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Best NZ Online Pokies
Gambling in New Zealand has always been allowed to a greater or lesser extent. As early as the 19th century, locals were betting on horse racing and boxing matches. As of 2016 there are 6 casinos and more than 1,300 gambling sites in New Zealand. The number of slot machines is more than 16 thousand.
Gambling business in New Zealand
Photo source: News of Gambling
Brief description of New Zealand
New Zealand is an island state in the Pacific Ocean. Its population is 4.5 million people. The country is adjacent to Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. New Zealand has unique wildlife.
The largest cities are Auckland (1,294,000 people) and Wellington (379,000 people). Zealand is divided into 16 regions. The country’s population is largely descended from the English, Dutch, Germans, and “white” South Africans. The indigenous Maori population is 14.6%.
The economy of the country is based on agriculture, the processing and the food-processing industries, and also tourism. In terms of GNP (gross national product), Zealand is ranked 60th in the world. It is also recognized as one of the best countries for doing business.
The history of gambling in New Zealand
The gambling business has existed in New Zealand since immigrants from Britain began to settle the territory. Gambling was a common occupation during the period of colonization.
The Gambling Act Bill of 1908 banned gambling – only horse racing remained legal. They remained the only legal form until 1951, when TAB, the state bookmaker’s office, appeared.
After that the laws began to relax and new forms of gambling became available to New Zealanders. Consistently, lotteries, slot machines, casinos and online casinos appeared.
Horse racing.
This is the oldest form of gambling in New Zealand. The first races were held in 1835. However, betting on horses was banned in 1920. They were allowed again only in 1961, and then with great restrictions.
Lotteries
The first lotteries appeared in 1933. They were relatively small in size. The large Golden Kiwi Lottery appeared in 1961. It was then replaced by the Lotto in 1987.
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Slot machines first appeared in New Zealand in 1991. The jargon name was poker machines or poki, as in Australia. The government allowed the organization of clubs with slot machines in 1989.
In the 90’s operators preferred to put slot machines in and around Wellington, as it is a metropolitan area. Then in 2001, the government announced it was going to rid the capital of gambling. Seven city casinos were closed because the authorities were afraid of too much addiction developing in the population.
Casino
The first casino opened in the city of Christchurch in 1994. Then casinos were built in cities:
Dunedin;
Hamilton;
Queenstown;
Auckland.
Gambling establishments in these cities are still in operation today.
Slot machines online.
New Zealanders, as a very gambling nation, naturally could not miss online casinos. Gaming websites and platforms started in 1994. Microgaming became the first provider of online slots in New Zealand
Fruit Fiesta and Cash Splash were some of the first slot machines to become available to New Zealanders. In the late nineties, New Zealanders were introduced to slots from Playtech and Cryptologic.
At first, online slots had only one winning line and three reels. Pokies For Real Money Then, with the development of computers, developers began to introduce more paylines, wild symbols, scatters, bonuses and bonus games.
New Zealand’s gambling legislation
Gambling business in New Zealand is regulated by a number of laws:
Boxing and Wrestling Act 1981;
Gambling Act of 2003;
Racing Act 2003;
Gambling Amendment Act of 2003 passed in 2005 and 2015.
The Gambling Act 2003 is the main gambling law in New Zealand. It defines classes of gambling depending on monetary costs and risks for society. It also defines private gambling.
Gambling classes
New Zealand defines 4 classes of gambling according to the value of bets and payouts.
First class:
Gambling organizers pay no deductions or compensation;
Gambling activity complies with the rules of the game;
no gaming machines are used in the process;
prizes or potential earnings Pokies For Real Money casino per session does not exceed USD 500;
if the game is organized by citizens individually, all profits go to prizes;
if the game is organized by the community, all profits go to the community;
the game does not require licensing.