Pokies in Timaru: Venues and Gaming Machines
At the end of June 2026, 12 venues in Timaru held licences for 156 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 12 venues and 159 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Timaru, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.
Pokie venues in Timaru
| Venue and address | Type | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Crown Hotel & Pub 31 Talbot Street, Geraldine 7930 | Hotel | 10 |
| Village Inn 41 Talbot Street, Geraldine, Canterbury 8751 | Tavern | 9 |
| Timaru Town & Country Club 99 Douglas Street, Highfield, Timaru 7910 | Commercial Club | 18 |
| Pleasant Point Hotel 95 Main Road, Pleasant Point 7903 | Hotel | 5 |
| Crown Hotel 64 King Street, Temuka 7920 | Hotel | 15 |
| Empire Hotel 50 King Street, Temuka, Canterbury 7986 | Hotel | 10 |
| Temuka Hotel 141 King Street, Temuka 7920 | Hotel | 14 |
| District Bar & Kitchen 164 Stafford Street, Timaru 7910 | Tavern | 14 |
| Grosvenor Hotel 26 Cains Terrace, Timaru, Timaru 7910 | Hotel | 18 |
| Old Bank Cafe and Bar 232 Stafford Street, Timaru, Timaru 7910 | Hotel | 18 |
| Richard Pearse Tavern 118 Le Cren Street, Timaru, Timaru 7910 | Tavern | 18 |
| Ascot Sportshouse and Eatery 198 Hilton Highway, Washdyke, Canterbury 8602 | Restaurant | 7 |
Venues by suburb or town: Timaru (4), Temuka (3), Geraldine (2), Washdyke (1), Pleasant Point (1), Highfield (1). 4 of the 12 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 1 of the 12 venues is a club (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 Timaru
Players in Timaru lost $2.7 million on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 6.4% on $2.6 million in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $11.0 million (up 2.5% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Timaru accounted for 1.0% of national pokie losses outside casinos.
| Quarter | Gaming machine profits |
|---|---|
| Jul-Sep 2024 | $2.7 million |
| Oct-Dec 2024 | $2.9 million |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | $2.6 million |
| Apr-Jun 2025 | $2.6 million |
| Jul-Sep 2025 | $2.7 million |
| Oct-Dec 2025 | $2.9 million |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | $2.7 million |
| Apr-Jun 2026 | $2.7 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 Timaru the main licence holders are Pub Charity Limited (5), Trust Aoraki Limited (4), New Zealand Community Trust (1).
Looking for somewhere to bet on racing or sport? Our TAB Timaru list has every TAB store, pub TAB and club TAB in the district.
More pokie venues in Canterbury
Christchurch (73) · Selwyn (13) · Waimakariri (11) · Ashburton (11) · Hurunui (8) · Kaikoura (1) · Mackenzie (4) · Waimate (2) · 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.