Kiwis love to gamble, as it is their ‘favorite pastime.’ The gambling came to the country when the first European settlers brought the casino gaming with them. Gambling started in the country with Horse Racing that made its appearance in the country in the 19th century. It was seen as a lucky money source, and betting waves increased in the country. Until 1910, it was banned to curb betting, but ‘Foundation of TAB’ in the year 1950 again started horse race betting.
In the 1980s, the lottery made it to the gambling scene; thus, the ‘Lottery Commission of New Zealand’ established a new framework for lotteries in 1987. The year 2000 recorded the most lottery viewers (more than 65%) in NZ. In 1987, Pokies entered the country from its neighboring country ‘Australia.’ So, in 1991, New Zealand officially recognized the game in the country that made it one of the favorite betting games. Talking about land-based casinos, Christchurch Casino was the first to establish in 1994. The foods, snacks, drinks, and full-proof gambling security attracted many punters. Setting up of live table games and slot machines made players enjoy slot games better.
With time, now the famous land-based casinos like SkyCity, Dunedin, and Wharf has been opened. Online casino gambling is legal only for New Zealand-based casinos, registered under the Gambling Act 2003 and by the federal government. Punters can play online with offshore casinos only if they are licensed by New Zealand Gambling authority.
It is seen that Kiwis spent almost 600 million NZ dollars on the casinos, which showcases the attraction of slot machines and live dealer games among the players. Apart from gambling, you can see the Kiwis playing games like football, golf, rugby, football, skiing, water sports activities, and much more. Moreover, the religions they practice are mostly Christianity, but other religions include Maori, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, etc. Languages widely spoken are Maori, English, Hindi, Northern Chinese, French, etc.
But, Kiwis also uphold the superstitions regarding the choosing of lucky and unlucky numbers while playing many casino games. Like, in lotto gaming, the main numbers that New Zealanders perceive lucky were 1, 7, 13, 18, 19, and 22. Usually, 13 is perceived as an unlucky number because of strong Christian influence, but it proved lucky for someone in the above case. 4 is seen as a lucky even number, and number 39 is said to be a lucky odd number since it is said to be a number of Divine Guidance.
Apart from all these beliefs, New Zealand’s gambling industry is booming, and the future is quite excellent since gambling is not going to leave the country. Moreover, the technologically advanced slot machines and video poker games make the casinos a lot more attractive. So, if Kiwis are practicing responsible gambling and adhering to laws stated by the Federal Government, they can play securely too.
