Brooke van Velden‚ New Zealands Internal Affairs Minister announced brand-new rules for web-based casino games that will change how kiwis gamble online. The govt wants to limit casino sites to just 15 operators (which is way less than thousands of offshore sites working now) and make them follow strict age-check rules
My goal is not to increase online gambling but to make it safer for New Zealanders who choose to play
The govt plans to start these rules in early-26 and will hit rule-breakers with fines up to NZ$5m ($3m); which shows how serious they are about this. Right now theres no control over online casino gambling in NZ‚ so players dont have any real protection
The new system includes several must-have things:
- Age checks to keep under-18s away
- No ads that target kids
- Only casino games allowed - no sports betting or lotto
- Strict player protection rules
The online gambling world is getting bigger in NZ because of smart-phones and easy internet access. Money-watchers say this business could grow 6% each year till 29 - but now itʼll have to follow these new rules. The govt is writing up the full law now and wants to get it to parliament sometime next yr