Laws and legislations can be very convoluted and difficult to understand, and gambling laws are some of the worst. New Zealand has its own set of gambling laws that regulate the operation of all forms of gambling including poker machines (also known as 'pokies') and slot machines. They also take a bit of deciphering to understand, so we've taken the liberty of decoding them.
Currently, all forms of gambling in New Zealand are covered under the Racing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2003. The regulation of slots and poker machines falls under the Gambling Act. According to this set of rules, players may take part in playing electronic gaming machines as long as they are permitted by the Gambling Act.
While not all forms of gambling require operators to have licenses, poker machines do. They fall under Category 4 of the Gambling Act: high risk gambling. This type of gambling is only permitted by corporate societies and may not take place unless it is raising money for community causes and not-for-profit organizations. Any venue that houses gaming machines and any operator that manufactures them must be regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.
The Gambling Act also places limits on spending and payouts, as players cannot wager more than $2.50 on a single spin and the maximum prize for a single spin may not be more than $500. Additionally, the prize for a spin on any linked progressive game cannot exceed $1000. However, this type of limitation does apply to online slots, as the government is still considering its online gambling laws.
Slots can also only be placed in a select few venues, including bars, restaurants, hotels and casinos. They may not be hosted by sports stadiums, offices, private residences, fairs, fast food outlets or museums. It is also prohibited to have an automatic teller in the direct vicinity of poker machines.
A rather new initiative requires poker machines and other electronic gaming machines to inform players about their experience. In 2005, operators were required to post information on their machines: the odds of winning, the average payout and both the maximum and minimum spend rate of each player. Additionally, the machines also inform players about how long they have been playing, as well as how much money they have spent, lost and won over that course of time.
All of these laws have been put into effect in order to protect players from developing unhealthy gambling habits. As it stands, the New Zealand government has yet to come up with similar laws for online slots and other online casino games, but the drafting of such a legislation is not far off. Many countries around the world have passed online gambling laws which regulate the activity and New Zealand lawmakers are considering doing the same.
