New Zealand Online Gambling Activity Drops During COVID-19 Lockdown

Published: 15/07/2020

Reading Time: 4 Min

Image: Shutterstock

With more than half of the world population in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has some severely adverse effects to several industries. The lockdown put the world’s economy in a screeching halt. One of the most severely hit sector is online gambling.

Gambling enthusiasts around the world are finding it hard to gamble because of the lockdown. Many casinos are forced to close their operation as governments impose strict protocols for non-essential businesses.

On the other hand, the online gambling industry has seen quite a surge in activities because of the pandemic. People have flocked these platforms lately since they most casinos and betting shops are closed. A recent report revealed how the gambling industry in New Zealand was affected by the pandemic.

Gambling activities slow down

According to the latest statistics, bet makers in New Zealand have minimized their gambling activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent study included 1190 respondents, all of them are 18 years of age and above.

The study was conducted by the Nielsen and Health Promotion Agency. Based on the data they gathered, only 39% of the participants have engaged in lottery activities while the country is in lockdown.

Considering those who said they engaged in lottery, only 9% said that their gambling activities have increased. On the same note, 41% said that their betting level remained relatively the same. However, an astonishing 50% of them said that their gambling activity have slowed down during the pandemic.

With regards to online gambling, 8% of the respondents said that they have used the online platform to gamble for the first time. On one hand, 12% of the respondents said that their online gambling activities have increased during the lockdown period. On the other hand, 24% said that they have minimized their gambling, while 33% said their gambling activities remained the same.

There is also an interesting statistic about the age group of the respondents when it comes to online betting. Those respondents between the ages of 25 and 49 said that their gambling activities have increased during the lockdown. On the other hand, respondents aged above 65 said that their gambling activities have slowed down during the same period.

What is the cause

The statistics revealed quite a number of reason why New Zealand’s gambling activities have dropped during the pandemic. For those respondents that claimed they minimized their gambling activities, 50% of them cited financial concerns for their change in attitude towards gambling.

Another 13% of the respondents said that their gambling activity is already bordering on excessive, while 11% said they received advice from someone to minimize gambling.

However, there is an interesting surge in terms of platform change. More than 50% of all the first time online gamblers said that they were forced to use the platform because of the lockdown.

Many have praised New Zealand for its excellent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would appear that the country also managed to reduce its gambling problems, thanks to the well-placed lockdown orders during the pandemic.