Casinos Pounce On PM Appearance

It is certainly not every day that the head of state inadvertently does some good for the casino industry. But Prime Minister John Key certainly did some good for Christchurch Casino after his appearance on an American television show.

The Late Show with David Letterman

When PM Key was in New York City two weeks ago, he was interviewed by David Letterman. The subject of his interview: the top 10 reasons for visiting the islands of New Zealand.

The Prime Minister listed, as one of the top 10, that New Zealand had the 'loosest slot machines in the Pacific rim.' It was only a matter of time before the casino industry pounced on the PM's words to make them count.

Now Christchurch Casino is singing the PM's praises and using his words in their latest advertisement.

Does he regret what he said?

The Prime Minister stands fully behind his words as he believes that his island nation truly does have the best pokies in the Pacific. And as he later added, gambling is legal in New Zealand and it's part and parcel of the Kiwi lifestyle.

The bigwigs in the casino industry are now hoping that a percentage of the Las Vegas traffic can be diverted to New Zealand.

But the costs of advertising are highly restrictive - some $1 million for a 30-second slot and his on-screen appearance would have cost $8 million. That kind of airtime is worth a mint to the casino industry and all the gambling pundits are smiling thanks to Key.