New Zealand’s government is planning to implement a licensing system that will give online casino operators the opportunity to legally target gamblers in New Zealand. While the Problem Gambling Foundation welcomed the regulation of online casino gaming, it called for the new laws to be accompanied by a ban on iGaming ads.
As specified by Brooke van Velden, Minister of Internal Affairs, regulated casinos will be required to follow a range of rules. They will answer to the Department of Internal Affairs, which will become the country’s gambling regulator once the new system is in effect, and the supervisory body will distribute a limited number of licences. Once an online casino has officially been green-lit to operate in the country, its licence will be valid for three years, provided it is not revoked due to the operator failing to continue adhering to the rules. Each permit will be auctioned off and will apply to casino gaming products available exclusively to those 18 or over, while remote sports betting will remain illegal.
Ms Van Velden stressed that the licensing system is not planned with the intention of making gambling more widespread in the country. Instead, it is set to provide New Zealanders with a safe and regulated iGaming market characterised by harm minimisation and consumer protection. This will contrast the current situation where New Zealand-based gamblers turn to unlicensed off-shore casinos. Moreover, regulated operators will be required to pay taxes and, therefore, contribute toward New Zealand’s economy. Companies that fail to obtain a licence will be forbidden from offering their services in the country.
New Zealanders can expect the new system to be in effect by early 2026, and they will be given the chance to provide the government with feedback while the Select Committee process is underway.
Problem Gambling Foundation Calls for a Blanket Ban on Online Gambling Ads
Ms Van Velden explained that as per the current plans, once the year 2026 rolls around and the rules are set in place, regulated online casinos will be allowed to advertise their services under strict rules. Sponsorships, on the other hand, will not be permitted. The prospect of legalised gambling ads in New Zealand has already been met with opposition, however.
The promotion of gambling is a somewhat controversial topic in jurisdictions where remote gaming and other forms of gambling are permitted, with neighbouring Australia being one such example. The abundance of casino and betting ads in the country has long been criticised by gambling health experts and individuals who have been affected by gambling harm, and Casino Guardian recently reported on how the Albanese government has come under fire for not implementing the ban-related proposals outlined in last year’s “You win some, you lose more” report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy.
In a press release published on the news website Scoop, the Problem Gambling Foundation urged New Zealand’s own government to impose an all-encompassing prohibition on gambling ads. Its Director of Advocacy and Public Health, Andree Froude, argued that ads lead to the normalisation of gambling, and that this is especially harmful toward youth and vulnerable individuals. Should a full ban not be implemented, she continued, there must at least be “strict limits around the volume and timing of advertisements,” and inducements should be deemed illegal.
According to Ms Froude, regulators must also mandate that licensees restrict what payment methods clients can deposit with, require them to use time and spend limits, and verify the identity of each customer through a thorough and robust process. A national self-exclusion register should also be established.
- Author
Daniel Williams
