Online Casinos Continue to Flourish in New Zealand

Online gambling has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world and New Zealand is no exception. Although there are a lot of countries that are introducing laws to regulate online gambling, New Zealand has been a safe haven when it comes to regulation.

In fact, the country introduced gambling laws that legalised online lottery games and sports betting but online casinos operate in a grey area with no specific laws regulating it.

Hence New Zealanders are free to place bets on their favourite online pokies. Players can also check the authenticity of sites by running a few Google searches.

New Zealand Gambling Laws

The gambling laws were introduced first in 2003. As per the law, any sportsbook or online lottery that registers itself on the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) and the New Zealand Lottery Commission (NZLC) is considered legal.

The law further states that New Zealand operators are banned from allowing players to participate in online casino games. However, the law does not state any rules for bookmakers or operators who are not based out of New Zealand as they are outside the jurisdiction of NZRB and NZLC and department of internal affairs.

Land-based gamblings are legal in New Zealand and several casinos offer different casino games but remote gambling is not allowed. Some games like online poker and online bingo games are illegal in the country.

So due to the loophole of offshore online operators operable in the country, many New Zealanders frequently visit the site to play the online casino games.

New Zealand Offshore Casinos

Offshore casinos have used this loophole in the New Zealand gambling act to their advantage. To attract more New Zealanders, these casinos offer the New Zealand dollar (NZD) as one of the currency options to ease the transaction. There is also a toll-free customer number for players to reach in case of any issues during the play.

Taxation Laws in New Zealand

The tax laws are also in favor of New Zealanders as the government taxes only the operators and not the players. The country does not consider the wins from gambling as income hence the players can keep the entire amount but in case of a professional gambler with no other source of income, the tax needs to be paid.

The Inland Revenue Department’s tax code does have a mention of gambling taxes but it is only focused on the onshore operators.

How to pick the best Online Casino

There are a lot of gambling sites available for New Zealanders but it is important to pick a reliable and authentic site as there are a lot of shady and questionable gambling sites on the internet. Below mentioned is the checklist you can use to finalise the best gambling website

• The website should be safe and secure with SSL certificates. Keep any eye out for licenses as well. Casinos that are licensed by MGA/UKGC and Curacao are fair, safe and secure.
• There should be multiple payment methods like Paypal, PoLi available for players
• Robust customer support to help players in case of issues
• The website should have high rating and reviews on the internet by fellow players