4 Feb 2014

NZers among world's biggest gamblers

6:52 pm on 4 February 2014

New figures show New Zealanders are the world's fourth-biggest gamblers per capita.

Gaming machines.

Photo: RNZ

The figures come from H2 Gambling Capital, an the international gaming research agency, and have been published in The Economist magazine.

Australia heads the list, followed by Singapore and Finland, then New Zealand.

The statistics show New Zealanders losing $2.2 billion a year, or about $650 per person. This was above gambling losses per capita in the United States.

The Problem Gambling Foundation said the figures were no surprise.