Posted by More and more developments are materializing in the casino and gambling industry in New Zealand. In other countries, most casino-related news is focused on illegal online casinos, false mergers, and of course, gambling addiction.
Well, not in New Zealand. We’re not saying that the country is immune to those issues, they’re not. But with strict laws and direct compliance from operators and gamblers, gambling in New Zealand is productive.
Here are the latest casino news making rounds.
GiG Malta and SkyCity partnership
According to the Gambling Act of 2003, setting up a New Zealand-based online gambling operation is illegal. Only government-owned Lotto and the TAB New Zealand racing board are allowed operate internet gambling within the country.
People are allowed to gamble online, as long as the website or the program is situated overseas.
In August 2019, GiG (Gaming Innovation Group) Malta, a casino and sports betting public company partnered with SkyCity in New Zealand. The two launched a New Zealand-facing online casino site based in Malta and is under GiG’s Maltese license.
This news will surely result in more partnerships. Despite being partly owned by a New Zealand company, the online casino is not going against the rules.
No more credit cards for online gambling
The Department of Internal Affairs is pushing for a law to ban credit cards from online gambling usage. This was presented after theGiG and SkyCity news. The department is hoping to protect people from online threats while preventing problem gambling, which is rooted in online gambling these days.
The proposal quickly got support from several people butreceived some negative feedback as well. Many people believe credit card transactions are important and necessary for online gambling. Others, not so much.
We are excited to see further developments connected to this news. Subscribe to our online magazine for more content about casino laws and issues in New Zealand.