Latest NZ Lockdown Closes Hamilton Casino Temporarily

Robert Longthorpe - 26 October 2021 in News

For a while, it was thought that New Zealand had managed to do what no nation in the world had been able to do – keep the country relatively COVID free. However, in recent months, the government was forced to switch from its policy of elimination of the virus to that of suppression, after scores of new cases of the Delta variant were reported.

As part of this new policy, the government has been moving regions the country up and down an ‘Alert’ scale as cases are pinpointed. As areas climb an Alert Level, the government revises which properties need to close temporarily, in attempts to suppress the spread of the virus.

SkyCity Closes Casinos Across NZ as Virus Spreads

The latest reports from Hamilton are that the New Zealand casino and hospitality group, SkyCity was forced to temporarily close its local property, after a Level 3 alert as issued by the government.

After two new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Waikato region, which incorporates the Hamilton CBD, the alert was put out.

The virus has been detected in a wastewater sample collected from Wellsford.

In the meantime, SkyCity’s flagship New Zealand property in Auckland remains closed now that the city has moved up an Alert Level.

Yesterday, 65 new community cases of COVID-19 were reported in Auckland and daily case numbers are tipped to hit the hundreds by next week. Experts predict that if the outbreak is not contained soon, we can expect to see up to 150 new cases a day by November.

What Can New Zealand Gamblers do in the Meantime?

With many of their favourite brick-and-mortar casino haunts shut down temporarily, and the chance of them staying closed due to the upsurge in COVID-19 cases, many New Zealanders are looking for alternative options when it comes to gambling entertainment.

Since the latest lockdown began in August, we have seen an increased number of Kiwis turning to online gambling options.

Many lottery players already purchase their Lotto tickets and play Lotto scratchies online, but more and more players are also taking to playing casino games such as slots, poker, blackjack and roulette at offshore online casinos.

The Benefits of NZ Online Casinos

Most online casinos that offer their products and services to players from New Zealand are licensed and regulated by reputable gambling authorities such as the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Commission.

This means that the online casinos are guaranteed to be safe, secure and transparent, and provide New Zealand players with complete peace of mind.

Even though these sites are located offshore due to tough remote gambling laws that govern New Zealand, they accommodate local players by allowing them to pay in New Zealand Dollars (NZ$) and supporting banking methods that are safe and convenient for Kiwis.

New Zealand-friendly online casinos offer a fantastic range of casino games by multiple software vendors. This ensures 24/7 gambling entertainment under one virtual roof, with access to literally hundreds of games at any given time.

The best NZ online casinos take their customers’ satisfaction very seriously and will make sure to have friendly and professional customer support available around the clock.

It’s true that online casinos may not offer the vibe and comradeship that you find in brick-and-mortar casinos, but many players have made the switch to online gambling, even before the onset of the pandemic.

Convenient: No need to get into a car and travel to your nearest land-based NZ casino.
Open 24/7: Not all brick-and-mortar casinos are open around the clock and players are restricted by their opening and closing hours.
Diversity: As much as they wish they could, land-based casinos would never be able to provide the range of games that players literally have at their fingertips when playing online.

Online Casinos: The Safer Choice

Most importantly however, today it simply makes a lot more sense to take your gambling sessions online. Even when casinos such as SkyCity Hamilton and Auckland open up, it is probably better to avoid crowded places until the pandemic is brought under control in New Zealand.

SkyCity has taken all the precautions to ensure that the maximum health and safety measures are in place, however, public places are fertile ground for the virus spread.

In August, one of New Zealand’s very first cases visited SkyCity Casino in Auckland and 240 staff-members working that night, as well as thousands of patrons on the gaming floor were possibly in close contact with the patient.

As such, online gambling seems the saner, safer way to go right now, besides all the other many advantages that come with this excellent form of entertainment.