4 Top Tips for Playing Online Casino Games in New Zealand
Gambling is a popular pastime for many Kiwis. It’s the second most popular legal recreational activity in New Zealand. However, not all gambling activities are legal in New Zealand. If you’re keen on playing online casino games based in New Zealand, there are a few things to be aware of before you get started!
1. Things to consider when gambling online in New Zealand
There are a few things to keep in mind when gambling online. First, New Zealand residents are only allowed to gamble on gambling websites that have been granted a license by the Lotteries Commission. Second, consider consulting a financial adviser if you’re thinking about gambling online in New Zealand.
Playing for Real Money
The most traditional form of gambling is winning ATM cash prizes from the national lottery (1 in every 5 adults have played a raffle in their lifetime). There are also online slot machines available in the country. When paying for your lodging in a hotel room, you could be putting your real-life money at risk. You may well be financing a trip with your credit card, or you could be financing a trip with your real-life savings. When a raffle is live, you are paying for a chance at winning real money. In most cases, prices are limited to a few dollars on a prize of several thousand dollars. To summarize – while you may be able to win at a raffle, you are almost certainly taking a different approach to financing your trip to the island nation of Aotearoa.
2. A brief history of online gambling in New Zealand
The history of online gambling in New Zealand is a relatively short one. The first online gambling site in New Zealand was launched in 1997 by a company called The House of Chance. In the early days, online gambling in New Zealand was only available to a select number of people because you had to be a member of a licensed club to register. When you joined The House of Chance, you had to pay a monthly subscription fee but access to the site was completely free it’s not clear whether this was advertised on the site – but admittedly, there are quite a few contractually agreed terms surrounding user agreements. As you can imagine, people began to make a bit of a fuss about this development. Some tried to bring in legislation to regulate the industry which broke down something called the “Nordic model”.
Nordic model
One thing that the Association of Gaming Controls in New Zealand has done successfully is to create several guidelines for the industry. When these guidelines were first put in place, gambling companies had a bit of a think.
3. What are the biggest online casino sites for Kiwis?
The two biggest online casino sites for Kiwis are SkyCity and SkyCasino. SkyCity has a wide variety of games to play, including classics like blackjack and roulette, as well as video slots and jackpot games. It is also pretty affordable, too—you can just play for as little as $5 per day and more than that in some cases!
So, what are the differences between these two sites?
Types of gameplay:
Both SkyCity and SkyCasino offer online games that you can play with a variety of different people. The gameplay generally varies from game to game, and there’s a wide variety of different strategies you can use to further increase your profits.
In addition, there are four different types of gameplay:
Free-play: You can leave the computer on while you play, and chances are you’ll be able to play a couple of hours before you need to close it.
Ping pong: There’s an equal amount of luck involved when playing the games on either side. If you notice that there’s a line of players waiting on you to start the game, you have to “host” the game by moving the mouse over the lower right corner of the screen. Ping pong is the same as a Free-play game.
Multi-machine: In this case, there are five different machines (gaming machines), but you can play against humans or bots as well.
4. Ensure you learn the rules and laws in New Zealand
Gambling is a popular activity for many Kiwis, and the country’s gambling laws have been designed to protect players. However, not all online casinos are created equal, and it’s important to understand the laws and the penalties for violating them to ensure you stay within the law.
1. Know and respect the laws.
Online slot machine games (OSMs) fall under New Zealand’s Economic games regulations. These are set by the government and determine the minimum parameters for machines and slot payouts. Certain OSMs are legal, while most are not. Refer to the Economic games regulations and New Zealand’s regulations to learn more. Refer to the main site for further information about OSM penalties.
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2. Understand the rules.
Don’t get blindsided by the small print. Learn what you can about the machine you’re about to play, including if it’s online or offline, how much it can pay (or not pay) and how it operates. Note that some prizes may be illegal, especially internationally. If that’s the case for you, your best bet is to research the laws in your country.
3. Whatever you do, don’t cheat.
As mentioned before, these online gambling machines are digital simulations. They’re not real casinos, and not all payouts are legal. Some are illegal or restricted to a small area, so it’s important not to play them outside of their legal bounds. In addition, if you’re caught cheating, you could face significant repercussions, including permanent closure of your account and your ability to play online games ever again.