New Zealanders Now Have Access To Instant Kiwi On The Internet

The National Lottery Commission of New Zealand has every intention of improving the sales of their popular scratch tickets - Instant Kiwi - by selling them on the internet.  This is great news for New Zealanders who love this game, but the Problem Gambling Foundation is concerned that selling these lotto tickets on the web will cause more harm than good.

The Problem Gambling Foundation New Zealand (PGFNZ) has already protested this move, believing that internet gambling should remain illegal in New Zealand.  The organizations spokesperson, Graham Aitken, feels that the push to make instant scratch tickets available online will likely have a negative influence on a gambler’s ability to think rationally and that gambling is simply a growing problem without benefits.

Recent statistics have revealed that the concerns the PGFNZ has regarding the negative impact online gambling has on citizens of New Zealand are not unfounded.  As many as 200 New Zealanders have admitted to having gambling-related problems.  Furthermore, it was reported by the Department of Internal Affairs and Health Sponsorship Council that over 70% of all scratch ticket players live in poor areas, and at least 13% have confessed that they spend more on tickets to improve their chances of obtaining bigger winnings.

According to Television New Zealand (TVNZ), approximately 900,000 of these scratch-and-wins are currently sold on the Island each week.  Considering the popular Instant Kiwi is only sold in supermarkets and in select retail stores, it is believed that the tickets popularity will sky rocket since they can now be conveniently purchased online.  Due to the fact that most individuals who appear to buy these scratch tickets are not in any position to throw away money on gambling, PGFNZ worries how the selling of Instant Kiwi online will affect the NZ population, especially when the government has made no move to prohibit the online sale of these lottery tickets.