In direct contrast to the policies of the United States, residents of New Zealand could be playing interactive gambling games from home or work within a year from now. This has all been made possible by New Zealand Lotteries.

A contract concluded in mid-August with 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. The number of terminals to be updated is currently estimated at 1,450 but that number is growing.

According to New Zealand Lotteries spokesperson, Helen Morgan-Banda, when offered overseas, remote interactive gambling typically is 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. Still, Morgan-Banda noted that under the Gambling Act it is a possibility, “We have the legal right to offer interactive gaming, under the Gambling Act", she added.

Existing equipment operated 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. Included in the estimate are the costs for new gaming and IP systems and ongoing support. Gtech also provided the existing equipment that New Zealand Lotteries is already using.