With plenty of changes taking place in nearby Australia, many kiwi players are increasingly wondering whether online gambling in New Zealand is legal. For many players in New Zealand, they need to know that they can play safely in the knowledge that they are doing so without breaking any laws.
In short, gambling online from New Zealand does not break any laws. There are no laws that prohibit gambling activities, so you are at no risk of facing any legal consequences when playing at your favourite NZD casino.
Licensed New Zealand Online Casinos
The 2003 Gambling Act covers all online gambling activities in New Zealand. Although it does not provide the opportunity to acquire a local gambling license in New Zealand, you can still gamble. Remember, that since there are no operating online casinos in New Zealand when betting online, you are playing at a casino with offices outside New Zealand.
There is nothing stated in the law that could prevent offshore casinos from offering online gambling services to players in New Zealand. As long as the casino in question accepts players from New Zealand, you are entitled to sign up there, claim one of the best bonuses and claim any winnings from such activities.
Legal Gambling in New Zealand
Gambling in New Zealand has been documented as early as the 1830s when New Zealand gamblers would bet on horse racing. Even though the island is in an isolated position, kiwi George Julius had made a lasting impact on the world of sports and gambling that still resonates to this day.
In 1913, Julius created the “automatic totalisator”, a machine that lets spectators see which horses are in what position during the race.
Following a lengthy period of prohibition on almost all forms of gambling in the country, gambling expenditures have not reached the NZD$2 billion a year, with pokies accounting to 35% of the sum.
How to pick a reputable online casino in New Zealand
Kiwi players must make their own decisions when it comes to choosing the right casino as there is no licensing body that takes care of online casinos locally. There are numerous online casinos for real money NZ that welcome kiwi players with welcome arms, but there are always differences and exceptions that you should watch out for.
Always look for licensing information, which is usually displayed in the footer of the site. Even though there are no available local licenses, always stick to casinos that are licensed by reputable gambling bodies such as the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority.
NZ casinos which are licensed by reputable gambling bodies are safe to use. They also take all necessary measures to handle any personal and financial information securely.
After that, always look for superb bonus offers as well as other promotions that you are content with. This does not mean that the bigger the casino bonus, the better it is. Look for the wagering requirements. Many casino bonuses come with the standard 35x. Anything above this amount should be avoided. If you’re lucky enough to find wagering requirements that are lower than 35x, such as is the case with Dunder Casino, jump right in.
Many Casinos offer free spins no deposit, just for signing up and further offer a lucrative welcome deposit package that includes a match bonus and free spins on popular online pokies in New Zealand.
Online gambling safety for New Zealand Players
Since there are no online casinos based in New Zealand, players have to put a degree of trust into regulations and laws in other countries. With many gamblers residing in New Zealand, many online casinos go out of their away, to accept New Zealand players and their currency.
Having a look for certification such as that of eCogra, as well as any licenses in the country where the online casinos are based, will help you make a smart decision when signing up to a new casino site. These credentials are usually displayed in the footer of the website.
Sign up to an online casino
Now that you know that you can online gamble from New Zealand, why don’t you snap up a top kiwi casino bonus or a no deposit bonus which you can spend on online pokies.