Susan Chow found herself in a hole so deep a drug overdose seemed the only escape.

A gambler who won a record $250,000 payout last month from the TAB after picking eight second-round NRL winners has done it again.

The Government has been urged to introduce facial-recognition technology for poker machines to restrict problem gamblers as part of an overhaul of gambling laws.

Nearly 100 kids were found wandering by themselves in SkyCity last year, a statistic which anti-gambling advocates say proves that problem-gambling is a growing issue.

Dozens of racing clubs in the south have been ordered to hand over files as part of a Serious Fraud Office probe into pokie grants.

More than 50 long-serving TAB workers look set to lose their jobs as the agency prepares to close its Auckland phone betting centre at Ellerslie.

A banned poker machine addict slipped through all SkyCity's safety systems to play his way to VIP status in the casino's high-roller room - blowing $500,000 in the process.

Sarah was losing her husband. It wasn't another woman who had slipped into her life. Instead, John was taken by SkyCity casino.

John Key's deal with SkyCity exposes how government leadership interacts with gambling and other addiction industries, writes Peter Adams. Two things stand out in the deal where Mr Key gets a new convention centre.

Nine out of every 10 people in Auckland want cuts to the number of poker machines in the poorest and most vulnerable parts of the city.

The gambling-charity boss overseeing pokies in pubs and bars has launched a blistering attack on the problem-gambling industry.

It's a particularly nasty insult because local community groups have worked hard to reduce pokie numbers, writes John Minto.

Officials in one of Prime Minister John Key's departments disregarded Treasury advice to seek guidance in how to conduct SkyCity talks with honesty and integrity.

SkyCity Entertainment Group was trading near an annual high yesterday, even before its lucrative convention centre deal clearance.

Prime Minister John Key is confident there is nothing in a report tomorrow on how his controversial pokies for convention centre arrangement with SkyCity was struck that will prevent the projected from going ahead.

New figures show a sharp rise in gambling problems linked to Lotto, and health officials blame big jackpots.

In the heart of the Waikato, a small health provider dared to step out from the pack. Lotto, warned Hauora Waikato, has dangers.

The amount of money dropped into New Zealand pokie machines fell by more than 3 per cent last year, according to new Government figures.

The public health experts who once led SkyCity's problem gambling programme say the casino doesn't do enough to prove they stop punters becoming addicts.

New Zealanders lost a record $2.07 billion gambling last year with bets totalling more than $16 billion - or more than $3600 for every man, woman and child.

A woman who "ruthlessly exploited" her elderly neighbour by nearly draining her bank account to play pokie machines says she is happy with her sentence.

Pubs and bars are pushing for a gambling law change to allow them to take a profit on pokie machines, reducing the amount that gets paid back to the community.

On Friday, Auckland couple Olivia and Brent were struck by the overwhelming joy and financial worry of finding out they were having a baby.