Hāpai Te Hauora is concerned that Aotearoa’s new online casino gambling laws could grow harm while claiming to reduce it.

The Online Casino Gambling Act came into force on 1 May 2026 and will allow up to 15 online casino licences in Aotearoa. The regime is being phased in and is not expected to be fully operational until 2027.

While the Act brings offshore online gambling under regulation, Hāpai says regulation must not be mistaken for prevention.

Chief Operating Officer Jason Alexander says concern remains about what this new regime could mean for whānau Māori.

"Regulation is needed. Our concern is that this Act does not just regulate online casino gambling; it risks normalising and expanding it," says Alexander.

"Some regulation is better than none, but regulation is not the same as prevention. A regulated market can still expand exposure, normalise gambling and increase harm."

"Māori already experience a disproportionate share of gambling harm, so any expansion of this market needs to be treated very cautiously."

Last year, Hāpai supported whānau to have their say on the Online Casino Gambling Bill. What we heard was clear: whānau were concerned about gambling harm, advertising, tamariki, Te Tiriti and the impact online casinos could have on Māori communities.

Alexander says those concerns are still relevant as the new regime takes shape.

"Legalising and licensing online casino gambling changes the environment. It increases legitimacy, visibility and commercial pressure to grow the market," says Alexander.

"That is why harm prevention needs to come first. We need much tighter advertising controls, strong Māori-led protections, and confidence that safeguards are in place before this market expands."

"One of the concerns is that some key protections are still not expected to be in place before whānau are exposed to this new market. The national self-exclusion register is not expected until at least late 2027, leaving a significant gap in the meantime."

Hāpai says online gambling must be treated as a public health issue, not just an individual choice.

"Whānau wellbeing must come before gambling profit," says Alexander.

"Prevention cannot be an afterthought. It needs to be built into this system from the start."

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