The negative consequences of the Gambling Act
Gambling companies have been around for years and years. It is generally believed that almost every historical civilization had some kind of gambling house. The first gambling house according to the modern definition was the Ridotto in Venice, opened in 1638.
Gambling houses have not always been socially accepted or legally allowed at all throughout history; the Ridotto was closed in 1778 because it would impoverish the nobility, literally and figuratively. In America, The Old West had the saloons, which were also banned at the beginning of the 20th century.
Of course, this is no longer the case today; in fact, cities such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City should primarily benefit from gambling tourism. In New Zealand there are 14 real casinos and over 300 gambling halls, mainly located in the West and south of our country. With the increasing popularity of online casinos and the curbing of the use of outdoor advertising by online casinos, the question arises as to what the future for New Zealand gambling houses will look like.
Remote Gambling Law
Since last year, there has been a regulation of the New Zealand online casinos . The new Remote Gaming Act (KOA) meant that from October 1, 2021, the first online casinos were allowed to settle on New Zealand soil with a license from the Gaming Authority (Ksa), provided they comply with the KOA and the predetermined conditions of the Ksa. Also, an online casino must be connected to it Central Register Of Exclusion Of Games Of Chance (CRUKS), which is intended to prevent gambling addiction. For providers such as BetCity and Circus Casino thus, players can legally play online. New Zealand was the last dollarpese country where online gambling was banned, causing many New Zealanders to gamble with foreign companies.
Gambling addiction after the opening of the market
This sounds very nice of course: the more online gambling houses obtain a legitimate status, the better the industry can be controlled. But the number of gambling addicts has only increased since then, and they are younger and younger. It is too early to conclude whether this is directly related to regulation, especially since for many years national figures have not been recorded regarding gambling addicts. However, experts from the Trimbos Institute and clinics report that more and more gambling addicts are reporting, with an increase of as much as 50% at times.
Ipsos concludes in its research that not necessarily more people have started gambling, but that especially the debts have become higher. Online gambling would be faster and easier than in a casino, and debts would reach well over $ 50,000 with some players. Most addicts are between the ages of 22 and 35. The CRUKS should report these, but registrations do not always seem to go well, so people can still continue to gamble online.
Online gambling advertisements
Also, it doesn't help that online gambling advertisements can still be seen on televisions. In addition, advertisements can still be seen on billboards and bus booths, while the gambling industry would stop doing this. Gambling companies, which were not involved in the agreements to stop this, just continue with this kind of advertising. The role models in advertisements can also have a negative effect and therefore this will be banned as of June 30. The Ksa has now sent a letter to all licensed providers; only the charity lotteries, the state lottery and the lotto fall under the exceptions.
Online roulette , slots and blackCaptain jackpots in casinos are of course a nice activities for the non-risk averse among us and certainly should not be banned. However, it should also not be unnecessarily stimulated, as it can destroy lives if used in excess. The government and the gambling industry seem to be heading in the right direction, but there is certainly room for improvement.