Operational Update: DIA not publishing venue level data in August 2021

17 August 2021

The below Operational Update was released by the Department of Internal Affairs on  Tuesday 17 August, 2021.

Venue-level Gaming Machine Profits (GMP) will not be published with the quarterly GMP Data on 24 August 2021

Tēnā koutou

The Department of Internal Affairs is committed to delivering community wellbeing through reducing gambling-related harms. The release of venue level gaming machine profits aligns with our focus to ensure data is available to ensure effective decision-making across the gambling system.

In June 2021, we signalled that we intended to release venue-level GMP data on 24 August 2021, along with the release of the April-June 2021 quarterly GMP data.

After this announcement was made, we have been disappointed to learn that roughly only a third of pokies venues currently deploy professional cash handling services.  This requires a more focused view on risk, with health and safety of staff being a priority at every point of the gambling operation.

While we continue to work through deploying a safe option for the release of this venue level data, we will not be releasing venue-level GMP data.

Next steps

The standard GMP release (to TLA level) will go ahead on 24 August 2021.

There is an identified safe option for the release of venue-level data that will address our concerns about the safety of sector workers, while still meeting our objective of making data available for effective decision-making across the gambling system.

Our intention is to discuss our preferred option with representatives of the sector.

We will continue to keep the sector well-informed before we make any changes.   

Ngā mihi

Dave Robson

Director, Gambling