New Zealand Gambling Market 2024

New Zealand may be a world away from many other countries. Yet this doesn’t mean it has no gambling industry in operation. In fact, it has become quite a lucrative market over recent years. The fact that the country has an improving internet penetration rate has assisted. Thus, even people living in remote areas of New Zealand can enjoy gambling online. At the same time, residents of the country are not restricted to using local casinos. Operators from across the globe support registrations from New Zealanders.

It is the Gambling Act of 2003 that governs the gambling industry of New Zealand. This relates to buying lottery tickets, sports betting, playing at the best slot sites etc. It covers all forms of gambling. Legislation dictates that gamblers must be of 18 years of age or older. Yet if you want to join one of the country's land-based casinos, you need to be at least 20.

It is important to highlight online casinos and other such activities here. Anything online falls outside of the authority of the 2003 Gambling Act. Thus, some define this gambling type as illegal in New Zealand. In fact, some New Zealanders are unable to access domestic online gambling sites. Other than the country's lottery and TAB, they suffer under restrictions. This doesn't mean that New Zealand casinos don't exist, though. Various New Zealand online casinos provide entertainment times to residents.

Kiwis can also play at gambling platforms based offshore. There are no laws restricting access to such casinos and sportsbooks. Instead, the authorities aim their focus on stopping local companies from operating online gambling. Laws aren't restrictive for bettors, but they are for operators.

Legal Gambling Options From Within New Zealand

As things stand in 2022, there are only two companies operating in a legal sense online. These are The New Zealand Lottery Commission and TAB. They both have permission to provide services online from within New Zealand. Thus, they can offer online gambling services to locals. 

So, you won't find any other local online casinos and sports betting sites. This is why New Zealanders often turn to offshore platforms offering such. There is a wide range of these websites available to sign up to, too. It is important to note that nobody is able to advertise these sites in the country, though. If they do, they risk massive fines of up to $10,000 per infraction. Yet Kiwis can locate various legal and legitimate offshore casinos to enjoy. A simple online search brings many results. 

Why are only two companies able to offer licensed online gambling in New Zealand? Because they are easy for the authorities to track. It is the thought process in New Zealand that multiple sites operating would be difficult to follow. The two licensed companies return a share of their income to the country via taxes. This goes towards social development, community engagement, and so on. 

A Few Facts and Figures Relating to the Market in New Zealand 

It isn't wrong to say that the lack of regulation in New Zealand has left it as an easy target. Gambling providers offering their services to residents make it easy. Estimated spending on online gambling has thus increased from $139.3 million in 2014. It leapt to $332.6 million - the last figure recorded in 2020. Many expect the unregulated sector to hit $600 million by 2025. 

Christchurch Casino noted in September of 2022 that it would launch an online site. This will base itself out of Malta, which follows in the same vein as SkyCity Casino. The latter launched its online casino from Malta in 2019. Both casinos opted for Malta because of the illegalities surrounding online gambling within. Estimates suggest that the online market is worth $350 million in 2022. 

The largest operator of gambling in New Zealand is Super Group. Coming in at a close second is the well-known Flutter Entertainment. This provides some of the biggest online casino sites in the world. Despite the increasing online gambling spending, New Zealand has done little about it. A review of online gambling occurred in 2019. Conducting this was the Department of Internal Affairs. Even with a swift undertaking, work on it stalled. That is as far as the public image of it goes. While the ministry did say the review was still taking place, little came of it. 

This is how the estimated market share of New Zealand online gambling looks (2020): 

• Super Group - $136.2 million 
• Flutter Entertainment - $35 million 
• Playtech Affiliated - $23.7 million 
• SkyCity - $22 million 
• Bet365 - $12 million 
• Elmount Gaming - $9 million 
• Entain - $7 million 
• Julien International - $7 million 
• 888 Holdings - $6.7 million 
• BetVictor - $6 million 
• William Hill - $5 million

All the remaining smaller brands take a share amounting to $67 million as a collective unit. The New Zealand government is missing out on a lot of revenue, as you can see. Whether changes occur so it can get a hold of some of this is unknown.