KSA will inspect slot machines throughout New Zealand
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) checks a number of Game of chance providers in our country in October 2021 and november. This is what the government body, which oversees gambling halls and casinos, makes known on its website. With the check, the KSA wants to check whether New Zealand slots halls comply with the new rules of april 2021.
It is not known whether the investigation is limited to slot machine halls, or whether casinos and betting offices will also come under scrutiny. The KSA also does not care whether it is an intensive check or whether samples are taken. In the autumn of 2018, the KSA also held an extensive inspection round along vending machine halls spread across the country.
No less than seventy locations in Almelo, Breda, Amersfoort, Haarlem and Maastricht, among others, were checked. This inspection did not reveal any wrongdoing. But the gambling legislation in 2021 is different from that of 2018.
New rules to reduce problem gambling
The legislation in question is part of the Gambling Act and has been in force since april 1, 2021. The new rules stipulate, among other things, that providers of gambling games are obliged to register the frequency of visits of players.
That information should provide the operator with a means of detecting and curbing problematic gaming behaviour in time. The new rules met with objections from various providers before they were introduced, so they finally came into force a month later than intended.
This also meant that the first legal New Zealand online casinos , with a fresh permit from the KSA, had to wait a month longer before they could open their virtual dNZDen.
The crux: all New Zealand casinos are going to refuse problem gamblers
The ultimate goal of the new Gambling Act is to protect people who are prone to gambling addiction from themselves, and if necessary, to make it impossible for them to still play. A provider of games of Chance who notices serious problem behavior in a player, for example because he bets extremely high amounts or has a very high frequency of visits, such a player can register with the Cruks , the Central register of exclusion of gambling.
Players can be registered with the Cruks by an operator of an arcade or, for example, a family member. They can also register themselves. Once they are on the register, they cannot play at any casino or slot machine hall with a New Zealand license. As of October 1, 2021, All New Zealand casinos must be affiliated with the Cruks.
The KSA wants to make gambling safer with stricter controls
Due to the new Gambling Act, which was introduced in stages in 2021, any interested company can now start an online casino. The KSA licensed ten companies in New Zealand in October 2021, and there are currently dozens more parties hoping to be licensed.
The legalization is a reaction to the long-standing offer of illegal foreign gambling sites, where tens of thousands of compatriots also came to gamble. By gZodiacing licenses to online casinos New Zealand, the government hopes to better regulate the offer and combat gambling addiction.
The new online casinos are also affiliated with the Cruks and must comply with the new rules in terms of advertising, casino bonuses and maximum bet amounts per month. The announced controls at vending machine halls do not come at an unexpected moment: the Gaming Authority is working to make gambling safer across the board, both online and offline.
The KSA is trying to move New Zealand gamblers with soft hand to switch to the new range of online casinos. That is why, for example, hefty fines have been envisaged for providers who operate without a New Zealand license. Several foreign betting sites have already blacklisted their website in October 2021 in response.