How to gamble online for real money in New Zealand

William Davis Published 28/11/2021

There are always questions for those first getting into online gambling for actual money and it can feel quite daunting. From bonuses to game providers and the nitty-gritty of safety and legitimacy, There’s a lot to go over. But we’re here to help. 

If you are looking for the perfect online casino but don’t know where to start, this will help you get into online gambling in New Zealand.

Although it might be boring for some, it’s always important to have at least a little understanding of the laws surrounding online gambling. It’s relevant not just for the players hoping to find and play at an online casino, but also to know how these online casinos operate in relation to New Zealand.

Laws and legislation in New Zealand

In New Zealand, there are only two current government-led organizations in the country that allow the possibility for online gambling for real money. However, other online casinos for New Zealand players are still fully legal, both for players accessing and playing at an online casino and for companies to target New Zealanders. 

The way the online casinos work around this prohibition is that they are registered overseas. Known as “offshore” sites, these online casinos are not actually under the jurisdiction of New Zealand, and therefore not working under any New Zealand law. While this opens the possibility for unregulated casinos there are many legitimate, safe, and fair casinos that can all be identified through up-to-date licensing information. 

There are many different gaming commissions around the world that are reputable to various degrees. Regulatory bodies such as the Malta Gambling Authority and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission are respected and known for their stringent criteria for online casinos seeking to obtain a license. 

Explaining the rules around gambling in NZ for real money

As New Zealand’s Gambling Act is over 18 years old, the government is hoping to update their legislation and regulation soon to reflect not only the digital world today but for the future too.

Within the world of online casinos, and due to the evolution of software within the last few years, there are now many different ways to access an online casino due to the addition and use of HTML5. Everyone will have a different preference to the way they would like to access online casinos that offer real money, but here are the most common offerings.

Desktop

This method has been the standard way to access online casinos, ever since 1997 when they were first introduced. With your computer or laptop, you will of course be able to have the full experience of an online casino. However, many are finding that even a computer is becoming too limited in terms of convenience which is exactly the hole mobile casinos are filling.

Mobile

Online casinos know that New Zealanders value their freedom and hate to be tied down. That’s why they have been evolving and reconfiguring their online casinos to perfectly suit smartphones and tablets. It’s possible to access a mobile casino by navigating to an online casino’s official homepage on your chosen smartphone’s browser.

Most online casinos now offer their services through an official app which can be downloaded straight to a mobile device or tablet. These casino games online real money apps are also often known as “instant play casinos” due to how fast they run, meaning there is no need to wait at loading screens. For both mobile casinos and their app counterparts, there are plentiful options on iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

Sites like onlinecasinonewzealand.NZ/casino-guide/real-money/ do the work for you so you can spend more time on what you came to do; be entertained, play games, and hopefully win some money in the process. They share all the best online casinos for real money on their site, so you can compare them in a flash. 

All the real money online casinos they feature are fully licensed and regulated, so you can play with peace of mind that you are getting a fair gaming experience and the site is providing the highest level of encryption when it comes to handling personal data. 

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