The popularity of crypto casinos in New Zealand reached new heights?

From a distance, New Zealand has a simple geography: two islands somewhere off Australia.  

But when you look closely, it’s a complex arrangement of more than 700 islands – and they’re about 1,000 miles from Australia! 

The same is true when you look at the gambling scene in New Zealand. Outsiders may think that all gaming on the islands is free from restrictions – but then they discover that the Kiwi gambling situation is far more complex that you’d think. 

The New Zealand gaming world 

Modern gaming in New Zealand is regulated by a range of restrictions on different classes of gambling. 

Overall, most gambling in New Zealand is considered legal – but controlled by different laws and authorities. One of the big surprises is that New Zealand-based online casinos aren’t allowed – but internet casinos operating from another country ARE.  

The 2003 Gambling Act still controls the nation’s gambling. This act decrees that various forms of gambling are permitted under rules to ensure fairness, integrity and player protection. 

For example, the legal gambling age is over 20 for physical casinos, but over 18 for everything else. 

Lotteries are legal and run by the New Zealand Lotteries Commission. Instant fun cards are also widely available. 

Bingo, known locally as ‘housie’, is also allowed and is very popular. Slot machines, called "pokies" across all the islands, have been permitted since the seventies. 

Betting on horse and greyhound racing is also permitted.  

On top of all this, certain areas permit land-based casinos with the classic range of table games and gaming machines. 

There are six legal casinos in five different cities. Queenstown on South Island is the only city in the country that has two.  

Yet according to the precise legal framework, technically gambling is illegal unless specifically legalized by an act of the government.  

If you’re left scratching your head, you’re like many of the Kiwi gaming industry observers. Since the 2003 Act many have simply accepted that most gambling is now legal – with the odd exception of New Zealand-based online casinos. 

Enjoying online casinos 

New Zealand-based online gambling is illegal (except online lottery and online sports betting). That’s because the 2003 Act says “remote interactive gambling” is forbidden. 

That’s vague enough for playing in foreign-based online casinos to be considered legal. Confused? 

The Department of the Internal Affairs explains it as: “Only the gambling that is conducted in New Zealand is subject to the provisions of the Act.”  

This means it’s illegal for home-based online casinos to target New Zealand players – but any New Zealander can place bets with offshore gambling providers. So offshore online casinos accept NZ players – and best of all, the players find that any winnings are not taxed. There are many new online casinos NZ players can choose from and they can all be found with this handy list. 

The rapid rise of crypto casinos 

Large numbers of New Zealand players are enjoying these online casino sites based overseas. They welcome Kiwi players – including some that advertise they are for New Zealanders only. 

Among these, it’s the crypto casinos that seem to be expanding fastest. 

These Bitcoin-based casinos offer the normal array of games from pokies to poker. But instead of playing with New Zealand dollars, customers convert their budget into virtual money like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. 

To be able to play in a crypto casino, players set up a digital wallet that uses the cryptocurrency they prefer. Players then use the wallet to place bets on normal casino games like slots, blackjack and roulette. 

Advantages of crypto casinos 

New Zealand regulations allow licensed crypto casinos that are based off-shore to offer online gambling for Kiwi players. This means New Zealanders get to use cutting-edge crypto platforms using sophisticated blockchain technology. 

The biggest advantage of playing at a crypto casino is that it allows fast secure money transactions without using banks.  

Crypto transactions are usually processed within a few minutes and secured by state-of-the-art blockchain technology. It’s impossible for anyone to tamper with them. 

Many of these new crypto casinos offer a wider range of games too. Their profitability means they can offer slightly higher payout rates, more generous bonuses and promotions, and lower fees for depositing and withdrawing money. 

Kiwi players are attracted by the fact that cryptocurrencies allow you to make transactions completely anonymously. Your gaming will be untraceable. 

All financial deals are secured through sophisticated cryptography that vastly reduces the risk of fraud or security breaches. These transactions are faster and cheaper than bank transfers or credit card payments.  

Overall, these latest crypto casinos offer a very convenient, up-to-date and secure way for New Zealand players to enjoy online gambling. 

As a final note, many gaming industry experts point out that the New Zealand government has no control over these overseas online casinos – and generates no tax income from them. And this is only likely to increase pressure to permit home-based casino operations in future.