New Zealand Going the Way of Australia When it Comes to Gambling Laws

Gambling and sports betting in New Zealand is quite popular, just as in Australia and the land of forefathers, Great Britain.

The online casinos in New Zealand attract many players. So do the land-based casinos as well. In a nation of slightly over 4 million people, bettors spend over $2 billion annually.

New Zealanders, just like Aussies, love sports, especially such disciplines as rugby. Since most online sportsbooks in New Zealand offer comprehensive access to various sports, the punters there can’t complain.

However, there are impending changes in the New Zealand gambling laws. According to proposals, local authorities would get to decide where poker machines can be placed.

In addition, to get a gambling license, the operators would need to set up devices tracking players and offer pre-paid gambling cards. It is also proposed that committees be set up by local councils to determine how the poker revenues would be redistributed.

Although the licenses would be granted indefinitely, the operators would get audited every three years under the changes sought. The measures are intended to reduce problem gambling, while bringing more revenues from gambling taxation to the communities in which gambling profits are generated.

New Zealanders are certainly watching Aussies and may end up with similar sets of laws. But, no matter how the poker machines are regulated, many of the online poker sites in New Zealand may be beyond the jurisdiction of local authorities as these sites operate globally.