Australia and New Zealand may in close proximity and have many similarities but they are still two different countries with some differences when it comes to gambling laws and such.

Gambling first came to Australia over 100 hundred years ago with European settlers. At first it was betting on horse racing, then lotteries came about, then betting on greyhound racing and harness racing. It was only much later that land based casinos were established.

New Zealand was a little later to the gambling game than Australia but today, gambling in both countries is a multi-million dollar affair.

Gambling in the Very Beginning

Gambling in some form or another may be almost as old as time, but in both Australia and New Zealand it first found notoriety with horse racing betting. It was common to bet on the horses from the first ever horse race but, it wasn’t until the 1930’s that it became a prominent pastime.

From then on lotteries became quite popular and both Australia and New Zealand established their own lottery games. Today there are many more and all have been quite successful. Scratch cards were also allowed and were sold all over both countries.

For many years gambling had its ups and downs and it wasn’t until later in the 20^th Century that casino gambling became legal and popular in both countries. Australia’s first land based casino opened in 1972 and it was in the 1980’s that New Zealand actually allowed gambling apart from lotteries and horse racing betting and opened its first casino in 1994.

The Revolutionary Introduction of Pokies

Even though pokies first came about in the late 1800’s it was only in the late 1900’s that they made their way to the shores of Australia and New Zealand.

Pokies gained immediate success for their simplicity and winning potential. Soon after, it became legal to play them and they slowly spread across both countries in pubs and bars. Today there are hundreds of pokies and they are even more popular.

The Birth of Online Casinos

Even though gambling wasn’t really legal for many years, by the time online casinos were born in 1994, both Australia and New Zealand had changed their laws drastically.

Online casinos offered players the comfort of not having to drive to land based casinos or even leave their homes. Residents of both Australia and New Zealand can legally play at offshore based online casinos but the laws of both countries does prohibit online casinos from operating within the borders.

Practically all gambling activities can now be done online and players have access to the greatest casino games of all time from online black jack, online roulette and poker to hundreds of online pokies, lotteries and scratch cards.

Since players who reside in both countries have taken to online casino gambling, many of the top sites around the world accept them.

Online casinos have progressed over the years and with technological advances have seen new and better platforms arise. There are now live dealer platforms and mobile platforms which have led the industry to become an even more popular and convenient one.