland 9653 | Hotel | 9 |
| Riversdale Hotel 74 Newcastle Street, Riversdale, Gore 9776 | Hotel | 4 |
| Carriers Arms Hotel 96 Palmerston Street, Riverton, Southland 9822 | Hotel | 9 |
| Moose Tavern 84 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau 9600 | Tavern | 11 |
| Ranch Cafe and Bar 111 Town Centre, Te Anau 9600 | Restaurant | 9 |
| Te Anau Club 7 Pop Andrew Drive, Te Anau 9600 | Commercial Club | 10 |
| Waiau Town & Country Club 41 King Street, Tuatapere, Southland 9620 | Commercial Club | 4 |
| Wallacetown Tavern 94 Dalry Street, Wallacetown, Southland 9502 | Tavern | 9 |
| Middle Pub 232 Great North Road, Winton 9720 | Hotel | 6 |
| Winton Commercial Hotel 327 Great North Road, Winton 9720 | Hotel | 9 |
| Three Rivers Hotel 17 Redan Street, Wyndham, Southland 9690 | Hotel | 5 |
Venues by suburb or town: Te Anau (3), Winton (2), Riverton (1), Otautau (1), Edendale (1), Riversdale (1), Wyndham (1), 18 McEwan Street (1), Tuatapere (1), Wallacetown (1). The largest is Moose Tavern with 11 machines. 2 of the 13 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 Southland
Players in Southland lost $999,031 on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 12.2% on $890,386 in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $3.8 million (up 5.9% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Southland accounted for 0.4% of national pokie losses outside casinos.
| Quarter | Gaming machine profits |
|---|---|
| Jul-Sep 2024 | $856,442 |
| Oct-Dec 2024 | $937,911 |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | $913,167 |
| Apr-Jun 2025 | $890,386 |
| Jul-Sep 2025 | $903,633 |
| Oct-Dec 2025 | $930,199 |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | $976,448 |
| Apr-Jun 2026 | $999,031 |
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 Southland the main licence holders are Aotearoa Gaming Trust (6), The Trusts Community Foundation Limited (3), Bluesky Community Trust Limited (1).
Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB Southland list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.
More pokie venues in Southland
Invercargill (15) · 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.