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Online poker is popular the world over, and this is true of Australia and New Zealand as much as anywhere else. Unfortunately, the laws around online gambling have meant that online poker is outlawed in many countries.
Outside of professional poker play, it is very rare for gambling winnings to be taxed in NZ. Using Overseas Gambling Websites is Legal. Neither the New Zealand Gambling Act nor any other NZ law makes using overseas gambling websites a crime. What is illegal is to advertise these websites and the penalty is $5,000 per offense.
Only the Best New Zealand Online Poker Sites. So, now you know which NZ real money online poker sites we recommend for New Zealand poker players, and rest assured that this list was not just. Online poker legal new zealand. Pick a username you like and can share with others. No Limit Texas Hold'em In No Limit Texas Holdem, the minimum amount a player can bet must be equal or greater than the big blind and a raise must equal or be greater then the last bet or raise within the same round. New Zealand Poker Sites. If you’re a Kiwi poker player, life is pretty good. You’ve got plenty of New Zealand poker sites eager to accept your action, and you can gamble online without any.
As a player you don’t want to run the risk of incurring penalties for engaging in illegal online activities, so it’s important to be aware of gambling regulations for the country you’re playing in. The laws are different across different countries, and even in different states or territories within a single country, and this can make it extremely confusing.
Recent changes to gambling legislation in Australia have meant that the issue is even more fraught than it was before. Due to new laws brought in during 2016, a number of online poker operators have left the Australian market, blocking Aussie players from accessing their site.
So are you breaking the law if you play online poker from Australia or New Zealand?
Online Poker Legal New Zealand Online
The important factor to note here is that under current legislation, it’s not illegal to play online poker in Australia, the focus of the laws is on the operators who offer the games, rather on the punters who play them.
What is the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill?
The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill of 2016 came into being in Australia late in 2016 and it closed loopholes that allowed live sports betting, in play betting and online poker to be played online. Punters who want to bet on a game that is already started can still do so over the phone but the loopholes that allowed sports betting companies to offer in play betting through ‘click to call’ services have now been closed.
How does it affect online poker in Australia?
Online poker looks set to be banned along with other forms of online gambling, if legislation that’s before the senate in Australia gets passed. This is looking highly likely at the time of writing. Under the new laws, unlicensed operators of online poker sites will be banned, but considering there is no framework in place at the moment to actually apply for and get a licence to offer online gambling services, this effectively means the death of online poker in Australia.
The ban is due to take effect on September 9th 2017 and under the new laws, any companies that offer online poker services to Australian players will face fines of up to $6.75 million per day.
Fortunately, online poker in New Zealand is not likely to suffer the same fate. Kiwi players can relax, as it is currently perfectly legal to play poker online in New Zealand. Online gambling is licensed and controlled by the Department of Internal Affairs. It’s divided into different classes depending on the level of prize money on offer.
It’s not legal, however for operators within New Zealand to offer online poker services to residents of New Zealand. All online gambling services need to be provided by the TAB or NZ Racing board. The law does not explicitly state that overseas operators are banned from providing their services to NZ players.
Many NZ players use overseas poker sites to play online poker and while it’s always a good idea to check the legislation and make sure there are no changes, it’s very clear that the operators, and not the players are the ones who may be penalized.
What’s the problem with banning online poker?
Australia and New Zealand have a thriving poker community, both online and offline and it’s unlikely that banning online poker will stop people playing. What is likely to happen instead is that punters will turn to overseas sites using a VPN or choosing a site that doesn’t block Australian players. Unfortunately doing this means that Australian players are at risk of playing at unregulated sites and this can have a number of unfortunate consequences.
With no regulation or licencing for online poker sites, the government also has no way of controlling or overseeing the poker sites to make sure they are operating fairly and honestly. This means players are at greater risk of being defrauded or ripped off and will have no legal recourse for compensation when they do.
The laws around online poker and gambling are constantly changing, and while recent developments are disappointing, Australian online poker enthusiasts can only hope that there will be future changes in favour of more lenient laws or a regulatory body put in place so that poker sites can offer their services legally to Aussie players.
A pokie machine in a New Zealand pub.
Gambling in New Zealand is controlled by the Department of Internal Affairs. All public gambling is expected to return a portion of profits to the community. The largest proportion of the gambling industry is operated by state-owned institutions. Expenditure on gambling (losses experienced by players) was $NZ 2.034 billion in 2008 ($NZ 480 per capita), a tenfold increase over 1985 figures.[1]
Horse racing[edit]
Bookmaking was declared illegal in New Zealand in 1920.[2] From then until the introduction of the Totalizator Agency Board (TAB) in 1961, betting on racing was only available on-course.
Lotteries[edit]
The first 'Art Union' was conducted in New Zealand by the Otago Art Society in December 1877,[3] Both individuals and organizations subsequently used them as a way of raising funds.The first national lotteries were established in 1933. They were known as 'Art Unions'. Prizes were relatively small, and in the early Art Unions the prizes were quantities of alluvial gold. As an example, the 'Golden Treasure' Art Union of 1935 had 200,000 tickets with a top prize of £2000 ranging down to an 11th prize of £20 plus 400 prizes of £2.[4] The low returns tempted many people to (illegally) purchase tickets in overseas lotteries such as the Australian Tattersall's lottery. With Art Union sales declining, a review of lotteries was undertaken by the Second Labour Government in the late 1950s, and in 1961 the National Government introduced the Golden Kiwi lottery.[5]
The New Zealand Lotteries Commission was established in 1987. Its original product, Lotto, has since been supplemented by Instant Kiwiscratch cards, daily Keno and a Lotto variant named Big Wednesday. Lotto tickets became available online in 2008.
The Totalizator Agency Board, commonly called the TAB, is a sports betting organisation run by the New Zealand Racing Board.
'Pokies'[edit]
Introduced in 1987, slot machines, commonly known as 'pokies', are operated by charitable foundations and are mostly placed in hotels and bars. Maximum jackpots are regulated. In the year ending 30 June 2008, turnover was $10.096 billion, of which $9.158 billion was returned as prizes (player losses were $938 million). These figures represent a 9% decrease from the peak year of 2004. Pokies accounted for 46.1% of gambling expenditure (losses) in 2008.[1]The year to 30 June 2009 saw a further 5% fall in expenditure, to $889 million. There were 19,479 machines in 1,501 venues operated by 384 licensees, all of these figures being a decrease from 2008.[6]
Since 1 July 2009, all machines must have Player Information Displays, which inform the gambler how long they have been playing, how much they have lost, and which encourage them to take breaks.[6]
A 2010 study linked the prevalence of slot machines with high crime levels.[citation needed]
In May 2013 the Government announced it would allow casino SkyCity Auckland to install an additional 230 pokie machines and 40 new gambling tables, in exchange for a $402 million convention centre.[7][8]
Casinos[edit]
There are six casinos operating in New Zealand, the first of which opened in 1994:
- SKYCITY Wharf Casino
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Shop New Zealand Online
- ^ ab'GAMBLING EXPENDITURE STATISTICS 1984-2008'(PDF). Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ^'Gambling: An Economically Significant Industry'. Statistics New Zealand. September 1999. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009.
- ^See Grey River Argus, 20 Dec 1877, page 2)
- ^'Golden Treasure Art Union Results'. The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 5. NZ Electronic Text Centre. 1 August 1935.
- ^NZ History.net - first Golden kiwi Lottery
- ^ ab'Pokie machine spending down to seven-year low'. NZPA. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
- ^'SkyCity convention centre set to create 800 jobs - Joyce'. TV NZ. 13 May 2013.
- ^'SkyCity's pokie full house'. Stuff.co.nz. 13 May 2013.
Further reading[edit]
- Curtis, Bruce (c2002) Gambling in New Zealand Dunmore Press ISBN0-86469-404-0
External links[edit]
Online Poker Legal Us
- Gambling information page at the Department of Internal Affairs
- Gaming policy - Department of Internal Affairs
- Gambling Act 2003 - text of the Act
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