Are you a New Zealander who’s thinking about online gambling? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know, including legislation, rules, and tax information. Last year people in New Zealand spent a record amount on gambling. On average, every adult spent an average of $204 on gambling. This record-breaking year was not just made possible by the exit from the COVID-19-related lockdown, but also by the continued growth of online gambling operators. Nowadays there’s a range of offshore and national online offerings to choose from. Before you gamble, it’s worth knowing a thing or two about the New Zealand laws regulating this industry.
Things To Look Out For
The good news is, it’s perfectly legal to deposit and withdraw money from online casinos in New Zealand as long as the operator is based offshore. Online gaming, or iGaming sites, if they are reputable and regulated by either the UK Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority, are perfectly safe to use. Before you deposit any funds, check if it’s licensed in either the UK or Malta. This is a guarantee that your money will be safe and proper procedures are in place to prevent hacks or any other nasty surprises. You don’t even have to pay taxes on such winnings, which is a big advantage. The online gambling industry has been growing explosively in New Zealand because more and more online operators are accepting NZD as currency. The lockdown situation only increased the demand for such services. When choosing an online gambling venue, also have a look at things like the overall design of their site, and how reliable their customer service is. If you find any red flags, including withholding of payouts, steer clear. By being vigilant, you’ll be able to get a better overall gambling experience, without having to worry about the safety of your deposits.
Enjoy Pokies Without the Risk of Going Outside
Online gambling services make it possible for you to enjoy the experience of gambling without having to go outside into a risky, crowded setting. When it comes to finding the popular online casinos in New Zealand right now, it’s a good idea to look online for more information. When choosing an operator, make sure it’s the real deal by reading customer reviews. By learning from the experiences of others, you’ll be able to make the right choice.
The Legal Status of Online Gambling Today in New Zealand
Gambling in general in New Zealand is regulated by the Gambling Act of 2003. It’s illegal for foreign companies to have locally-based gambling operations in New Zealand. That being said, the law allows consumers to gamble online at foreign sites. The only stipulation in the law is that foreign gambling sites aren’t allowed to promote their services directly to New Zealand-based consumers. Pretty tricky, right? Still, nothing prevents you as a New Zealander from searching for and finding such services. In other words, it’s perfectly legal for you to gamble online, as long as the operator is not based in NZ and they haven’t directly advertised their service to you in any way, shape, or form. You just happened to find their service and use it, end of the story. This means you can gamble (and receive winnings from) foreign online casinos, and tax-free to boot. Because foreign operators aren’t regulated by the NZ Government, this means they don’t pay taxes in NZ and neither do long-distance players who play at such online venues. That sounds like a great deal if you ask us.
Look for Bonuses
When choosing an online gambling service, be sure to look for bonuses. Some sites will have bonuses, including free money to go along with your first deposit. You can also get rewards for referrals. Because such operators care about getting a good deal for new customers, it shows that they’re serious about their business and their reputation. The only restriction is the age: soliciting minors to gamble can get you fined, and gamblers under 18 years of age can also face a $500 fine if caught, so stay within the bounds of legality and don’t promote gambling services to children.
Gamble Responsibly
It goes without saying that you should always gamble responsibly. Only risk money which you’re willing to put at risk. Keep tabs on the amount of risk that you’re taking, and never gamble with more than you can afford to lose. A good online gambling service allows users to follow their amounts without getting disoriented by bright, colorful visuals. Also, gambling should ideally only be done if you are legally sane, and don’t suffer from any mental illnesses or dementia. If you’re an at-risk person, consult with a mental health professional before gambling. In 2019, the New Zealand Government did an online consultation. Among the ideas citizens chose was putting spending limits on gambling sites, to prevent at-risk people from losing more money than they can afford. You yourself can keep yourself from losing too much by using an imaginary „daily spending limit.” This means you stay disciplined, with a risk tolerance that’s right for you.
Loyalty Clubs
Before you go on and start your online gambling journey, it’s important to know everything about loyalty clubs. Loyalty clubs or as many like to call it, the VIP program, is a way for players to get more rewards and bonuses while playing. The VIP club or program is for the loyal players who spend a certain amount of money on a specific website, or just by playing with real money. Every online casino site has its own rules and rewards for its loyalty program. However, what they all have in common is the loyalty club provides you with points every time you gamble with real money. The points you get depends on the amount you wagered and the type of game you’re playing. These points can later be converted into real money or online purchases inside the website.
All the famous and credible casino sites will offer you to join their loyalty program as soon as you deposit money, but they usually have levels of loyalty. The higher the level you get, the higher the rewards and points you receive. Levels are usually silver, gold, and platinum, but some casinos have different names for the levels and others could have more than 5 levels. With the VIP program, you can also get free rounds or spins, invitations to participate in exclusive events or tournaments, gifts, coupon codes, and sometimes luxury vacation packages. You can also get birthday bonuses and gifts. You can check the loyalty program of any online casino from their website, you will most probably find it on the first page before you sign in. So do your research before committing to a specific site to ensure that you got the best deal and the more you play the more rewards you’ll get.
Easy Ways To Win
Many new players start to search for ways to cheat or want to guarantee a win without losing any money. Unfortunately, any credible site will not have any cheat codes and if you tried, your account will be banned and you might be fined. If you’re new to gambling and you want to reduce your risk of losing, you can start playing on slot machines. Slots are known to be the simplest and easiest games to play in a casino. You just need to understand how it works and you’re good to go. Slots are also known to be the quickest to cash out. The rounds are so fast and you can gamble with any amount you like. They are automated, which means that you don’t have to wait for your turn. It’s just you and the machine.
All online slots have an automated feature that allows you to automate the game while you just watch it and wait for your wins. You can also choose a site that has a high winning rate to reduce your risk of losing. The winning rate is usually shown on the slot machine page and it shows you the rate of wins vs losses for all players. You can also read the description of any slot machine you want to play, to know how to play it with minimum risk.
If you’re aware of the legal environment, you can improve your online gambling experience as a New Zealand resident. There’s a whole world of online gaming at your fingertips and luckily NZ law means that it’s all legal and you can even enjoy your winnings tax-free. Be sure to gamble responsibly, and enjoy your games. However, before you choose a website, make sure that it’s credible. Nowadays, fake websites look exactly like credible ones and they will wait until you deposit real money to scam you. So before you sign in and enter your personal and bank details, make sure that you have read enough reviews about this site and check the certificates of the website. This way you will ensure that your details are secured and you won’t be scammed.
