Online Casino in New Zealand – Ever-increasing industry

Gambling has always been a crucial part of New Zealand and Kiwis. The industry is ever-increasing and so is the number of people involved in gambling activities. Gambling is one of the most important sources of revenue and income. According to the existing statistics, 7 out of 10 New Zealanders are involved in one or another gambling activity. This is indeed a high index and thus it should not be surprising that the gambling revenue of the country has increased by 43% during the past couple of years. The gambling industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the country.

Currently, there are six land-based casinos in the country and many people are also involved in online gambling. While some of the best New Zealand casino online host a million people annually. Online casinos are perhaps one of the best opportunities to gamble without any additional efforts and thus the activity is very handy and popular all over the world.

Best Kiwi Online Casinos of the Year

CookieCasino

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

10/10

Bonus

100%

Games

9/10

Year founded

2020

Live Chat

SIGN UPRead More

Woo Casino

Minimum deposit

€20

Reputation

9/10

Bonus

100%

Games

10/10

Year founded

2020

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

BetChan

Minimum deposit

€/$20

Reputation

9/10

Bonus

100%

Games

8/10

Year founded

2015

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

Casino Gods

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

10/10

Bonus

9/10

Games

10/10

Year founded

2019

Live Chat

No

SIGN UPRead More

NYSpins Casino

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

9/10

Bonus

10/10

Games

9/10

Year founded

1997

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

Voodoo Dreams

Minimum deposit

$20

Reputation

9/10

Bonus

8/10

Games

7/10

Year founded

2016

Live Chat

No

SIGN UPRead More

Nomini Casino

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

9/10

Bonus

9/10

Games

10/10

Year founded

2019

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

PlayOJO

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

10/10

Bonus

9/10

Games

10/10

Year founded

2017

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

Gate777

Minimum deposit

-

Reputation

8/10

Bonus

8/10

Games

9/10

Year founded

2018

Live Chat

No

SIGN UPRead More

Energy Casino

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

9/10

Bonus

10/10

Games

8/10

Year founded

2013

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

Playamo

Minimum deposit

$10

Reputation

10/10

Bonus

10/10

Games

10/10

Year founded

2016

Live Chat

Yes

SIGN UPRead More

History in brief

Gambling has been a part of New Zealand life not for ages, but centuries. There were some periods when strict regulations were implemented in the industry, though today every New Zealander over 18 is legally able to participate in any willing gambling-related activity. The most popular forms of gambling activity nowadays are sports betting, lotteries, mobile pokies, and of course online casino NZ. The gambling sector within the country is regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Gambling has been documented as the legal activity in the country since the beginning of the 19th century, specifically first documents in the industry date back to 1830th. You might think that due to the isolated location of the island, many tendencies would not spread quickly in the nation. As far as it seems, this does not apply to New Zealand at all.

Despite the island’s isolated location, New Zealand-resident George Julius made an impact on the sports and gambling world that is still felt today. In 1913, he invented the “automatic totalisator”, also known as a tote board, or the machine in the infield at racing tracks that lets fans see which horses are in what position during a race. For quite some time all types of gambling were prohibited in the country and strict regulations as well as fines applied to the breaching of the existing law. As soon as the country overcame that period, gambling became one of the most popular activities once again and thus many people got involved very swiftly. Today, the gambling industry has reached over $NZ 2 billion in annual revenue.

As mentioned before, every type of gambling activity is very common and popular in New Zealand. The pokies account for 35% of the total sum. The casinos make another 26%. 21% are accounted for the lottos and the rest 18% go to pokies.

All public gaming entities are required to donate a portion of profits toward the bettering of the community and today the number of land-based casinos has increased compared to the number at the beginning of the century.

According to New Zealand law, the Kiwis can play in online casinos, if the online casinos are not registered in New Zealand. Consequently, you will not be able to find the online casinos that originated in New Zealand. Having an online casino registered on the territory of New Zealand and playing in the online casino registered in New Zealand is considered to be a breach of the law.

The first laws

As mentioned above, the country has overcome some very tight periods, when very strict laws are applied to gambling-related activities. One such period was back at the beginning of the 20th century. Bookmaking was prohibited in the country for the very first time back in 1920.

Betting, currently, one of the most beloved activities was also allowed only before 1961. Since then, betting on horse racing was also prohibited.

All of the regulations regarding the gambling sectors were stricken until the 1980s. The end of the 20th century was very lucky and effective for the gambling industry, as the Parliament of New Zealand finally approved the lottery games and the casinos in the country. Pokies, or in another word the slot machines were introduced to the country no later than 20 years later, though they were legalized only in 1944, with the opening of the very first brick and mortar casino in New Zealand.

The Gambling Act 2003, was introduced to the country back in 2003. According to the Gambling Act2003, all kind of gambling is prohibited in the country, unless it is authorized by the government. There is the categorization of gambling. It is categorized into four classes. Every calcification requires a specific license, which is obtained from the government to legally operate in the local market. 

Current laws and enforcements

The maximum turnovers, as well as the prize, amounts also vary according to the classified classes. Players in New Zealand must be at least 20 years old to enter the land-based casinos. The

players have to be at least 18, to participate in the betting, this includes horse racing as well. The players also have to be at least 18 to participate in the lotteries, scratch cards, and to play in the best online casinos for New Zealand players.

Some of the activities though, remain to be prohibited within the country. This includes the bookmaking and the registration of the online casino in New Zealand. According to the Gambling Act 2003, it is illegal for every New Zealander to play in the online casino registered within the country, though it is perfectly legal to play in any other online casino registered outside the country, once the player is over 18 of course.

Together with the prohibition of the registration of the online casino on New Zealand soil, it is also prohibited to advertise any kind of gambling operators within the country, as well as to advertise any of their products. This is supposed to be the breaching of the law, and consequently, high fines are applied. The operators might also be invalidated with the gambling license in this case.

Regulators in New Zealand

The main regulatory body of gambling in the country of New Zealand is the Gambling Commission. The whole industry is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which was established back in 2003. As soon as the commission was established the introduced the first regulatory document the Gmabling ACt 2003. The commission is part of the Department of Internal Affairs of New Zealand.

The Gambling Commission licenses casinos, specifies the conditions of the operation, and also approves the agreements between casino operators and casino venue license holders. The commission is in charge of every legal procedure and enforcement of the regulations and laws regarding gambling-related activities within the whole country.

Plyers’ Information

New Zealanders that want to gamble in the best online casino in New Zealand should have no fear of government repercussion as long as the casino they are choosing to play on is not based within the borders of New Zealand. Most of the online casinos, available for Kiwi players do not accept New Zealand dollars as the payment currency. Though, there still are some high-quality online casino NZ dollars available for the Kiwi players.

The New Zealand player who wants to gamble with the operators based within the country is a bit limited in options. As online casinos are prohibited to be based in the country, lottery games, pokies, slot machines, sports, and racing betting can all be found in New Zealand. Moreover, the Kiwis can play in one of the six brick-and-mortar casinos within the country.

Gamblers statistics

As mentioned before, seven out of ten people gamble in the country. It is estimated that almost 89% of the country’s population is involved in one or another type of gambling-related activity. In numbers, it can be said, that over 3.6 million people gamble in New Zealand, which is a relatively high index for a small populated country.

Most of the players participate in lottery games. It was recorded that in 2013, players spent over $2 billion on outside gambling machines, or the pokies, lotteries, sports betting, and live casinos.

The gambling rate has overall decreased since 2004. The rate has seen a decline of almost 19% across the whole country. Despite the decline in the gambling rate, the expenditure on gambling activity has raised drastically for the past decade. Overall, the expenditure on gambling activity has increased by 22% within the country.

The increase of the expenditure on gambling activity can be defined by the introduction and increasing popularity of the online casino NZ. Online casinos have increased in popularity all over the world, but for a small country such as New Zealand, the changes can be seen very vividly. According to the research, at least 1 person out of three said that they have gambled online for the past 12 months period. This caused the rapid growth of the expenditure on gambling and the popularity of the online casino which is available for New Zealand players.

Best online casino for New Zealand

At first sight, you might think that the regulations regarding gambling are very strict in New Zealand. This can be true since the logical flow of the regulation can not be seen immediately. Though, the whole concept behind the prohibition of the online casino based in New Zealand is that the government tries to shut down the New Zealand-based operators which are not licensed by the state.

The law is clear that as long as the player is of age, no laws are prohibiting New Zealanders from playing at online casinos based elsewhere. That means you can enjoy all the top casino games such as keno, craps, poker, video poker, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, keno, and slots (pokies), any time you want.

Some of the best online casinos, which are based elsewhere but New Zealand offers great opportunities for the local players. Usually, you can see it is the terms and conditions part, that the top online casino operators never prohibit New Zealanders from enjoying their play with the online casino. In the end, as far as there are plenty of opportunities and options to enjoy the variety of games, why does it matter where the casino is originated from?

The main point is that the money which is spent on the online casino is generated in the country, but is spent outside of the country. Consequently, the turnover of the money is not registered locally, and thus the outflow of the money spent on the online casino is much bigger than the turnover of the local land-based casinos.

Is it legal to deposit and withdraw money to/from online casinos?

Despite the existing regulation, which prohibits the registration of online casinos in the country, there are no prohibitions on depositing or withdrawing money from any online casinos. Kiwis are not limited to depositing money or withdrawing the money as long as the online casino is based overseas and not in New Zealand.

There are many top online paying online casinos in NZ, which accept the New Zealand Dollar. This makes gambling for Kiwis even more affordable and comfortable. What is more interesting is that New Zealanders are not subjected to any tax fees for winning as far as the online casino is based internationally. This means that players can keep 100% of their winning for their own.

The top online casinos for New Zealand players all accept NZD. Players can typically deposit and withdraw in NZD, play in that currency, and see their transaction history in New Zealand dollars on certain sites. Playing at a site that accepts kiwis means no exchanging currency, which often has fees associated with it. To make sure that the online casino accepts the NZD, go through the terms and conditions of the online casino you want to play with.

Kiwi Online Casino

As far as there are no New Zealand-based online casinos, Kiwis have to trust the gambling regulations and laws in other countries. However, New Zealand is a huge market, which has no domestic casinos to go to. This makes other countries interested in the market and the international competition for the New Zealand market is very big. Thus, many top online casinos worldwide try to attract more and more New Zealanders to play in their online casinos, via accepting the NDZ currency.

Checking for a certification from a highly-regarded testing agency (like eCOGRA), as well as the proper license in the country where the casino’s operations are based, will almost always guarantee that players have made a smart consumer decision in the best online casino in New Zealand. These credentials are typically displayed prominently on the bottom of every quality online casino’s homepage. If this information can’t be found without minimal effort, then consider that to be a red flag for that particular operator. Much more information is available in the customer agreement of the online casino. If you are considering visiting new online casinos, you have to make sure to check the document and of course the license of the casino, which should be available at first glance.

Are the funds in safe hands?

When shopping for a reputable real-money online casino, players should always look for the eCOGRA logo at the bottom of the casino’s home page. This certification signifies that the casino has met stringent security testing standards, has the most complex encryption and that the operator practices fair gaming procedures. Upon seeing this seal, New Zealand players should feel at peace entrusting their NZD to these casinos.

Many types of online casinos are available on the internet. You can even find the Bitcoin casinos as well as the blockchain casinos. Those need to be licensed as well, and once you see the license logo on the top or the bottom of the page, you can consider that those casinos are the safest choice for you, which also offers the best opportunities and privacy for the customers.

Is it fair to play online casinos?

All online casinos with an eCOGRA or any other similar license, provided by the local regulatory authorities, are inspected and audited regularly to meet high standards of quality. Among many others, these standards include protecting the privacy of the customer and safeguarding their information through encryption software.

Practices such as random-number generator analysis and regular game inspections are also standard for every certified online casino. Reports about casinos that try and scam players are also widely available online. Moreover, the reviews of almost every single online casino are available online as well. Once you have doubts or concerns regarding the fairness or the security of the casino, have a look at the review and reconsider your choice once again.

The best online casinos in New Zealand have the proper license, which enables them to operate in the local market. Thus it is very unlikely that you will observe any illicit activity from the casinos’ side. The casinos have the licenses obtained by the local regulatory authorities. Despite that the New Zealand government does not have jurisdiction over any of the overseas-based casinos, you can still address the licensing company.

If you feel that they have been slighted, you can easily report the casino to the company which provided the license. Quality-assurance organizations like eCOGRA also look into disputes with operators that they certify. With all this taken into consideration, you can definitely feel safe while playing with online casinos, which are licensed by the proper regulator.

Responsible gaming

Responsible gambling has been an issue in many countries and now, every top online casino for New Zealand, as well as other international online casinos, promotes responsible gaming within the gamblers. Problem gambling has increased in rates in many countries and every country tries to tackle the problem the best way they can.

New Zealanders have many resources available to help problem gambling. There is a specific organization, The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, which offers gambling addiction helplines and support groups. This is essential for people seeking help. The existence of a helping hand is the top motivation for many addicts.

Those seeking help (or looking to help someone else) can also find a variety of educational materials as well as meeting times and locations on the organization’s site as well as at pgfnz.org.nz.

The Gambling Helpline New Zealand is another great resource that offers similar services. Different countries have different approaches to the problem. Australia is one of the countries which has the most optimized helping services for gambling addicts. They have even introduced the regulation, which enabled self-ban from the online casinos. Some of the best casinos online in New Zealand also offer the same opportunity, and thus gamblers can limit themself from entering the casino or setting certain limits on their expenditure on gambling activity.

General gambling environment in New Zealand

To summarize the general gambling environment in New Zealand, it can be said that the country has one of the most user-friendly gambling environments for the players. Certain regulations might limit Kiwis in gambling activity, though those regulations also safeguard the players from the additional problems.

The government overall is very supportive and is constantly working on improving the quality of the general gambling atmosphere. The New Zealanders are keen on gambling and the tendency is even increasing, though as far as certain regulations apply and the overall situation is supportive, the problem gambling and the risks should soon be reduced.

Lotteries and pokies are very popular among Kiwis. Best online casino New Zealand offers a great variety of slots to the Kiwi players and thus makes the choice very rich in value. The top online casino game developers have been working to create top-quality games and some of the games even have the New Zealand theme as the background.

Long story short, despite many obstacles and many years of regulations and changes, New Zealand has finally managed to create one of the safest and richest gambling environments for its players.

FAQ on Online Casino in New Zealand