New zealand casino

Gambling in New Zealand is controlled by the Department of Internal Affairs. All public gambling is expected to return a portion of profits to the community. The largest proportion of the gambling industry is operated by state-owned institutions.^{[citation needed]} Expenditure on gambling (losses experienced by players) was $NZ billion in ($NZ per capita), a tenfold increase over figures.^[1]

Horse racing[edit]

Bookmaking was declared illegal in New Zealand in ^[2] From then until the introduction of the Totalizator Agency Board (TAB) in , betting on racing was only available on-course.

Lotteries[edit]

The first "Art Union" was conducted in New Zealand by the Otago Art Society in December ^[3] Both individuals and organizations subsequently used them as a way of raising funds. The first national lotteries were established in They were known as "Art Unions". Prizes were relatively small, and in the early Art Unions the prizes were quantities of alluvial gold. As an example, the "Golden Treasure" Art Union of had , tickets with a top prize of £ ranging down to an 11th prize of £20 plus prizes of £2.^[4] The low returns tempted many people to (illegally) purchase tickets in overseas lotteries such as the Australian Tattersall's lottery. With Art Union sales declining, a review of lotteries was undertaken by the Second Labour Government in the late s, and in the National Government introduced the Golden Kiwi lottery.^[5]

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission was established in Its original product, Lotto, has since been supplemented by Instant Kiwiscratch cards, daily Keno and a Lotto variant named Big Wednesday. Lotto tickets became available online in

The Totalizator Agency Board, commonly called the TAB, is a sports betting organisation run by the New Zealand Racing Board.

"Pokies"[edit]

Introduced in , slot machines, commonly known as "pokies", are operated by charitable foundations and are mostly placed in hotels and bars. Maximum jackpots are regulated. In the year ending 30 June , turnover was $ billion, of which $ billion was returned as prizes (player losses were $ million). These figures represent a 9% decrease from the peak year of Pokies accounted for % of gambling expenditure (losses) in ^[1] The year to 30 June saw a further 5% fall in expenditure, to $ million. There were 19, machines in 1, venues operated by licensees, all of these figures being a decrease from ^[6]

Since 1 July , all machines must have Player Information Displays, which inform the gambler how long they have been playing, how much they have lost, and which encourage them to take breaks.^[6]

In May the Government announced it would allow casino SkyCity Auckland to install an additional pokie machines and 40 new gambling tables, in exchange for a $ million convention centre.^[7][8]

Online pokies, also commonly referred to as online slots, are digital adaptations of traditional slot machines that can be played via the internet. They have gained substantial popularity in the world of online gambling, providing players with convenient access to a diverse range of casino games.^{[citation needed]}

Casinos[edit]

There are six casinos operating in New Zealand, the first of which (Christchurch Casino) opened in

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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