Online casinos are redefining how Kiwi players experience gambling, as they offer a digital alternative to the brick-and-mortar gambling establishment which people need to leave their homes to visit.
Online casinos are redefining how Kiwi players experience gambling, as they offer a digital alternative to the brick-and-mortar gambling establishment which people need to leave their homes to visit. Well, everything is different now because anyone with a good internet connection and a smartphone can experience gambling without leaving the comfort of their home.
The comfort of betting online is one of the many reasons that online casinos are getting more popular in New Zealand. Below, I will explore the many legal, technological and social factors that are driving this trend with evidence.
The Regulatory Environment in New Zealand
Current gambling regulations in New Zealand offer the environment for online casinos to thrive. Let’s start with the Gambling Act 2003, which prohibits domestic companies from offering online gambling services to New Zealanders. The interesting part is that it allows New Zealanders to legally play on offshore casinos. The Department of Internal Affairs is responsible for overseeing and enforcing the regulation of gambling in New Zealand, but it can’t do much to regulate offshore sites.
Unlike Australia, where the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 restricts any form of online casino services, New Zealand’s lenient regulations regarding offshore gambling sites is a major reason that the gambling industry in the country keeps growing.
I expect the growth in the New Zealand gambling sector to increase in coming years. The major reason would be the success of the efforts the DIA is making to capture outgoing revenue and enhance player protection. We will keep watching for what improvements the introduction of local regulations for online gambling providers in New Zealand will bring.
The Major Reasons for the Surge in Online Casino Popularity
The online gambling industry in New Zealand is going through an important revolution that is causing change in both the nation’s economy and the entertainment industry. Experts predict that the revenue in the New Zealand gambling market will reach US$3.53bn by 2029. Many factors have influenced the surge in online casino popularity; however, the following are the factors that have had the strongest effects on the online gambling industry:
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- Convenience
- Impact of COVID-19
- Variety of games and features
- Technological Innovations
Convenience
The level of convenience that online casinos offer to their community is unparalleled. Players have access to these platforms 24 hours a day, seven days a week, eliminating the previous need to visit a physical casino. Mobile gambling accounted for 87% of the traffic in the global gambling market in 2023, a trend that is being mirrored in New Zealand today.
New Zealand reportedly has more cellular mobile connections than people, with a reported 6.54 million active connections in 2023. That was equivalent to 125.6% of the total population in 2023. I expect the market penetration to be even more pronounced by now.
Casinos also recognize the impact of the growing trend of mobile gambling and I have noticed that many of these New Zealand sites are offering mobile-friendly websites and dedicated apps to aid in customer retention. If they do not apply these techniques, they risk the majority of their fanbase moving on to other gambling platforms that cater to the mobile gambling lifestyle.
Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic era significantly accelerated the industry shift towards online casinos in New Zealand. Lockdown and social restrictions forced all physical gambling venues to shut their doors. The only solution for any business that wished to survive was to take their business online.
A longitudinal study found that almost one quarter of online gamblers in New Zealand increased their gambling activity during the lockdown period. The surge during the pandemic was based on many factors, including boredom and increased time spent at home. This isn’t to say online gambling wasn’t trending before the pandemic, but gamblers had no other option during the period.
Many players that moved to digital platforms during COVID continued betting online post-pandemic due to the convenience and variety that online casinos offered.
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Variety of Games and Features
As mentioned earlier, the comfort which mobile gaming offers is one of the many reasons that players love online casinos. This doesn’t mean that Kiwis’ will gamble at just any casino, especially if they have a limited number of games. On the contrary, from what I’ve discovered, the casinos that are getting the most visits offer players a large variety of games to choose from. Poker, blackjack and roulette are some of the many games that are dominating the market because of their simple gameplay.
Technological Innovations
Many say that modern day technology has bridged the gap between online casinos and physical gambling venues. However, from where I’m standing, virtual reality and augmented reality have closed what little gap was left.
New Zealand casinos keep getting more innovative day by day. At one time, it was live dealer games that had us hooked because of the immersive experience they offer. Now, it’s virtual reality and augmented reality that take you into the digital gaming world. Who knows what innovative ideas might come next?
Advancements in Gambling Activities Influencing the Trend
The most popular gambling activities in New Zealand include lottery games, sports betting and casino games, with slots leading the way for their simple gameplay. Many of the online casinos targeting Kiwi gamblers have mastered the art of player retention with the many free spin, free bet and bonus deposit match offers, among the many other rewards that they offer for registration on their platform. Though recently, they have been offering new advancements and innovations which have helped drive their popularity. The most popular games among New Zealand players include:
Traditional Casino Games
At present, an average casino gaming lobby has up to 3,000 selections for players to choose from. I don’t think anyone could possibly be bored with over 3,000 games. These games usually include a wide range of varieties to suit the gaming preferences of online bettors, including table games, slots, live games, crash games and even game shows. Most of these casinos even add new games from top providers every week.
Casinos and game providers have also been appealing to the New Zealand cultural sense of identity with the production and listing of many Kiwi-themed pokies and promotions tied to local events, such as free spins during national holidays. These efforts have helped players avoid feeling left out even if they do not have locally regulated gambling sites.
These games have also been branching out into the virtual world, thanks to live dealer games and livestreamers. This has meant that their appeal is being broadcast more widely than ever before, due to the worldwide reach of livestreaming, with some streamers regularly being watched by hundreds.
Lottery Games
Lottery games are one of the most popular among Kiwi online bettors. The fact that the lottery tickets that players had to head over to physical betting shops to purchase are now available to buy online has made it easier to participate in the lottery draws. However, you can only legally buy lottery tickets from the New Zealand Lottery Commission.
The lottery has also become more digital. AR development and online community spaces are being looked into which will point new players towards the game. The lottery owes some of its popularity to its transparency, as all profits that they receive from the publicly regulated lotteries are distributed to fund recreation, arts, community projects, and sports, allowing players to give back to their community through playing. This has helped drive the popularity of the lottery a lot recently as people have become more socially conscious.
Sports Betting
Sports betting is one of the major performers in the New Zealand gambling scene. Many gambling sites even offer players the opportunity to watch the sports live on their betting site. However, some of these casinos will only offer this livestream option to active bettors who have placed a bet in a set time period.
Aside from the livestream option, live stats and increased betting options are some of the reasons that players are choosing to place their sports bets on the internet. Many of these sites offer players the chance to place bets after a game has started, which is especially important nowadays with streaming and watching on demand being preferred. Incentives like free bets and odds boost contribute to why players stay on these sites.
The Growing Appeal of Crypto Casinos: Privacy and Protection
Many of the online gambling sites that offer their services to New Zealand players try many different strategies to capture the heart of their audience, with some even advertising that they are for Kiwi gamblers only. Even though appealing to the cultural sense works, my research shows that it’s the crypto casinos that seem to be growing fastest.
New Zealanders are enjoying the security and state-of the-art blockchain technology which crypto offers. New Zealand has become a tech-savvy nation. In fact, the capital city of Wellington is often referred to as ‘Silicon Valley’, so it makes sense that crypto is one of the many technologies that is drawing Kiwi players to online casinos.
Players want to see the technology in action, and crypto performs well. It allows you to easily play any of your favorite games while enjoying instant payment options. Another positive aspect is that online gambling activities at a crypto casino are untraceable because transactions are completely anonymous.
Wrapping Up: How New Zealand’s Online Casino Industry is Evolving
The rising popularity of online casinos in New Zealand reflects a mix of convenience, technological advancements and cultural appeal. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift from physical casinos to online casinos. The growth has been steady since then, and the industry shows no signs of slowing down.
Tessie Williamson
Graduating with a Mathematics degree from the University of Waikato, Tessie has spent over a decade in the gambling industry, becoming a trusted casino specialist in New Zealand. Tessie enjoys studying casino trends and playing strategic games in her downtime.
