How New Zealand Became One of the World’s Top Casino Markets
Pristine glaciers, refined wine, whales and national parks are some of the things that make New Zealand a magical place. But for non-adventurous Kiwis, what’s the best way to spend personal free time?
For the past several years, online gambling has been a common pastime for many people in New Zealand. At least one fortunate Kiwi has won $10 million playing online slots. Hundreds more have won thousands of dollars, helping popularize the industry immensely.
Surprisingly, the legal landscape of online casinos in New Zealand isn’t straightforward. Severally, local legislators have clashed on the legality of online gambling in the country. Discover the facts below and why New Zealand is one of the fastest-growing casino markets below.
Online Gambling Laws in New Zealand
Similar to Canada, South Africa and Australia, New Zealand permits its citizens to use offshore casinos for online gambling. However, it does not grant certificates to casino websites locally. Instead, the country’s Gambling Act of 2003 deals with land-based establishments.
With that in mind, most Kiwis who gamble online do so on online casinos licensed in Malta, the UK, Curacao or the Isle of Man. Most of these websites are safe to use. In fact, they welcome New Zealand players openly, often offering bountiful bonuses to new customers.
Speaking of which, online casinos have played an essential role in turning New Zealand into a burgeoning casino market. Here’s how.
Localizing New Zealand Offers
Finding a foreign casino that makes your experience a delight can be challenging for New Zealanders. Lately, however, gambling operators have stepped up their game to provide personalized services to everyone in New Zealand.
- New Zealand dollars for payments
- A Wellington-based customer support agent
- Support for local banks
- Games based on New Zealand slots, films and sports
When you want to make a deposit, there’s no need to convert your money to US dollars or British pounds. You also don’t have to find a foreign banking option. You can use NZ dollars through Qiwi or your preferred bank for payments.
Still on localization, Kiwis have a choice to play games based on the things they treasure the most. For example, are you a rugby fan? Then consider checking out the Rugby Star Slot. Are you an avid Lord of the Rings fan? There’s a slot based on the franchise.
Exclusive Bonuses
Would Kiwis be interested in offshore online casinos if they didn’t have bonuses? Probably yes. However, there’s no denying free spins and rewards play a crucial role in impacting the precise casino people join.
A great online casino NZ offers bonuses with favourable terms and conditions. What’s more, it provides quality banking and customer support services. Against that backdrop, it’s essential to look beyond the welcome offer.
For starters, you can also check what bonuses a casino offers loyal customers. You wouldn’t want to login to your account weekly with no signs of a reward. Besides bonuses, also read online reviews to discover what past customers say about the platform.
User-Friendly Websites and Apps
Ever tried to shop on a website that displays information in a foreign language? Worse, ever attempted to use a site that’s not designed for mobile users on your smartphone? It can be a nightmare.
Luckily, today’s online gambling websites are designed for the full experience. It doesn’t matter whether you live in New Zealand or Brussel. You could be using your iPhone or Samsung S10.
With many casino sites, games load fast and smoothly. Technical hiccups rarely happen. And if they, someone corrects the problem immediately. Sorting out games take a couple of minutes, regardless of tastes.
Speaking of tastes, the modern online casino has slots and card games designed to impress everyone. If you’re a blackjack fan, you don’t have to settle for classic twenty-one. Instead, you could also play variations of the game.
Similarly, casinos have hundreds of slots so that everyone finds a game they love. This enormous diversity of games obviously makes casino gaming enjoyable for players with varying tastes.
Strict Casino Regulations
New Zealand might not have power over offshore online casinos. But that doesn’t mean no one regulated them. As we mentioned previously, there’s a handful of countries with online gambling regulators:
- The UK Gambling Commission
- Malta Gaming Authority
- eCuracao Licensing Board
- Gibraltar Gambling Authority
- New Jersey and Delaware licensing boards
These regulators provide licenses to assure players that the casinos are genuine businesses. That way, someone in New Zealand doesn’t have to get worked up over a casino’s legitimacy. More importantly, they regulate these businesses to ensure they operate professionally at all times.
The result of a properly regulated casino is that it has transparent policies and terms. That means it can’t mislead you with enticing adverts only to change its tune afterwards. On the other hand, it pays out to winners and resolves complaints from customers judiciously.
Coupled with independent external audits, strict regulations give new players confidence that they can trust an operator even if it’s based in a faraway country. For clarity, public examinations evaluate a casino’s games and payments handling procedures independently. If they pass the test, they receive a license showing they have fair games and are safe companies.
Building their Reputations
Reviews help you discover a casino from the perspective of experts or past customers. Experts sometimes highlight casino feature you may not think are essential. On the other end, past players let you know their experience of using the website.
Online reviews are easy to find these days. So, anyone in New Zealand can discover what experts or past customers say about an operator before making a decision. In some cases, you could also contact a gambling operator to vet them.
For example, you could email a casino and ask about its fees or how long it takes to verify identification documents. You could also ask about their VIP bonus policies or software provider partners. That way, you can also judge a casino from your brief experience with them.