New Zealand

Read about New Zealand's gambling licensing and regulations for online casinos.

Gambling that takes place in New Zealand is regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs. The portion of profits generated from public gambling is returned to the community and is used for various projects. The biggest gambling operators in New Zealand are owned by the state. The expenditure on New Zealand gambling is about NZD$ 2 billion. The government announced in May of 2013 that it would allow SkyCity Auckland to operate 230 slots machines as well as 40 table games in exchange for a convention centre costing $402 million.

Lotteries are also operated in New Zealand and the first was called the Art Union. This was operated by the Otago Art Society and it began in December of 1877. Organizations and individual lotteries are a viable way to raise money for various causes. New Zealand established its first national lotteries in 1933 and they were called Art Unions after the first lottery. The prizes for these lotteries were fairly small and at their start Art Union prizes were stated in alluvial gold quantities.

Because the returns for these lotteries were so low many people tried to purchase tickets in lotteries overseas including the Tattersall’s lottery in Australia. The Art Union lotteries began to decline and in the late 1950s the Second Labour Government decided to review these lotteries. The National Government founded the Golden Kiwi lottery in 1961 to replace the Art Union lotteries. In 1987, the New Zealand Lotteries Commission was founded and it regulates lotteries, scratch cards and Keno. The New Zealand Racing Board is in charge of regulation sports betting and horse racing in the country.