The Problem Gambling Foundation has made a formal complaint to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) regarding an online gambling advert that features Brendon McCullum, a former Black Caps star and current coach of the English cricket team.
The controversial ad depicts Mr McCullum in a sports car in the desert, sharing the news of becoming a brand ambassador for 22Bet.
According to the Problem Gambling Foundation’s claims, ads of 22Bet, a gambling company based in Cyprus, have been subject to aggressive marketing on YouTube over the past month. As the complainant claims, there had been some aggressive 22Bet advertising taking place on YouTube in the past week. The report states that an ad from the Cyprus-based betting operator is displayed most times a video is watched, claiming that the company is a legal bookmaker and offering incentives for joining its platforms with a sign-up bonus worth either NZ$250 or NZ$750.
What is even more concerning, according to the Problem Gambling Foundation, Brendon McCullum is announced as a brand ambassador of the company, which makes the platform look more legitimate and acceptable to New Zealand audiences.
The DIA has responded to the complaint, saying that the adverts in question would be illegal if they were on the country’s content provider, as opposed to YouTube, which is an international online video sharing and social media platform.
Online Gambling Currently Generally Illegal in New Zealand
The Problem Gambling Foundation shared that the majority of the controversial YouTube ads are being promoted from fake accounts. According to the complaint, they are not targeting specific demographics through user data on the video sharing platform but are promoting the content indiscriminately to any user. The fact that the company is an offshore online gambling operator and its regulation has been a particularly problematic issue, has also been among the concerns of the complainant, considering the fact that 22Bet seems interested in expanding its customer base in New Zealand.
The Problem Gambling Foundation has addressed the England and Wales Cricket Board, which currently employes Brendon McCullum as a head coach.
The Department of Internal Affairs said that while it takes online gambling operators’ expansion very seriously under the current gambling legislation, it still had a limited capacity for the regulation of off-shore companies.
For the time being, the prohibition under the country’s gambling Act does not apply to gambling operations, and it is not illegal for a person in New Zealand to place bets with an overseas gambling operator over the Internet. Since 22Bet is based in a foreign country and YouTube is an international social media and video sharing platform that is not specifically hosted in New Zealand, any adverts aired on these platforms would not fall under the scope of the Gambling Act. The DIA noted that if 22Bet was being advertised through a content provider, then such advertising would not be legal.
The Department of Internal Affairs further shared that participation in online gambling operators such as 22Bet could expose people to potential fraud.
Currently, online gambling operators are generally illegal under the provisions of New Zealand legislation. However, the country’s Gambling Act of 2003 features a number of limited exemptions for the New Zealand Lotteries Commission and the New Zealand Racing Board (TAB). according to the DIA, the ongoing advertising of 22Bet is misleading, as the company was not a registered sports betting operator in New Zealand, and it does not hold an operating license and is not regulated in the country.
- Author
Olivia Cole
