Gambling News - August 2005 Edition

"Dice Set to Roll for Online Gambling"

New Zealanders could be gambling online within a year from now.

The residents of New Zealand, in direct contrast to the policies of the United States, could be playing interactive gambling games from home or work within a year from now and it is all made possible by New Zealand Lotteries.

Gtech, a U.S. based company, will be refreshing New Zealand’s entire population of lottery terminals and follow up by introducing a line of new products, including remote interactive gambling, also known as RIG.A. The number of terminals to be updated is currently estimated at 1,450 and growing fast. A contract with Gtech was concluded in mid-August.

Helen Morgan-Banda, the New Zealand Lotteries spokesperson, said that when it is offered overseas, remote interactive gambling (RIG) is typically provided over the Internet as well as through dedicated networks, but whether RIG will be offered over the Internet in New Zealand has yet to be negotiated. Morgan-Banda noted that under the Gambling Act it is a distinct possibility, “We have the legal right to offer interactive gaming under the Gambling Act", she added.

Existing equipment operates over the Telecom DDS network, but that is about change as Gtech plans to set up a network that will use IP as its protocol. The new terminals will also support a web interface. The entire update should be finished by the middle of next year. Morgan-Ganda expects new products to be introduced at about that time too.

Over its nine-year term, the total value of the systems renewal contract is estimated at about forty million dollars. The estimate includes that the costs of new gaming and IP systems and ongoing support. The existing equipment that New Zealand Lotteries is already using was originally provided by Gtech.