Pokie machines have long been part of New Zealand’s social fabric.
There are over 15,000 of them scattered around the country, making almost $1 billion in the last financial year.
But even though $300 million of that amount was returned to the community through various charities, the gaming industry still takes a social toll.
Around 50 per cent of people who seek help about their gambling do so because of pokies in pubs and clubs. Adding casino pokies takes this figure to 60 per cent.
And there are five times as many pokies in the most deprived areas of New Zealand.
Tokoroa man Colin Bridle is an anti-pokie activist - going into venues to see if they are operating within the law.
In doing so however, he has recently been banned from a bar before it even opened – because he objected to their alcohol licence.
"It’s sad because the town (Tokoroa) is awash with other venues as it is, do we really need more in high deprivation communities?" he asks?
The reason he says he does it, is to establish if it's a genuine bar or a "pokie den."
He says some venues aren’t operating within the law.
He says pokie machines should come out of high deprivation communities altogether.
"The industry hides behind the whole issue of we are giving money back," he says.
The Department of Internal affairs told 1 NEWS they are satisfied with the compliance of the venues in Tokoroa that Mr Bridle was investigating but "will act decisively against any operator who is not demonstrating a responsible approach in accordance with the regulations."
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