New Zealand has a thriving gambling market, with hundreds of thousands of residents playing poker machines, casino games and the lottery every year. Gambling has become a popular pastime and leisure activity among adults across the country. While very little research on the topic of New Zealand’s gambling participation was previously conducted, a new study sheds a little light on the issue, demonstrating just how popular gambling is nation-wide.
The study, “New Zealand’s Participation in Gambling”, was published by the Health Sponsorship Council. Researchers set out to discover the frequency of gambling in the country, as well as determine the risk of developing a gambling addiction problem in New Zealand. The results have proven to be very enlightening, displaying just how popular of an activity gambling is across the country.
While poker machines seem like the most popular form of gambling in New Zealand, this is not the case. In fact, the smallest portion of gamblers takes part in high-risk forms of gambling like pokies and table games. In casinos, most of the games fall under the category of high-risk gambling, including slots, roulette, poker and blackjack.
10% of the study’s respondents stated that they played poker machines in casinos while 3% admitted to taking part in table and card games in casinos. Players were more likely to take part in high-risk forms of gambling in pokie clubs, with 20% of respondents stating that they preferred these locations for playing poker machines over other land-based gambling venues.
Low-risk forms of gambling are the most popular in New Zealand, including the lottery and scratchcards. According to the study, 60% of New Zealand residents take part in either of these activities. However, it is most common among older residents, as 72% of individuals over the age of 45 admitted to playing the lottery while only 38% of individuals under 24 did the same.
There is still very little information on online casinos out there, as the study only took into consideration forms of gambling that are currently permitted by the government – but it cannot be ignored forever. More and more New Zealand residents are catching on to the trend of online gambling, as it offers players more convenience than land-based gambling.
Online gambling is also becoming increasingly more realistic. In addition to live dealer casinos, online gambling developers are working on new ways to enhance the realism of online gaming. These tactics include improved graphics, multiplayer capability for a wide range of games and webcam support.