Gambling is one of New Zealand’s most popular pastimes. But how popular is it exactly? Well, almost all New Zealanders have gambled at least once in their lives, and 86% seem to gamble at least once every six months.
However, only 40% engage in gambling activities once a week or more. 40% is still a lot though for such frequent gambling. So we can safely say playing online roulette is popular in New Zealand!
Which Games Lead The Game?
However, some forms of gambling are a lot more popular than others in New Zealand. The Lotto is most popular by a long way, followed by betting on other lotteries and raffles, Instant Kiwi scratch cards, betting on horse or dog races, and gaming machines outside of casinos. Gambling at casinos is a lot less popular than other forms of gambling at New Zealand. However, in comparison, online casinos are highly popular.
In addition, although the Lotto is still the most popular, its popularity is waning. Demand for lottery products decreased a massive 9.2% from 2015 to 2016. In addition, young people aged 18-24 prefer scratch cards, money bets with friends and gaming machines to the Lotto. So we can expect that as time goes on, types of gambling other than lotteries will rise in popularity and the Lotto’s popularity will wane.
Gambling Popularity Over Time
Over the last few decades, experts have observed a gradual decrease in gambling activities by New Zealanders, going down by nearly 20% between 2002 and 2012. However, in just the last couple of years, evidence suggests that it may be on the rise again, as in 2015 New Zealanders spent 1.2% more money on gambling than they did the previous year. However, only time will tell whether this will translate into a significant trend over time of an increase in gambling popularity. We cannot be certain what the future will hold.
The Rise Of Online Casinos
One form of gambling we can expect to grow in popularity in the next few years is online slots NZ casinos. Online casinos tend to offer all the same kinds of activities as real casinos, but you can participate from the comfort of your own home, from any device that can access the internet, and at any time. Plus, you actually save money, because you don’t spend any on transport, hotel costs, parking and other amenities.
You don’t even have to play for real money if you don’t want to – but you can win fast. As the Internet takes over more and more activities that used to be done offline, and as Internet-savvy youngsters grow up, we can only assume that online casinos will become more and more popular. But whatever your game of choice is and whatever the exact popularity trends, gambling in New Zealand is not going anywhere anytime soon.