New Zealand is no different from the rest of the world in the respect that more and more parts of daily lives are handled online. It is estimated that up to 80% of internet use is on mobile digital devices such as smartphones and tablets, and that most of that use is for entertainment purposes, such as online casinos, gaming or social media.
‘Kiwi’ – madlag via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Online Casinos In New Zealand
Online casinos are one of the most popular online pastimes in New Zealand, partly because they do not have the restrictions of physical casinos with opening and closing hours, and they can be enjoyed while on the move. That tedious train journey to work is suddenly not so boring, or the wait to see someone does not seem quite so long.
‘4492’ – Hugh Llewelyn via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
You can play roulette, blackjack, bingo, craps and many other games, all with different versions for your enjoyment. Most of them have special offers for first-time sign-ups and if you want to find the best free spins offers for New Zealand players, they are not hard to find.
Even existing members will have the chance for free bonuses of either spins or cash to play with at certain times, each casino choosing when to make these offers.
Social Media
Social media is another very popular pastime for New Zealanders, as it means they can interact with friends and family very easily. It can also be very informative with news items and advertising. You not only get to read the adverts or news, you can see other peoples opinions and comments.
With some online casinos and other gaming sites, you can share the news of your good fortune on social media.
Shopping
Although you can do your food shopping online and have it delivered to your front door, it is shopping for clothes, shoes, books, films and other things for leisure time that more people buy over the internet. There are not many shops that do not have an online presence, and most have them have very good delivery services and returns policies.
‘grocery shopping’ – david via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Banking
Internet banking saves so much time. No more standing in long queues to pay money in or to settle some bills. Now you can do it all through an app on your smartphone or tablet. Banks were among some of the first to embrace technology for their services, and they are constantly updating and improving things for ease of use.
Some banks have started to tentatively use blockchain as a way of letting customers transfer money to other countries in a few minutes rather than days. Banks and online casinos have both found huge advantages with this technology, which has really been the biggest change to online transactions since the internet was invented over 30 years ago.
eSports
eSports have become so popular that now tournaments and world championships are being held in them, with prize money in some instances running into millions of dollars. It would not be worth entering any of these unless you had played the games online first, and for the younger generation particularly, they get hours of fun from doing just that.
Some cities have arcades opening where people can go and play online against each other. Not everyone wants to enter big competitions, so these places are great for the casual players rather than those that take these games seriously.
The Winners Are?
New technology has without a doubt changed the way we live and how we use our leisure time. In New Zealand, like everywhere else, playing in online casinos, eSports and social media come out on top, with shopping and banking following very closely behind.
