Staff Report
Gambling has long been a pastime that New Zealanders enjoy. Casual wagering has been documented in New Zealand since way back in the 1830’s. Since those early days of gambling, Kiwis have come to love the occasional wager. As it became more and more popular, gambling was mainly centered on horseracing.
In 1913, a New Zealander would leave his mark in gambling circles. George Julius, inventor of the “automatic totalisator” was a New Zealander. The Tote board, as it came to be known, was a machine placed in the infield at tracks to show how the horses were positioned during a race.
New Zealand has a gambling expenditure of about $NZ 2 billion each year. 35% of this amount goes to pokies with 26% of it going to casinos. Lottos and sports betting account for the rest of the amount at 21% and 18% respectively.
New Zealanders are clearly not afraid of trying their luck ,with 80% of the population engaging in one form of gambling or the other. After some number crunching, this is equivalent to 3.6 million people. Though a small island country isolated from the rest of the globe, New Zealand has become one of the prime hotspots for online gambling but remains restricted for New Zealand based companies.
The wave of online gamblers looking for a good time playing casino games on their devices has touched on all sides of the ecosystem that keeps online gambling exciting. Sites such as casinoreviews.net.nz ,which is a hub of information about online casinos, have risen in popularity. One of the most sought-after sections is the one about online casino no deposit bonuses. The internet is chockfull with these ridiculously lucrative offers that intend to draw players in, so it helps to know which ones are worth your time.
One of the reasons online gambling has taken off in such a manner in New Zealand is sports betting. New Zealanders are known to take their sports seriously with their interests centered on;
1. Cricket
2. Football
3.Netball
4. Rugby
5.Union
Though online wagering in New Zealand is tightly controlled today, things are likely to change as time goes by. New technologies which create fresh legal loopholes are being introduced faster than before and the wave of online gamblers is not likely to diminish any time soon. Given that gambling legislation in New Zealand is often under review, it may have to accommodate online gambling soon.
