Gambling goes back to the Palaeolithic Age, the time where man was still not able to record history. And so, we could confidently say that gambling has been a part of human culture and development for thousands of years.
In other parts of the world, gambling is legal and an important part of society. Places like Las Vegas, Atlantic City or Macau are places where gambling plays a very important role. And they provide more than just entertainment.
Big casino companies build resorts that create jobs and opportunities to their communities.
For example, there was a time not long ago when Las Vegas was nothing more than a big piece of land with nothing but sand. Macau was nothing more than a sleepy port two centuries ago.
When gambling houses became popular and business became lucrative the area around simply grew with it.
Growth in Tourism
So, in 1961 when gambling laws here in New Zealand became more lenient sports betting also grew and that also encouraged the development of better sports arenas. Horseracing was the first sports betting that was allowed here and gambling helped in its growth.
When the other sports gain popularity and betting became allowed it made the games more exciting.
Sports like Aussie football, cricket and tennis started to develop and their growth followers and popularity has increased tax revenues and helped the communities where these teams are based.
Increased Tax Revenue
To date, there are 33-horseracings events in New Zealand with about six land-based casinos, several football teams and tennis arenas.
There are also several big casino companies that are looking to build and develop more resorts however the government is making sure that growth of the industry is managed well.
But we cannot take away the fact that sports betting and casino gambling has helped New Zealand in terms of tax revenue, development and in creating job opportunities.
The good thing about New Zealand despite its strict approach to gambling is that they value privacy. In countries like the US for example, privacy belongs to the second tier when it comes to its value, while in New Zealand, the privacy of its citizens or the individual is being carefully looked upon.
In recent years there has been an increase in support to make privacy a right of an individual which is important for people who are into gambling.
Gambling is a personal sport and for as long as the individual is not causing any damage or affecting the lives of his friends and relatives in a negative way then his/her personal information should be protected.