New Zealand is famous for its beautiful scenery, snow-capped mountains, and the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. It is now a major tourist destination too, thanks to the exposure it received from this hit movie franchise.
What most people wouldn’t associate with New Zealand is gambling, however, it is a popular pastime for the masses but not to the extent of their neighbours in Australia. Online gambling is the most popular form, and the main attraction is pay by mobile casino slot games. These help to generate most of the country’s gambling revenue.
New Zealand Gambling Rules
Similarly, with other countries, gambling brands need to obey certain rules before they can offer gambling products to New Zealanders. All forms of gambling are illegal unless they conform to the rules of the Gambling Act 2003 and the amendments that were made to it in 2005 and 2015. The act aims to prevent harm such as addiction, control the growth of the industry, encourage responsible gambling, ensure game fairness, discourage organized crime, and make sure that the profits from gambling are used to benefit communities.
Playing Slots
Like in the UK, playing slots or pokies as they are known in New Zealand, is seen as a hobby, therefore any winnings from gambling on slots are not taxed. Unlike in the UK, a percentage of gambling profits are used to benefit local communities and more than $200 million is generated through gambling by New Zealanders each year.
Despite returning some profits to the community through the Community Gaming Trust, slot gambling is still restricted to those who are over 18. If you want to gamble in an actual casino establishment, then you must be 20 years of age or over. The wagering on slot games is much like other countries where you choose the amount you want to spin the reels for. There is no set amount that players can be charged to spin the reels in New Zealand. Their games are made to appeal to occasional gamblers and high rollers as well. Some games have lower max bet limits than others, but staking costs remain extremely flexible.
Gambling Addiction
New Zealand authorities do have concerns over the addictive nature of slots and like most countries across the globe, online gambling has increased the numbers playing slots and some individuals have become slot gambling addicts. Therefore, the New Zealand government is constantly reviewing its gambling laws in such a fluid environment.
In Australia and the United Kingdom, maximum betting levels have been considered as being problematic and in the UK limits to max bets have already come into force for fixed-odds betting terminals. Online slot games could be next in line to face maximum betting limit reductions and if successful in reducing gambling addiction and debt amongst players, other countries are likely to follow suit. This could however impact the amount of revenue that is ploughed back to help the communities of New Zealand.
