Casinos in Christchurch

Christchurch has one licensed casino: Christchurch Casino at 30 Victoria Street, Christchurch Central 8013. The wider Canterbury region adds roughly 160 licensed pokies venue. Christchurch Casino was the first licensed casino in New Zealand, opening on 11 November 1994, and it remains the largest casino in the South Island. This guide lists the casino plus the city’s largest pokies venue clusters by suburb, with addresses, indicative hours, and machine counts drawn from the DIA Class 4 register.

Is there a licensed casino in Christchurch?

Yes. Christchurch Casino is the only licensed casino in the Canterbury region and the largest casino in the South Island. It sits at 30 Victoria Street, Christchurch Central 8013, on the corner of Victoria Street and Kilmore Street, within walking distance of Cathedral Square, Victoria Square, and the Christchurch Arts Centre. The operator is Christchurch Casinos Ltd, the licence-holding entity that has held the Class 3 licence continuously since 1994.

Christchurch Casino opened on 11 November 1994 as the first DIA-licensed casino to run in New Zealand. It predates SkyCity Auckland by more than a year and holds the earliest-issued Class 3 licence under what is now the Gambling Act 2003. The venue was structurally damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and underwent extensive seismic restoration before full reopening. Its heritage as New Zealand’s first casino is covered in more depth on the history of casinos in New Zealand page.

The gaming floor runs blackjack, roulette (American and European wheels), baccarat, poker (live cash games and tournament events), and more than 500 pokies machines. Christchurch Casino is the only New Zealand casino outside Auckland to run 24-hour weekend gaming. Full venue detail, dress code, parking, and entry-age information sits on the Christchurch Casino editorial page.

Where are the pokies venues in Christchurch?

Christchurch’s licensed pokies venue cluster in Christchurch CBD, Riccarton, Hornby, Papanui, New Brighton, and Linwood. The city proper hosts roughly 90 pokies venue. The wider Canterbury region brings the regional count to around 160 venues.

• Christchurch CBD: roughly 20 pokies venue, clustered around Colombo Street, Manchester Street, and the Cathedral Square precinct. Licensed premises are typically pubs and sports clubs with between 9 and 18 pokies machine each.
• Riccarton: roughly 15 pokies venue, spread along Riccarton Road and Blenheim Road. Riccarton hosts Christchurch’s largest RSA and several pub-gaming rooms linked to the Westfield Riccarton retail precinct.
• Hornby: roughly 12 pokies venue across Hornby South and Hornby North, reflecting the area’s industrial-and-suburban mix.
• Papanui: roughly 10 pokies venue on Papanui Road and the Main North Road corridor.
• New Brighton and Linwood: roughly 15 pokies venue combined, covering Christchurch’s eastern suburbs and the pre-2011 rebuild area.
• Sydenham and Addington: roughly 10 pokies venue between them, close to the Colombo Street hospitality strip.

Outside the Christchurch city boundary, Rolleston, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Ashburton, and Timaru each host between 3 and 10 pokies venue. The DIA register at dia.govt.nz/Gambling-Class-4 is the authoritative and regularly refreshed source for Canterbury venue counts. Numbers above reflect the Q1 2026 register snapshot.

What hours do pokies venues in Christchurch operate?

Pokies venue in Christchurch typically run from late morning (10am to 11am) until 11pm or midnight, consistent with the national Class 4 licence pattern. The gaming-room closing time reflects the parent pub’s liquor licence, and no pokies venue is legally permitted to run 24 hours.

Most Christchurch pubs close their gaming rooms at 11pm or midnight on weekdays. A small number of venues extend Friday and Saturday gaming-room hours by one to two hours where the parent liquor licence permits later close. Sunday gaming is available at every pokies venue, but typically opens later (11am to noon).

Christchurch Casino is the only gambling venue in the city with extended gaming hours. It runs 12pm to 3am Monday to Thursday and runs 24-hour gaming from Friday morning through Sunday night, making it the South Island’s only 24-hour-weekend venue. Those hours are set in the Class 3 licence conditions and don’t change seasonally.

How do I find a pokies venue near me in Christchurch?

The DIA publishes the authoritative pokies venue register at dia.govt.nz/Gambling-Class-4, searchable by suburb, venue name, or licensee. Every DIA-licensed Canterbury gaming venue is listed with its address and operating entity.

For quick Christchurch-specific lookup, use the suburb index above. Each suburb entry points to the DIA register filtered by postcode or, where volume justifies, to a dedicated suburb page. Full context on what a Class 4 licence requires (machine caps, stake limits, community-grants return) sits on the pokies venue page.

If you’re unsure whether a venue you’ve found in Christchurch is DIA-licensed, check the licence display. Every pokies venue must display its DIA licence number and the Gambling Helpline NZ signage (0800 654 655) inside the gaming room. An unlicensed venue isn’t permitted to run pokies machine in New Zealand, and any unlicensed gambling can be reported to the DIA on 0800 257 887.

What games are available at Christchurch Casino and pokies venues?

Christchurch Casino runs blackjack (multiple variants), roulette (American and European wheels), baccarat, poker (cash games and tournament events), and over 500 pokies machines. The casino also runs electronic table gaming, which mirrors live-table rules on a digital interface and accepts lower minimum bets than the live tables.

Table games at Christchurch Casino sit on the main gaming floor with a dedicated VIP gaming area for higher-stakes play. Poker tournaments run regularly, and the venue has hosted New Zealand Poker Tour events. Pokies at Christchurch Casino accept denominations from 1 cent up through high-limit machines in the VIP area, and Class 3 pokies carry no statutory per-spin stake cap.

Pokies venue in Christchurch offer pokies machine only. No table games. Each venue runs between 1 and 18 machines under a $2.50 maximum stake per spin. Machine selection depends on the supplier contract at each venue. Common titles include reel-based pokies and multi-line video pokies approved to DIA technical standards. The full game-rules reference for both licence classes sits on the NZ casino games guide.

What responsible gambling support is available in Christchurch?

Gambling Helpline NZ (0800 654 655) is available 24/7 from anywhere in New Zealand, including Christchurch. The service is free, confidential, and funded by the Ministry of Health. The Problem Gambling Foundation runs Christchurch-based counsellors and delivers harm-reduction programmes across Canterbury.

Christchurch Casino runs a voluntary self-exclusion scheme and participates in the national multi-venue exclusion programme. That means a self-exclusion at Christchurch Casino is enforceable at all six licensed casinos in New Zealand. Pokies venue across Christchurch support single-venue self-exclusion under the DIA’s host-responsibility rules, with exclusion periods typically set at six months, twelve months, or two years.

Every pokies venue in Christchurch must display Gambling Helpline NZ signage inside the gaming room and provide host-responsibility-trained staff during gaming hours. ATMs are prohibited on the Class 4 gaming floor, and continuous-play reminders appear on machines at regular intervals. For a complete list of Christchurch and national support services, exclusion procedures, and counselling options, see the responsible gambling page.

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