An Eastern Bay town has seen an increase in the amount of money being spent on gambling.

Opotiki has seen a rise of one hundred thousand dollars being spent in pokie machines during 2011.

More than two and a half million dollars has been put into the town's gambling devices.

Department of Internal Affairs figures show in the last quarter of 2011, six hundred and seventy thousand dollars has been spent in 65 machines.

Based on a population of around nine thousand, the total amount spent equates to two hundred and eighty eight dollars per person.

The national pokie spend has also increased by three percent from eight hundred and forty million, to eight hundred and sixty six million dollars.

The figures, for Opotiki and the country, are in spite of there being fewer gambling licence holders in 2011 than 2010.