The island country of New Zealand is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean which consists of two landmasses namely the North and the South Island with over 700 smaller islands.

New Zealand is known for its beautiful sceneries like the alpine lakes, snowy mountains, springs, fjords, and beaches which is the reason why the movie “the Lord of the Rings” chose New Zealand as their location for the backdrop of “The Hobbit”.

Entertainment played a great role to the people of New Zealand and playing Rugby is one of their passions and online wagering is their favorite pastime. Betting in an online casino is very popular because of various reasons.

·       Mobile compatibility

Casino games can be played on any gadget including laptops and personal computers as long as the user has a strong internet connection.

·       Various games offered

This has been one of the biggest factors why online casinos are popular. The majority of them offer 3,000 or more games with superb graphics and designs as well as audio. Casino sites from New Zealand are highly competitive, click here to know more about them.

·       Bonus

As mentioned, casino sites offer more benefits and bonuses compared to physical casinos. They also offer higher cash back percentages and odds, especially to their loyal players.

·       Convenience

Another best thing about wagering online is having the freedom to place a bet anytime and anywhere. Whether the player bets via a virtual or live dealer, they can both enjoy playing in their comfort.

·       Payment method

Wagering online not only offers convenience in betting but also in monetary transactions. The banking method is very advantageous on the part of the punter because casino sites adjust to the player’s available payment scheme. Thus, they offer debit/credit card transactions, digital wallets, Cryptocurrency, and Bank transfers like Euteller (available in Finland and other European countries).

A brief history of gambling in New Zealand

It is said that foreign nationals influenced New Zealand from betting. Gambling had already existed in the 1800s and was played on steamboats and it was believed that the Chinese migrants introduced board games, card games, dice, and coin games.

Americans in the 1900s introduced poker which is the reason why some locals are good at playing Texas Hold ‘em. Both foreigners came to New Zealand in search of gold.

Today gambling both online and virtual is flourishing and people now enjoy playing slot machines (pokies), horse racing, lotteries, and other various games.

Betting Laws of New Zealand:

According to the Gambling Act 2003, any remote interactive gambling is illegal which means that online betting is not allowed and the Act also includes selling of lottery tickets online.

During that time, lawmakers haven’t anticipated betting the future of online betting because the fusion of the casino and technology was not very much established during that time and the issue of malware and hacking was quite rampant at that time. The firewall back then was not as solid as it is now.

Currently, virtual gambling is still illegal in New Zealand except for its authorized providers such as Lotto NZ and the TAB but it is legal for them to wager online casinos from abroad. The catch here is local virtual punters are not protected since offshore wagering sites are not properly regulated so it is imperative that the bettor should be vigilant in the casino site that they are playing.

More information about gambling in the country

o  Winnings are tax-free if the player is not a professional gambler and is just playing for diversion.

o  People from New Zealand refer to slot machines as “pokies”. Pokies were introduced to the country as poker machines and were mostly used for the benefit of charitable institutions. Thus until now, local bettors refer to slot machines as pokies.

o  Foreign casinos are prohibited from advertising their site in any form to New Zealand.

o  Majority of the profit generated in gambling goes back to the community to be used in the Arts, Science, education, and others.

TAB

It means a Totalisator Agency Board established for the New Zealand Racing Board Act 2020. This Act provides betting services and makes returns to New Zealand racing and sports organizations.

Final Insight:

Gambling in New Zealand has been part of their culture and is widely embraced. However, one has to be aware of their gambling laws in order to have a more fun wagering experience.