Gambling Rules in New Zealand | How Old Do You Have to Be to Gamble

Piers Daubeney

Posted On:   JUL - 20 - 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Gambling is a very exciting game and attracts people of all ages but it is important to remember to gamble responsibly. Every country and state have kept a minimum legal age to participate in these games.

There are also some places where you don’t have a full-fledged venue to sit and play a game of blackjack or roulette. Still, these places need to follow the gambling law laid down by the government.

The legal age of gambling varies across the world. There are also some countries where gambling is completely banned and it is illegal to play or organise it.

Legal Gambling Age – Online casinos vs Land-based casinos

In general, the minimum legal age for gambling is 18 years and above but depending on the state requirements by a gambling commission, this rule can vary.

The legal age also depends on the type of gambling are you playing and the category in which it falls. Hence when you make such distinction of ages and types of markets, you see a range of legal gambling ages across different games and categories.

When it comes to real money online games and brick and mortar casinos there is a clear distinction of rules and regulations for them. So whatever is your area of interest, you must abide by these rules set by the law.

Failing to follow the law can result in losing all the money you have wagered and legal actions on you.

Online casinos generally give out a disclaimer whether a site is banned in your area or state.

Land-based casinos however have clear cut rules from the government. The legal age to participate in land-based casino games is 21 years and above.

Now when it comes to casinos that are based on ships or vessels ( offshore casinos) the legal age to participate in casino games drops to 18 years and above.

Gambling Rules in New Zealand

Although Australia and New Zealand are neighbours, they have very different rules when it comes to gambling and casinos.

Australia has strict laws when it comes to gambling. The legal age for a person to participate in gambling is 18 years and above but there are limited forms of gambling that are allowed.

So Australians can enjoy sports betting and lotteries but online casinos or live betting are banned in the country.

However, there is a loophole in the law where it does not prohibit its citizen from participating in overseas online gambling casinos. Hence many Australians can simply log in to overseas gambling account and play their favourite casinos with their European friends.

In New Zealand, the minimum legal age for gambling is 20 years and above. The rules for online gambling are very straight forward. The citizens can participate in online gambling and casinos that are situated overseas.

If you happen to own one of these casino companies then you are strictly prohibited from advertising the services in New Zealand.

Conclusion

To conclude in the internet age there is plenty of information available and it could be overwhelming to process all of it. To keep it simple, all you need to check is the legal age of gambling in our area and you are good to go.

The rules however keep changing from time to time, hence it is better to keep yourself updated.