New Zealand Problem Gambling Foundation Urges Advertising Ban as Online Casino Licensing Advances

New Zealand’s Problem Gambling Foundation has stepped up its call for a full prohibition on gambling advertising as the country moves toward launching a regulated online casino market. Andree Froude, the foundation’s advocacy director, warned that offshore operators routinely breach current restrictions through social media, influencers and other channels, reaching individuals at risk of gambling harm. Eleven entities secured rights to the 15 available licenses after an auction that raised NZ$15 million, with new advertising rules for licensed operators scheduled to begin in June 2027.

Froude told RNZ that advertising demonstrably influences behavior. She questioned the logic of granting licenses to operators that have ignored existing rules. Unsuccessful offshore operators have been ordered to cease New Zealand-facing activity by December 1.

Offshore Breaches Undermine Current Restrictions

The foundation detailed multiple instances of advertisements appearing to people in recovery, including bonus offers sent after periods of abstinence and promotions triggered by searches for gambling-harm support services. Froude stated that overseas companies treat local law as optional.

“No, those overseas operators actually have been treating our law as optional for quite some time, and we’ve seen a lot of breaches of these advertising rules where they have been using social media. They’ve been using even tagging on buildings and walls to promote their offshore sites. They’ve been using influencers. So, they’ve been getting around our laws and flouting our laws for years,” she said.

The foundation argues that the existing rules have failed to prevent offshore companies from advertising to New Zealand audiences. Froude also wants operators’ compliance records to influence decisions on license applications.

“These operators have proved that they haven’t been compliant with laws, so why should we be giving them a license?” she said.

Successful applicants include Stake, Entain, SkyCity, SkillOnNet, LCKY, Rock Swift Group Limited, Christchurch Online NZ and Super Group, which obtained three license rights. Entain already operates TAB NZ and Betcha.

Enforcement Resources and Regulatory Coordination Remain Open Questions

The framework spans the Gambling Act 2003 and the Online Casino Act 2026, both administered by the Department of Internal Affairs, with the Advertising Standards Authority handling current complaints. Requirements differ across product categories, complicating unified oversight. Froude argued that penalties alone will prove ineffective without adequate monitoring capacity.

“In terms of making sure that these operators comply with our law, having a big penalty, for example, is just a number on a paper if we don’t enforce it. We’ve got to make sure the DIA is resourced to be able to keep an eye on what’s going on with these operators to make sure that they’re complying with our laws,” she said, according to reporting by World Casino News.

Entain responded that it invests in safer gambling tools, age controls and community returns while operating under strict rules. The foundation countered by citing the World Health Organization position that prohibiting advertising forms an essential public-health measure. The core limitation is clear: without dedicated enforcement resources and consistent licensing standards, the new regime risks replicating the compliance gaps already visible offshore.

The Enforcement Test Ahead

Regulators face a narrow window to align advertising oversight, compliance weighting in licensing and operational resources before the June 2027 launch. Failure to close these gaps will likely allow continued offshore leakage and weaken harm-prevention claims for the licensed market.

Reporting: World Casino News

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