Gambling Laws in NZ: Overview
Whether you are a local or a tourist, you might be interested in playing at a casino in New Zealand. After all, there are many attractive land-based and online casinos, but before you do that, you should be aware of the local regulations. Read this article to learn more about the gambling laws in NZ.
What Are the Gambling Laws in New Zealand
Today, we are going to discuss the gambling laws in NZ so you know your gambling options and you can find a suitable operator offering them. We are also going to talk about the gambling history of New Zealand, which is quite fascinating.
New Zealand has a long and interesting history of gambling and some of the best casinos in the southern hemisphere. If you want to learn more about it and the New Zealand gambling laws, read the rest of this article.
History of Gambling in New Zealand
The early history of gambling in New Zealand resembles that of many other countries in the Anglosphere, such as the United States. Proper gambling started sometime in the 19th century, and the most popular form of gambling was betting on horse races. It wasn’t the only option, though.
People were gambling by playing card and coin games, dice, and billiards. In addition, Chinese immigrants brought games such as fan-tan and pakapoo. New Zealanders could also bet on athletic competitions as well such as races with dinghies, whaling boats, and waka, along with running races and skittles. Considering the time period, Kiwis had a wide range of betting options.
However, similar to the United States, not all people were happy with gambling, and large public campaigns against it started popping up in the late 19th century. Most of these anti-gambling efforts were undertaken by the Protestant Church of New Zealand and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, both of which saw gambling as a societal evil.
Still, gambling was never fully prohibited by the state of New Zealand, unlike its counterpart – the US Congress. Some changes were made, however, as New Zealand perhaps looked for a way to repair its image and appease the anti-gambling groups. Bookmaking was made illegal in 1910, meaning horse racing betting was only available on the track.
Other forms of gambling that we mentioned earlier were also heavily restricted, and many of them had to move underground, which they did, and continued to exist illegally along with bookmaking. None of these measures helped curb the popular desire to gamble.
This became very apparent in the 1930s when so-called Art Unions emerged. In 1933, the Art Unions established lotteries, which provided a fun and legal way to gamble. However, participants were disappointed with the low prizes, and some of them illegally purchased tickets to Australian lotteries that had bigger prizes.
Despite this, it took the government some time to realise that their restrictive gambling laws in NZ didn’t stop people from engaging in illegal forms of gambling or gaming overseas. It was only in the 1950s when the state considered changes, and in 1961, they introduced the Golden Kiwi Lottery.
New Zealand gambling laws also changed for horse betting with the establishment of the Totalisator Agency Board or TAB (a national betting operator), which allowed and operated off-track betting and thus helped rid of illegal bookmakers who could potentially scam people, showing that good regulations can drive out underground networks. Gambling laws in NZ became even more relaxed in the 1980s .
Lotteries with weekly draw emerged in 1987, while the next year, 1988, pokies were made legal in specific premises (of course you can also play at the best slots sites in New Zealand). Then in 1989, New Zealand legalised casinos. In addition, TAB expanded on the sports one can bet on in 1987. Still, some gambling laws in New Zealand, which were introduced later, are more restrictive than they are in other countries.
Gambling Laws in New Zealand
It seemed like gambling laws in NZ had the tendency only to get more relaxed with time. This expectation was curbed when the Gambling Act 2003 was passed. This act clarified the legal forms of gambling and the illegal forms of gambling in the country.
What the law says is that “gambling in New Zealand is illegal unless it is authorised by or under the Gambling Act 2003”, as per the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. In addition, certain forms of gambling are made explicitly illegal by the bill.
This New Zealand gambling law created four classes of legal forms of gambling, apart from lotteries and casinos, rendering all others which do not fall into these categories illegal. Here are the four classes of legal gambling in New Zealand:
- Class 1 – the only class that can be fully conducted by individuals; cannot have a prize or turnover of over $500; all proceedings, if conducted by an individual, must be divided between the players. Class 1 can be said to apply to social gambling or playing games for money with friends.
- Class 2 – the turnover must exceed $500, but it cannot exceed $2,500; this gaming class can only be conducted by societies as defined by the Act.
- Class 3 and 4 – class 3 value of prizes must exceed $5,000; class 4 gambling usually refers to gaming machines like pokies; class 3 and class 4 gambling games cannot be conducted without a license.
Online Gambling Laws in New Zealand
When it comes to New Zealand gambling laws relating to online gambling, the situation gets trickier. The Gaming Act 2003 has a special section dedicated to remote interactive gaming, seemingly outlaws online gambling, but it’s not that simple, so let’s break down this section.
“Remote interactive gaming” refers to “gambling by a person at a distance by interaction through a communication device”, which includes computers and phones, so online gambling in New Zealand is technically banned. There are two exceptions to this law – the New Zealand lottery and the Racing Board, both of which operate online.
However, one thing is very clear – an online casino cannot legally exist in New Zealand. There can be no such operations, and the law provides fines for both the operator and the punter if they are found to be engaging in this activity.
Interestingly though, the Act explicitly states that “it is not illegal for someone in New Zealand to participate in gambling over the Internet if that website is based overseas”. This means that you can legally play at operators based overseas. Still, make sure to play at only legal online casinos for NZ players.
Legal Forms of Gambling in New Zealand
Let us give you a list of the legal forms of gambling in New Zealand so you can know for a fact what you can do there:
- Social gaming (playing with friends for monetary prizes)
- Casino gaming (includes pokies, poker, and blackjack, among other games)
- On-track and off-track betting (betting on horse races, both in-person and online)
- Sports betting (both in-person and online)
- Lottery (both in-person and online)
Most Common Questions and Answers
Thank you for reading our gambling laws NZ article. We hope you are now aware of all New Zealand gambling laws and all the legal forms of gambling in the country. Below, you can find the most common questions regarding the topic, but if you have any other inquiries, please contact us.
1️⃣ Is gambling legal in New Zealand?
The gambling laws in NZ are quite liberal. Most forms of gambling in New Zealand are legal. This includes things like casino gaming and sports betting. The rest of the legal forms of gambling in New Zealand are social gaming, lottery, and on-track and off-track betting.
2️⃣ Are there land-based casinos in New Zealand?
Yes, there are land-based NZ casinos. As per the history of gambling laws in New Zealand, they finally became legal in 1989. Nowadays, you can find them all around the country. They offer a variety of casino games, like, for example, hundreds of pokies from leading software developers.
3️⃣ Is online gambling legal in New Zealand?
There are no legal online casinos based in NZ. While the online gambling laws in New Zealand do not allow that, they do allow players to visit offshore sites legally. The NZ Lottery and the Racing Board operate online, so they are exceptions to the law.
4️⃣ Can you bet on sports in New Zealand?
Yes, you can bet on sports in New Zealand. Until 1987, you could only bet on horse races, but since then, the national sports betting operator, the Totalisator Agency Board, started offering all sorts of wagering. You can even bet on sports online. Gambling is regulated by the laws and regulations in New Zealand.
5️⃣ Is social gaming allowed in New Zealand?
Yes, social gambling or playing against other people for monetary prizes is allowed in New Zealand. According to the gambling laws in NZ, this falls under Class 1 gaming. As per the Gambling Act 2003, any individual can partake in it. The turnover and prize money cannot exceed $500 and belong only to the winners, not the organisers.