Gambling Participation Increases in Canterbury

Gambling rates are on the increase in Canterbury, after the recent earthquake that devastated the area. According to reports, residents of the area are using the activity as a form of escapism to avoid dealing with the severity of the disaster that has recently taken place.

Stuff.co.nz reports that the Department of Internal Affairs has published figures indicating that gambling rates have risen nearly 10% from this time last year. Thus, analysts have valid reason to believe that the earthquake is a major cause of this behaviour.

“The increase could well be attributed to the incredibly stressful year we’ve had here”, says Tony Milne of the Problem Gambling Foundation. “It’s no surprise that people are looking for relief from that stress or using pokies as escapism”.

Christchurch saw a similar response to its earthquake last year. Gambling rates rose significantly, and even months later, rates are still quite high.

The Problem Gambling Foundation is concerned about both the long- and short-term effects of these situations. It seems that residents need other forms of therapy in order to deal with the natural disasters they encounter, but few resources are available.

Could Zynga Enter The Online Gambling Market?

Zynga, one of Facebook’s most popular social games developers, is rumoured to be thinking of entering the online gambling market. With the release of its first Casino branded game, the company seems well-positioned to open a new real-money online casino. A number of sources have confirmed that Zynga is considering the possibly.

The company already has an existing fan base in the online gaming world. Millions of players log on to Facebook to compete with their friend in a game of the ever-popular Zynga Poker. Through ad revenue and selling online coins and prize, the game has made a pretty profit, but Zynga wants more.

Zynga recently listed itself on the stock exchange, with poor results, and a real-money gambling website would help the company recover from not meeting its IPO expectations. As such, an online casino would bring in a great deal of revenue for the already profitable company.

Some sources have confirmed that Zynga is now looking for a partner, with which to explore the online gambling market. While the company has not made a public announcement yet, a spokesperson stated that online gambling is a market that Zynga is very interested in.

Women More Likely to Develop Gambling Addiction to Pokies

Recently, several studies have been commission to determine the effects of poker machines on the communities in which they are located. They have shone a great deal of light on the gambling industry in New Zealand and Australia, offering valuable insight into the ways in which people respond to the gambling industry.

A recent study by the Responsible Gambling Advocacy Centre has revealed information about the way in which women interact with poker machines. It has revealed that women are far more likely than men to develop problem gambling habits, using them as a form of escapism from the problems of everyday life.

One of the main reasons that women have turned to poker machines is that they are more interested in forms of gambling that require no social interaction. Males gravitate to more social games like poker and table games, while women want to isolate themselves.

The study also shows that women are more reluctant to confess their gambling problems, so a number of cases go unreported. According to researchers, women believe there is a severe stigma involved in becoming a problem gambling as a female. This stigma is likely to blame for the low number of women who seek help for their gambling addictions.

Mana VP Wants to Ban Pokies

In Christchurch, victims of the recent Earthquake have turned to poker machines to deal with their grief. As a result, problem gambling rates are on the rise and John Minto – Vice President of the Mana Movement – believes that residents should be able to have the power to ban poker machines from their communities.

Last year, the number of money lost on poker machines rose by nearly 10%. This brought the total amount of losses to over $100 million for the first time ever. Community leaders have reason to believe that the Earthquake has caused their spike in gambling rates, as those suffering from the disaster play poker machines as a form of escapism.

“How can this government sit by and allow pokie profits to rise when they know that those who are impoverished are the victims who gamble?”, Minto asks.

John Minto believes that poker machines prey on the poorer areas of the community, as half of the pokies in Christchurch are concentrated in the areas with the lowest average income and employment rates. He suggests that locals should be able to have a say in how many poker machines are allowed in a community, vetoing the addition of new machines and venues if they see fit.

Online Gambling Becoming Increasingly Popular

While politicians across Australia and New Zealand are looking for ways to limit the harm done by land-based casino games, the online gambling market is popping up right under their noses. This market is something that they simply have not considered, but the impact of online casino games on the Australian and New Zealand gambling markets is going to be huge.

A recent study by Southern Cross University found that a large portion of the population have already been gambling online for years. Out of 6500 people surveyed, half of them admitted to having gambled online in the past six years. This means that residents are contributing to the growth of online gambling than any other form of gaming.

According to estimates, citizens could be spending upwards of $600 million on online gambling and online casino games every year. These statistics are likely to come as a huge surprise to the local government, which has spent the past decade trying to ban the activity.

Now that the Gillard government has turned its attention away from poker machine reform, it may be time to consider regulating online gambling. With so much money being pumped into the industry, the local government should think of ways to protect players and earn tax revenue.

Julie Gillard Backs Out of Pokie Reform Deal

The Gillard government is officially done with supporting Andrew Wilkie’s precommitment scheme. For the entire year, the government has fielded complaints about the potential initiative, which would require gamblers to limit their own spending. Now, Gillard is saying “enough”, turning her back on the agreement that she had previously made with Wilkie.

Last year, Andrew Wilkie said that he would only support her government if she promised to implement pokie reform. She agreed to the deal, but it seemed that she was never very passionate about the initiative. Numerous setbacks took place and it seemed that the legislation would never be passed. Several times, Andrew Wilkie threatened to withdraw his support.

Now, Gillard no longer needs Wilkie’s support. Peter Slipper has agreed to be the Lower House Speaker, so Andrew Wilkie is no longer needed to keep Gillard’s government in power. Now, the federal government can appeal to popular opinion by scrapping the idea for pokie reform.

Wilkie has denied that the proposal for pokie reform is dead. He stated that he is finally willing to make concessions in order to have the legislation passed, and that he is even willing to wait until 2016 to make it happen.

Shamed Rugby Player to Deal with Gambling Addiction

Earlier this year, former Taranaki player Willie Ripia had resigned from the rugby league, after being accused of stealing from his teammates in order to fund his gambling addiction. Recently, he announced that he is dedicated to getting treatment for his problem and hopes to right his wrongs.

While Ripia did not confirm the claims that he had been stealing from other Taranaki players, he was dealing with “serious issues” and made mention of the fact that gambling had affected his life in a very negative way. Released this week, a statement confirmed that Ripia would be taking some time to himself to deal with his issues.

While problem gambling has been debated for quite some time in New Zealand, this case has shed a great deal of light on the situation. As a famous athlete struggles with gambling addiction, the public eye is focused intently on the issue.

Now, politicians are even more motivated to deal with the issue of rising problem gambling rates. In Australia, pokie reform is under review and New Zealand politicians are also working on ways to reduce harm done by gambling in throughout the country.

Rugby Player Avoids Jail Time

Former NRL player Ryan Tandy, recently accused of spot fixing, has narrowly avoiding jail time. According to a report by New Zealand’s Channel 3 news, the player has been granted an Intensive Correction Order rather than being sentenced to six months in jail.

Last year, Tandy was found guilty of providing authorities with false evidence concerning his involvement in a match-fixing case. Despite his efforts to cover up his crime, he was found guilty and was forced to pay a $4000 fine.

Recently, Tandy has been charged for lying to the authorities about this particular crime, a transgressions which could have had more serious repercussions. Initially, Tandy was facing six months in jail, but he had the sentence reduced to ICO, which means he will not have to be placed behind bars.

Instead, his sentence will consist of community service and strict supervision. The exact details have yet to be announced, but they will soon be decided by the court in which he was sentenced.

This is just one of many rugby scandals that has taken place this year. Several players seem to be getting involved in betting crimes, a worrying fact for local sports leagues.

NZ Lotto Pays Out ‘Confusing’ $1 Million Win

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission has paid out what its winner calls a ‘confusing’ prize worth $1 million. According to the NZ Lotto website, a man from Manukau was under the impression that he had won a chance to win the $1 Million Wheel when his ticket showed the winning numbers. Fortunately for him, he was just a little confused, and actually won the entire $1 million prize!

On the weekend lottery draw during the week of January 7th, he picked his numbers as he normally would. After matching six numbers, he took his ticket to a lottery retailer, who told him that he had won $1 million. Possibly out of disbelief, possibly out of sheer excitement, the man misheard the clerk; he was under the impression that he would be going on to spin the $1 Million Winning Wheel on live television.

He called the NZ Lotteries Commission to confirm his prize, and did not believe the representative who told him that he had, indeed won the cash prize for $1 million. It wasn’t until the funds had been transferred to his account that he finally decided to go out and celebrate his win!

$3 Million Jackpot Won on Lord of the Rings

Microgaming’s Lord of the Rings online slots game was launched in 2010, but it has only just started paying off the type of impressive jackpots it has always promised. Recently, the popular casino game paid out a huge $3 million jackpot to one lucky player, one of the biggest jackpots seen in the online casino world in recent years.

The Lord of the Rings has never paid out a jackpot this significant before as it has only just been added to Microgaming’s Mega Moolah network. This allows the game’s buy-ins to contribute to the total Mega Moolah jackpot pool, in return for the chance for Lord of the Rings’ players to win this incredible progressive prize. As it stands, Microgaming’s jackpot network is the biggest on the internet, and Lord of the Rings players certainly benefit from the game being a part of it.

This online casino game has already earned a great deal of hype in recent years, mostly due to its theme and content. Now, word will spread about its incredibly winning potential, encouraging even more players to try their hand at Lord of the Rings online slots.

Lord of the Rings is available at just about at Microgaming-powered casino, including Spin Palace online casino.