Gambling in New Zealand is legal under the Gambling Act 2003 and allows players to gamble if they are 20 years old or above. There is a law in New Zealand that if an underage player is caught in a restricted casino area, they could be fined up to $500. When it comes to online gambling in New Zealand, you are allowed to gamble on authorized providers only.
You can try your luck on offshore websites, but there is no surety of privacy and protection. There are also many trustworthy gambling platforms like Woo Casino NZ that provide a safe and secure gambling environment to players. In this article, we are going to understand more about the gambling laws in this country.
Introduction
The gambling law was introduced under the Gambling Act in September 2003. Over the years, many new rules and amendments have been introduced to the act to achieve the objectives.
Below we have given the major objectives of the Gambling Act 2003:
- Monitor and take control over the growth of gambling in New Zealand.
- Reduce and take care of the issues caused by gambling.
- Provide licenses to the authorized providers and eliminate the rest.
- Make sure that gambling benefits the community in some way.
- Maintains the integrity of the games and builds trust among players.
- Involves the community before implementing new rules to the gambling industry.
Gambling Regulations in New Zealand
There are several regulations that were added to the Gambling Act in the beginning, and a few regulations were added later. Here is a list of regulations with their year of implementation:
- Gambling venue payments regulations, 2016.
- Gambling fees regulations, 2015.
- Licensed promoters regulations, 2005.
- Harm prevention and minimization regulations, 2004.
- Gambling forms regulations, 2004.
- Prohibited property regulations, 2005.
- Non-gambling activities regulations, 2013.
Agencies Regulating Gambling
The Government of New Zealand has given several agencies the authority to regulate gambling responsibilities. Here is a list of agencies that takes the responsibility for gambling and maintains the objectives of the Gambling Act 2003:
Department of Internal Affairs
This department has been given the responsibility to undertake gambling licenses and other enforcement functions to achieve the main purpose of the Gambling Act 2003. The Department of Internal Affairs is the primary regulator of the entire gambling industry in New Zealand. There may be a chance of potential dispute or tension due to the effects of gambling on the community. The department’s ability to make the right decision can help solve such issues.
Ministry of Health
The government has given the Ministry of Health authority to handle the problems caused by gambling in the community. The department works on its strategies to cover the following things:
- Tries to increase public health by reducing the harm caused by gambling.
- Conducting scientific research to study the entire gambling scenario in the country.
- Helps the gamblers and their families by providing the best possible services.
The Ministry of Health gets its funding from the gambling levy for developing the strategies. Over the years, the department has shown a significant reduction in the harm associated with gambling.