Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden’s Bill seeking to protect players who gamble online by introducing safeguards to the currently unregulated online gambling market in New Zealand, passed its first reading in Parliament today.

“Currently, New Zealanders can legally access thousands of offshore gambling websites. But the market is unregulated, so there are no player safety standards or oversight of harm minimisation,” says Ms van Velden.

“My intention with this Bill is to ensure that online gambling is safer for New Zealanders who wish to gamble online to do so. In addition, that companies providing this service contribute to tax revenue and funding the services that treat gambling harm in New Zealand.”

The Bill allows for up to 15 online gambling licences to be auctioned, with companies applying for a licence needing to meet strict criteria, including having a harm prevention strategy and providing information on their compliance history.

The Department of Internal Affairs will enforce the new regulatory system, with all costs recovered from fees on licensed gambling companies. Fines of up to $5 million can be applied to companies for breaking the rules.

“The most important part of this Bill is protecting New Zealanders who enjoy gambling online by introducing robust safety measures for licensed operators.

“The Bill will now proceed to select committee, and I would encourage interested New Zealanders to have their say when public submissions open,” says Ms van Velden.

Note:

Conditions of holding an online casino licence will include (but are not limited to):

• A suitable age verification system to prevent gambling by anyone under 18 years
• Contributing 1.24 percent of profits to the Problem Gambling Levy which is used to fund problem gambling support services
• Abiding by strict restrictions on advertising, including not advertising to children. The detailed rules on advertising will be set out in regulations that are currently being developed.

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