entertainment

The History of Gambling in New Zealand

The Kiwis are out there trying to foray into many areas of entertainment, be it the sports or the unconventional storytelling patterns in the movies. Gambling is a topic that has been in the talks for quite some time now, and people have delved into the world to explore more of the various games. In a conference held in 2003, papers regarding gambling in New Zealand were assembled to have discussions. Such conferences focus on the gambling industry’s growth and the assisted services of the government for faster and better development through tourism.

Though the practice was deemed illegal for many years, it gained traction and popularity with time. The Ministry of Health took over the responsibility for the provision of a wide range of services for problem gamblers. Several meetings have been held over the past years for the purpose of promoting responsible gambling by considering the addiction a public health issue. However, all of this falls into a picture-perfect context only when you know more about the gambling industry in New Zealand.

The First Wave

The population of the country is around four million people, and its geographical isolation constraints all industries. When visiting New Zealand, you will have multiple magnificent destinations and exotic locations to be in. The unique flora and fauna, mountains, valleys, and landscapes combine to form one exemplar definition of beauty. It was the people from Britain that came into the country as a part of the second settlement, where many of the migrants were traders, soldiers, missionaries, whalers, and adventurers. In the years and centuries that followed, two more settlements occurred with massive migrations of people from other countries. This resulted in a rise in population, but the country remains lightly populated even today. All this data can be gathered only to draw conclusions that the demand for gambling is less compared to other neighboring countries where gambling is prohibited.

The Growth of Gambling

 


Until the European influence, gambling wasn’t a thing the New Zealanders were fond of. It is when the passion was shifted along with the migrants that the various options started taking form in the country. As the government became more organized, the restrictions over certain forms of gambling increased. Unlike in the other regions, the people in New Zealand weren’t ready for the next wave of commercialized gambling in the 1990s. An extended period of liberalization of marketing was introduced by the mid-eighties. With this shift, several restrictions on gambling were lifted.

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However, the government later made attempts to impose more regulations on gambling because the tax generation was considered illicit. More alternative strategies were studied and executed to bring gambling activities under control. But all these new reforms in the country led the government to take action in favor of gambling by progressively lifting the restrictions to provide the people with better entertainment options. Legalized gambling then became one of the strongest industries in the country.