The world’s carbon footprint has increased by 70% since 1970. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), China, at 30%, is the world’s largest contributor to greenhouse emissions.
The US ranks second (15%) while European member states combine for 9%. New Zealand contributes about 0.15% of the world’s carbon footprint. It is a small percentage relative to countries like China and the US.
But it is large enough to affect the environment negatively. The agriculture and energy sectors have the highest greenhouse emissions in New Zealand. The gambling industry has a relatively low emission rate.
The explanation is that New Zealand has six land-based casinos only. Kiwis can also play slots and card games at the best New Zealand online casinos like the ones listed here. But these sites are located offshore and contribute very little to the world’s carbon footprint.
In this article, we’ll delve more into greenhouse gas emissions in the gambling sector. More so, we’ll compare land-based versus online casino emissions. Let’s dive right in.
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Gambling Casinos in New Zealand
New Zealand’s six land-based casinos are located in major cities across the country. Sky City is the largest casino franchise in the country. It has casinos in Auckland, Hamilton, and Queenstown. Both Dunedin and Christchurch also feature one casino each.
Casinos in New Zealand pack an average of 500 pokies and can accommodate up to 800 guests. That’s a lot of people. These guests have heating, lighting, accommodation, and food needs—some of the key factors that contribute to gas emissions.
Additionally, land-based casinos add to the country’s carbon footprint through game production, transportation, and construction. That does not include emissions produced by revelers while they drive to and from the casinos.
Online Casinos in New Zealand
Contrary to popular belief, New Zealand has online casinos. Most of them are located overseas. But they still accept customers from Kiwi land. Online casinos have low greenhouse emission rates. And no one should be surprised.
With no construction needs, little lighting, and energy needs, online casinos barely add to climate change. However, the sector still offers games produced at various locations in the world.
Creating casino games requires tremendous computing power. Energy is a major greenhouse emission contributor. Then there are issues like users’ electrical and heating needs, purchasing electronics, and the carbon footprint caused by online payments.
How Casinos in New Zealand Can Improve Sustainability
Both land-based and online casinos can help reduce carbon emissions by changing how they operate. Sure, casinos are all about extravagance. But not everything used at NZ casinos needs to go to waste. Find out more below.
1. Going Online
New Zealand is one of only a few developed countries yet to legalize online casinos. Lawmakers legalized brick-and-mortar casinos in the 1990s. But they’ve never made real efforts to legalize Internet gambling.
As we mentioned earlier, online casinos in New Zealand are all located outside the country. Legalizing iGaming can help reduce the country’s greenhouse production significantly.
Think about it. Online casinos offer any physical products that might end up in landfills. They offer online slots and table games. They don’t even accept cash or provide hotel services, limiting their carbon impact immensely.
2. Using Renewable Energy
Casinos in New Zealand could learn a thing or two from their peers in Las Vegas. For a few years, casinos in Nevada have been emphasizing sustainability in multiple facets, from construction and lighting to food and transportation.
These casinos recycle more than 30 million pounds of materials every year. They have invested in solar energy and have teams that help them reduce greenhouse emissions. Wynn Resorts and Caesars, in particular, are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Going green isn’t that difficult. New Zealand casinos can adopt solar panels or windmills. This could help them cut down on 30% of the energy used by pokies. And they could save more by cutting down on heating and cooling costs.
3. Eco-Friendly Construction
Legalizing online casinos won’t kill land-based casinos. In many places where both types of casinos are legal, brick-and-mortar casinos are still thriving. However, new land-based casinos in New Zealand pay attention to their construction designs if they want to help improve the environment.
Smart building constructions involve creating rooms to maximize natural lighting. It also involves optimizing buildings with automated heating and cooling. This way, energy devices can minimize consumption during times when rooms are unoccupied.
Another way casinos can reduce waste is by embracing keyless security systems. Famous hotel chain, Hilton Hotels, says it saved the world from 40 tons of plastic waste by investing in keyless technology.
4. Recycling and Reusing
Land-based casinos usually have hotels where their guests can sleep, eat, and use other facilities such as saunas. The result is that resorts throw away tons of waste products every year, from plastic cups to toiletries.
Casinos can deal with waste by buying reusable products where necessary. They can also recycle some materials and find better ways of managing waste. As stated, Las Vegas casinos have thousands of employees whose job is to sort products that can be reused or recycled before they’re thrown away.
Recycling can help reduce New Zealand’s casino carbon footprint by half. The percentage could increase if hotels can encourage their guests to use reusable products. Many people have already shown interest in improving the environment. And they’re willing to support businesses that share the same ideals.
5. Reducing Consumption
Electrical consumption is a major cause of casino’s carbon footprint in New Zealand. Pokie machines consume a ton of energy. But no establishment wants to switch off these machines. They’re major moneymakers, after all.
Casinos can reduce consumption by adopting LED lights, automated energy devices, and going green as we’ve already mentioned. Casinos have a reputation for keeping their lights on 24/7 to keep guests focused on gaming.
However, this technique comes at the cost of high energy bills and increased energy waste. Reducing energy consumption by investing in natural lighting could help casinos properly lit without increasing waste.