Kenya and New Zealand are countries far from each other but they are united by the desire to develop the gambling market. Even though the countries are moving in the same direction, the results of their activities are different.

One of the main aspects is their understanding and regularisation of the requirements for online casinos to obtain a license. For this, there are specific commissions in each country, which are responsible at the state level. Below you can find all the information about the commissions.

New Zealand Gambling Industry Regulator

Gambling is one of the favourite pastimes of New Zealanders. But like Kenya, New Zealand also did a lot of work in its time to regulate online gambling. As the popularity of online gambling increases in this country, Kiwis can select new online casinos in NZ according to their preferences.

New Zealand Gambling Commission

As it is already clear, the New Zealand Gambling Commission is the main mechanism of the entire casino and bookmaker market. According to the Gambling Law of 2003, remote interactive gambling is prohibited in this country, defined as “Gambling by a person at a distance by interaction through a communication device.” 

So this definition includes online casinos of national online establishments that offer gambling in New Zealand. However, the law does not prohibit citizens of the country from using the opportunities provided by online casinos from other jurisdictions.

Casino License Regulations

The country has several casinos and tens of thousands of slot machines. Unlike in Kenya, paying fees and taxes is insufficient to obtain a New Zealand Gambling Commission license. To legally and continuously engage in the gambling business, you must provide some documents and proof:

• A list of games (slot machines, table and cards games, etc.) with a detailed description of the software providers and rules;
• Business plan;
• Contact information of the operator such as email, address, phone number etc;
• Information about available payment systems.

In turn, NZGS deals with issues related to licensing, security, standards, and fairness of online platforms. Therefore, sometimes it can conduct various tests or checks to ensure that gamblers from New Zealand are safe.

Kenyan Gambling Industry Regulator

An interesting fact is that Kenya has a similar gambling policy to Nigeria. The country has legal land-based casinos, bookmakers, and bingo halls, and online gambling is not subject to law enforcement. That is, online gambling is in a neutral status. The regulator, discussed below, can issue a license, but only subject to compliance with the rules and requirements.

Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB)

BCLB is the main operating mechanism in online and offline gambling. The major condition for obtaining a license for gambling platforms is payment. A local operator must pay €2,800 for a betting license, and a foreign operator – €6,250 + €800. 

The variety of casino licenses for a local company is €32.8 thousand, for a foreign one – €38.6 thousand, plus €4 thousand. It is also mandatory to pay taxes, and each category has its conditions.

Moreover, only legal gambling operators with permits from BCLB can advertise their services and products. The principal condition for launching an advertisement is that it should contain information about the possible consequences of gambling and contacts where to turn in case of addiction.

Crackdown on Unlicensed Gambling

A groundbreaking event that reduced the number of illegal and unlicensed gambling platforms took place in 2019. At this time, the government of Kenya adopted an updated Gambling Law, adding new online categories to it and updating the conditions for their activities. Previously, only online bookmakers were available.

This was when gamblers from Kenya became protected and gained access to legal online gambling. Previously, Kenyans and Nigerian players often fell into the trap of unlicensed casinos that deceived gamblers and deleted their accounts. Nothing could be done about it, as there was no regularisation by the BCLB.

As a result, Kenya is now slowly but persistently promoting its region for foreign gambling companies.

Conclusion

The difference in regulation and mandatory conditions for online gambling in these countries is obvious. In general, Africa as a region has only recently begun to pursue policies and processes related to iGaming actively. The significant contrast between New Zealand and Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya is due to their respective legal frameworks.

Countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria are at the same level in this aspect. In turn, New Zealand, on par with the UK, is one of the most promising regions for obtaining a license and running a gambling business.