Poor Kiwis, I mean New Zealanders, sorry! They were quite up in arms about this! First, there is this ad featuring PokerStars.net. It gets to be shown on New Zealand's TV3 television chanel and scared a 9 years old girl who was watching The Simpsons, and then “bang!”, it becomes the favorite subject of an Internationl Affairs Department investigation. Nevertheless, the controversial ad was the cherry on the top of the cake, as New Zealand's Gambling Act severely bans online gambling, unless it is promoted by the Lotteries Commission. It explicitly bans "advertising for overseas gambling".
O.k., that was last year. Today, things are looking pretty much the same, as the Kiwis still cannot legally play poker on the Internet. But, they are giving the boring opportunity to buy lottery tickets online. In this way, they basially follow the same path of other countries like the United States, who is currently facing severe headaches from the World Trade Organization, as legal action is costing them billions of bucks. Other WTO members for violating trade treaties are not so drastic when it comes to this. Sweden, France and Germany are facing legal action from the Europeean comission for violating the EG free trade law within the 27 member-states.
New Zealand's Internal Affairs Minister, Rick Barker, has the specific task to approve the necessary changes to Lotto's game rules. However, he started by suggesting that this may only be a formality given the fact that: "Parliament has previously determined that NZ Lotteries can offer its products over the Internet". So, it might be just a way to give anything but poker to the Internetics.
He also mentioned about, how in 2003, the TAB and NZ Lotteries were excluded from an online gambling ban passed. Apparently, they're trying to keep people from spending their money with offshore gaming companies, and instead to financially benefit New Zealand, by, I suppose, buying lottery tickets. Hello, people! Even my grandma finds lottery out of fashion!
Nevertheless, according to the New Zealand Herald, the Lotteries Commission corporate communications manager, Karen Jones, announced that customers would soon be able to purchase Saturday Lotto, Big Wednesday and Daily Keno tickets online, but she was unable to confirm a firm launch date. I have an ideea! How about- never!
In response to this, many franchisees fear that online lottery sales will reduce the number of clients coming to their establishments to buy tickets. Which comes natural, as you put the lottery tickets right under people's noses.
It has been reported that Lotto outlets, more than 1000, earned about $51.5 million last year from a 7 per cent commission on ticket sales. So, that's why they're a “little bit” worried! Since everything is going online, they should have seen this coming! I don't know about you, but I would definitely prefer holding the lucky numbers in my hand and not in a PC document. What if some funky complicated error eats it?
Just so you can get an idea, operator Camelot says that, more than three million players in the National Lottery have registered to buy tickets on the Net, through interactive TV and via their mobiles.
So, kiwis, no online poker for you! You'll just have to "scratch it" online!
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