News
5 Important Facts About New Zealand’s Gambling Market

Whenever there is a focus on the gambling market within the Asia-Pacific region, Australia, which is one of the largest gambling markets in the world, tends to hog all of the attention.
As in many other aspects, Australia’s quieter cousin New Zealand is often wrongfully overlooked by industry pundits, online casino operators, and affiliates. However, they can no longer afford to do so.
New Zealand’s gambling market might not be as large as Australia’s, but it is rapidly becoming a major consumer market that is on track to become a significant global industry player. To help illustrate this point further, here are five essential facts that you need to know about New Zealand’s gambling market.
Source: Unsplash
1. A Huge Portion of New Zealanders Gamble
One fact that is often crucially overlooked is the sheer number of New Zealanders that regularly play real-money casino games. According to some of the most recent studies, a whopping 80% of New Zealanders, equal to about 3.8 million people, gamble on a regular basis. The bulk of these gamblers stick to lotteries, but this is changing fast.
2. Overall Gambling Spend Per Head is Rising
Not only is the number of gambling fans in New Zealand high, but the amount they actually spend is high, and rising. Last year, New Zealanders spent around $2.4 billion, or about $648 per head. This figure is a full $49 million higher than the year before, which, in turn, was significantly higher than the year before that. It is clear that the gambling market is going through an unprecedented growth phase.
3. Online Competition is Heating Up
While there are only a small handful of land-based casinos in New Zealand, the level of online competition is growing rapidly. Among the estimated 1300 online casinos that offer services in New Zealand, the biggest market player is the online platform SkyCity, which offers online pokies, blackjack, poker, roulette, and even live casino games to players across the country. Expect online operators to increase their marketing efforts in NZ in the years ahead.
Source: Unsplash
4. Gambling Revenues Often Go to Charitable Causes
Few people realize that, as part of New Zealand’s unique gambling laws, many of the revenues from casino gaming go straight to charitable causes. Under the law, all public gaming in New Zealand is expected to return profits to the community. Such profits are used to house homeless people in cities such as Auckland, fund new infrastructure such as transport and convention centres, and pay for various other non-commercial causes. Another country that has a similar system in place is Finland, a nation that New Zealand is often compared to.
5. Slots Are By Far the Most Popular Casino Games
Finally, it is important for industry watchers to know that the most popular type of casino game in New Zealand by far is the pokies. Similar to the situation in Australia, pokies are found in bars, pubs, and hotel lobbies across the country, which has contributed to their popularity. Pokies also have a role in the culture of New Zealand, in much the same way that they do in Oz. The pre-eminence of pokies is unlikely to be challenged in the near future.
These are the facts that any industry pundit should know about gambling in New Zealand.
Affiliate Success
First iGB Affiliate Manager Academy to shine a light on effective AI-Driven affiliate recruitment strategies

Organisers of July’s edition of iGB L!VE – the first to be held in London – have announced the launch of the AI focussed iGB Affiliate Manager Academy which will be held July 1 as part of London iGaming Week.
The training and mentorship program which is being curated in partnership with Affiverse, founded by veteran affiliate marketer Lee-Ann Johnstone – and which guides businesses on how to launch, scale and grow successful affiliate programs, has been designed to help organisations of all sizes understand how to leverage new tactics and simple AI tools to recruit, retain and activate affiliates more effectively.
The Academy will offer a mix of practical learning, tactical assessments and personalised coaching providing affiliate managers with an invaluable opportunity to learn from industry leaders. Each unique session will include topical insights drawing on the dominant trends in the market.
Looking ahead to the Academy Lee-Ann Johnstone said: “I’m delighted that Clarion has invited Affiverse to develop a bespoke training academy specifically for iGaming Affiliate Managers.
“In an industry that’s constantly evolving, and which is powered by the early adoption of new technologies, businesses and affiliate managers have to keep learning in order to remain competitive. The only way we get to understand the affiliate space and all the complexities it entails is on the job – from others!
“It has always been important to me that those who have knowledge pay it forward and I’m really excited to be given the task of leading the curation of this unique event bringing the best of the best together in order to teach, train and coach affiliate managers as we move forward.
“The gap between AI-empowered affiliate managers and those relying solely on traditional methods is widening every month. The iGB Affiliate Manager Academy will provide the bridge to ensure businesses are on the right side of that divide.”
Reflecting on the importance and objectives of the iGB Affiliate Manager Academy, Global Portfolio Director Naomi Barton said: “Our live events are all about delivering real value to our international community of stakeholders. Lee-Ann and her team at Affiverse are spearheading the academy syllabus and content stream alongside IGB’s events production team to provide tailor made training and mentoring for new and existing affiliate managers as well as those who want to learn and scale their affiliate programs faster.
“The workshop will provide insider access to the exact AI-driven techniques that are assisting brands to deliver real results. Most significantly this isn’t just theory — instead it’s a hands-on expert-led roadmap focussing on immediately implementable tactics that will transform your program performance.”
Awards
MightyTips is nominated for Affiliate of the Year at the AffPapa iGaming Awards

MightyTips has received a nomination for “Sportsbook Affiliate of the Year” at the prestigious AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025. MightyTips hopes to follow in the footsteps of its parent company, SEOBROTHERS, which won the Affiliate Agency of the Year award at the 2023 ceremony and has received another nomination this year.
MightyTips’ nomination follows a year of expansion for the brand, which increased its portfolio of multilingual sites to 19. In addition to continuing to provide free daily football betting tips and in-depth bookmaker reviews, MightyTips also launched the MightyQs interview series, which spotlights some of the most exciting partnerships between online sportsbooks and high-profile sporting franchises such as Juventus and the UFC.
Held at Hacienda Nadales in Malaga, Spain, the fourth annual AffPapa iGaming Awards will take place on May 28th, 2025. The awards celebrate and recognise affiliates, operators, and B2B providers for hard work and innovation within the iGaming industry and commend those who are constantly pushing the boundaries and setting new standards.
One of the most notable and respected ceremonies on the industry calendar will be hosted as part of the iGaming Club Conference, a two-day networking event that will welcome over 1,200 industry delegates. Voting is open to the public and will close on May 11th.
Eugene Ravdin, Head of PR at SEOBROTHERS, said: “We’re overjoyed to hear that MightyTips have been nominated for these prestigious awards. It’s fantastic to be evaluated for our hard work over the last twelve months, and everyone involved should be extremely proud of their efforts. This is a huge professional achievement for the brand.”
Awards
Slotsjudge Receives Double Nomination at the AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025

We are delighted to announce that Slotsjudge received two nominations for the AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025. Milestones like this highlight our team’s dedication and strong position in the iGaming industry.
Slotsjudge was nominated in two key categories: “Rising Star Affiliate of The Year” and “Slots Review Affiliate of The Year.” The first nomination recognizes our fast growth and impact in a competitive market, while the second one emphasizes the quality and reliability of our game reviews. We highly value the trust our audience places in us as a credible and influential voice within the industry.
What sets Slotsjudge apart is our honest, straightforward content. Our team creates reviews that players can rely on, helping them make informed choices. We actively encourage community engagement and user-generated content, ensuring our reviews reflect real player experiences. Our approach combines simplicity, transparency, and a direct connection with our audience. We believe that this strong content strategy and dedication to genuine player feedback are the reasons behind these nominations.
“We are very grateful and proud of these nominations,” said Jekaterina Dubnicka, Head of Marketing and Communications. “It is exciting to see our team’s hard work acknowledged. We appreciate our users and partners, whose support has been key to our success.”
The AffPapa iGaming Awards ceremony will take place online on June 20, 2025. Slotsjudge looks forward to attending and celebrating with the industry. We thank the jury for their recognition, and we are excited about the future, continuing to grow alongside our valued community and partners.
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