Regulatory bodies are essential when it comes to maintain safe and fair gambling experiences, and New Zealand is no exception to this rule. The country has its own regulatory bodies much like other countries, but it’s all rather confusing – claim free spins no deposit UK.
Which are the major gambling regulatory bodies in New Zealand and what are the laws? It’s great that you want to know about this as it’s important stuff, so let’s get stuck into it. We’re going to be looking at:
– The Department of Internal Affairs
– New Zealand Gambling Commission
– Offshore gaming
Regulatory Boards of New Zealand
To answer your question, there are two major gambling regulatory bodies in New Zealand – the New Zealand Gambling Commission, and the Department of Internal Affairs. The department of internal affairs covers a broad range of rules and regulations within the country, and gambling is one of them. They essentially work alongside their internal ‘Gambling Group’ to ensure that any gambling within New Zealand is provided by trusted operators that help minimize problem gambling.
The department of internal affairs works alongside the Gambling Commission, and is specifically designed to make decisions based under New Zealand’s Gambling Act of 2003. It investigates and applies a variety of casino licenses to land-based gambling machines and regulated online casinos. However, they also regulate some licensed online casinos such as Lotto NZ and The TAB. So, does this mean that online gambling is generally not possible in New Zealand? Not quite – let’s investigate this.
Online Casino Regulations in New Zealand
Online gambling is generally considered to be illegal in New Zealand, with a couple of regulated exceptions such as The TAB and Lotto NZ. However, this does not mean that you cannot access online casinos in New Zealand. In fact, it’s actually totally legal to gamble online in New Zealand as long as the website is not based in the country. This essentially means that you will need to use an offshore website, and whilst this can be enjoyed guilt free, the websites will not be regulated by bodies in New Zealand. This can result in a variety of problems:
– There is no way for New Zealand regulatory bodies to guarantee that an offshore website is safe to use
– No regulation means that harm reduction features will not necessary be included on the site
– There are overall risks that you are taking into your own hands, and regulatory boards based in New Zealand cannot get involved
Final Thoughts
Well, that was all a bit confusing wasn’t it! Basically, land-based casinos are highly regulated and safe to use in New Zealand, and there is a very limited selection of online casinos that you can legally play at. However, if you are happy to play on sites that are unregulated by national boards, you can simply play at offshore online casinos! Just remember to take precaution, do your research, and ensure that you manage your finances, odds, and risk safely as there will be no regulatory boards to help you do so! Most importantly, enjoy!
