New Zealand lockdown boosts spending on betting products by 65%

The announcement on August 17th that New Zealand would be entering a strict lockdown prompted a 65 percent increase in spending on betting products, such as TAB and Lotto.
The double-digit increase compares to the same amount spent the previous Tuesday and also coincides with the closure of the nation’s casinos.
According to reports, the lockdown announcement also prompted nationwide liquor sales to rise 473 percent, while spending at bars increased 28 percent and restaurants rose 11 percent.
This Monday, the nation’s Prime Minister announced that the Level 4 Alert had been extended until at least August 27th nationwide, and until August 31st in Auckland, where the majority of cases have been registered.
There are more than 400 locations of interest currently on the nation’s health ministry’s list where people could have come into contact with infected individuals.
This list includes SkyCity’s Auckland Casino, which one infected individual visited on August 14th, prompting some 240 staff and about 1,000 patrons to undergo a 14-day home isolation and multiple tests.
Casinos in the nation are expected to remain shuttered until the outbreak is under control.