Gamdom Casino - Canterbury

Whether you live in Christchurch, Timaru or Ashburton, the Gamdom lobby is the same: pokies, live tables and jackpot titles in one place.

Studios in the Gamdom lobby

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This is the one place where Canterbury genuinely differs from the rest of New Zealand. Under the Gambling Act 2003 every council with Class 4 venues must have a policy on where pokie venues may operate and how many machines they may hold. A council cannot close a venue or confiscate machines. It can only say yes or no to new venues, extra machines and relocations.

Swipe to see all columns

A sinking lid means no new consents, so machine numbers can only fall. A cap sets a fixed maximum and lets operators fill it. The machine column is the DIA count for September 2024, and the status column shows the date of the policy text I could read, not a promise that nothing has happened since.

Christchurch City

The combined Gambling and TAB Venues Policy was adopted on 9 September 2021. It refuses consent for any increase in Class 4 venues or machine numbers, with one exception: corporate societies may merge, and the merged venue can hold up to 18 machines. Stand-alone TAB venues are allowed if the district plan is met. The council rolled the policy over in October 2024 with a promise to consult in 2026. A community check-in ran from 13 May to 14 June 2026, a workshop followed on 11 August, and the council decision was scheduled for 2 September 2026. What the council decided is not published on its page, so treat the current wording as "sinking-lid style, under review" until it is.

Selwyn

The council's 2022 review recorded 122 machines at 13 venues, none in residential areas and no stand-alone TAB venue. The draft kept a maximum of 124 machines, and an existing machine may move to a new venue as long as the machine count stays the same. A search summary suggests a further review on 26 June 2025 left the policy unchanged, but I could not find the source page, so that part is unverified.

Waimakariri

The Class 4 policy was reviewed and adopted on 4 October 2022. Its limit is one machine per 260 people aged 18 or over, which ties the cap to population rather than to a fixed number, and it added a relocation provision. The TAB Venue Policy was adopted the same day, and the council notes no stand-alone TAB application in ten years. A three-yearly review would have fallen due in October 2025, but I could not confirm that it happened.

Ashburton

The newest policy in the region is the Gambling Venue Policy adopted on 17 December 2025, with the next review set for 17 December 2028. New Class 4 venues are allowed in a Business Zone, in areas of NZDep decile 7 or lower, with a maximum of 5 machines each, and the district is capped at 20 venue licences. Older venues keep their allowance: up to 18 machines for those licensed before 2001 and 9 for those from 2001 to 2004. Stand-alone TAB venues are not permitted. Relocation is allowed on set grounds, such as staying in the same town and the old venue stopping.

Timaru

The archived Gambling Venue Policy dates from 6 December 2022. It lets a new venue hold up to 7 machines, lets existing venues below 7 rise to 7, and sets 200 m and 100 m location buffers in Timaru township. There is no sinking lid. A 2026 review proposes lifting the limit from 7 to 9 machines per venue and updating zone references. Consultation closed at midday on Monday 7 September 2026, and I could not find the final adoption.

Searches for gambling tax Canterbury usually come from one worry: whether a win has to be declared. The short version is that there is no Canterbury tax at all. Duties and levies are national, and they sit mostly on operators and suppliers, not on the person at the machine or the keyboard.

• "Every win is taxable income."

  IRD says winnings from a raffle, Lotto or a draw are not taxable, and TAB prize money is not taxable either. Winnings from gambling are on IRD's list of payments you do not report.

• "Players pay the gambling duty."

  Gaming machine duty is 20 per cent of gaming machine profits, plus a problem gambling levy. It is charged on profits, not on a player's winnings.

• "Remote gambling is taxed in the player's return."

  Since 1 July 2024 a 12 per cent duty applies to the profits of GST-registered suppliers located outside New Zealand who sell remote gambling to New Zealand residents. It is paid by the supplier; players do not pay it.

• "A win can never matter to the tax office."

  Prize money earned as part of a taxable activity is taxable, and Work and Income asks you to report one-off winnings if they may affect an income-tested payment.

One more caution on the figures. This page is general information and not tax advice. If a win is large or unusual, ask IRD or an accountant before you assume anything. Whatever you play, the stake and the account currency matter more than any tax: the deposit guide explains why a Gamdom balance is in US dollars.

Most of the movement was either at the councils or in Wellington. These are the dated items that matter to a Canterbury reader, newest last.

1. 17 Dec 2025

   Ashburton adopts its Gambling Venue Policy: a cap of 20 venue licences, up to 5 machines at a new venue, review due in December 2028.

2. 1 May 2026

   The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 comes into force. The DIA is the regulator and the licensing regime is not expected to be fully operational until 2027.

3. 13 May to 14 Jun 2026

   Christchurch City runs a community check-in on its Gambling and TAB Venues Policy.

4. 3 Jul 2026

   Regulations under the new Act are released.

5. 2 Sep 2026

   Christchurch council decision due on whether to amend or roll over its policy. The outcome is not published on the council page.

6. 7 Sep 2026

   Timaru's consultation on raising its limit from 7 to 9 machines per venue closes.

7. 13 Sep 2026

   Lotto NZ moves Powerball from 10 to 14 Powerballs, with the first draw under the new rules on Wednesday 16 September. See the lottery page.

8. 1 Dec 2026

   Under the new Act, online casino providers that have not applied for a licence must stop operating in New Zealand. The DIA plans up to 15 licences, each for a single brand, with the regime in place in 2027.

The law above is described as law, not as advice about any one site. On 29 September 2026 the DIA held an auction step in the licensing process and does not publish bidders or results, so there is nothing to report on who took part. Licence applications opened in October 2026.