New Zealand Archive

It’s been almost a month exactly since a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s south island near the town of Kaikoura. It was a catastrophic event as the initial quake and ensuing aftershocks left two dead and countless more homeless or stranded. Amidst the devastation, New Zealand’s leaders invoked a special rule in...
In Australia, gambling has been a way of life for many decades. The nation is home to 20% of the world’s poker machines. Statistical research has shown that about 80% of all Australians enjoy punting every year, either with regular wagers, or just once or twice on special occasions. With that said, the chances...
Betting on sports is a popular pastime for many Aussies. We often enjoy wagering on matches, scores, futures and other options. But for the athletes that make those contests so entertaining, gambling is an absolute ‘No-no!‘. That’s what landed three Australian cricketers on the “ban” wagon earlier this week. Hayley Jensen of the New...
How do you celebrate a sizable pokies win at the local pub? Maybe you would buy a round of drinks for the bar, go on a little shopping spree or take your significant other out for a fancy dinner? Apparently one man’s idea of celebrating is to leave the premises, change clothes, and return...
Each year, officials in New Zealand take time to review pokies spending across the island nation. Based on the results from non-casino gambling, they may find it necessary to continue cutting back on poker machines, increase funds for problem gambling programs, or just leave well enough alone. This year’s assessment confirmed a 2% increase...
Gambling seems to be on the decline in New Zealand these days. The same poker machines that were once a cause of great concern are generating less interest from residents, thus less revenue for publicans. At the same time, the initial fear that online gambling would become a bane for pokies addicts has begun...
The gambling debate in New Zealand has two very high fences, each piled high with activists who believe they know how best to handle the issue of non-casino gambling. On one side, we have opposition to pokies who want to further decrease the number of poker machines in the region. On the other, we...
Providing that it follows the rules set out in the Gambling Act of 2003, then gambling is legal across New Zealand. Luckily, this pretty much covers all forms of gambling and classifies them into four different groups to make it easier to differentiate between them. These groups are: Class 1: This is everything that...