A new gambling-focused bill has today been introduced (June 30) in New Zealand by the Minister of Internal Affairs, with the aim being to regulate the online casino market.
The ‘Online Casino Gambling Bill’ was spoken about in the House of Representatives, with this having been spoken about for some time.
“The Online Casino Gambling Bill will introduce a regulatory system for online gambling in New Zealand, which will prioritise harm minimisation, consumer protection, and tax collection,” says Ms van Velden.
This comes after the Cabinet has previously agreed to introduce new legislation to regulate the industry, which currently remains unregulated in the country.
The bill is extensive, but key features include:
- Up to 15 licences for online casino gambling operators will be auctioned.
- Companies applying for a licence will need to provide detailed information to the regulator, including their business plans for New Zealand.
- Licensed operators will be allowed to advertise, with restrictions.
- Unlicensed operators will be prohibited, and fines up to $5 million may be applicable for breaking the law.
New Zealand regulatory gambling changes could be in place by early 2026
To bolster these potential new changes, detailed regulations about advertising and harm minimization standards are being developed. These will set out specific requirements that all operators must comply with.
“The Bill will proceed to select committee later this year and New Zealanders will have the ability to have their say through the select committee process.”
It was back in November when Brooke van Velden said the government had agreed to further details of a new system.
At the time, she explained her goals behind the changes: “My goal is not to increase the amount of gambling that is happening online, but to enable New Zealanders who wish to play casino games online to do so more safely than they can today.
“Currently, New Zealanders can and do gamble on thousands of offshore gambling websites. By introducing a regulatory system my intention is to channel customers towards up to fifteen licensed operators.”
The new regulatory system could be in place by early 2026.
Featured Image: Credit to ‘DXR’ on Wikimedia Commons
