MPs approve controversial bill to allow online casinos
Friday, 24 April 2026
An almost empty Parliament voted to pass the Online Casino Gambling Bill to legitimise online casinos, which opposition MPs believe will lead to increased gambling addiction and harm.
National MPs slated to speak on the bill, which was guided through its third reading on Thursday by Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden, did not appear.
Labour, The Greens and Te Pāti Māori opposed the bill, but National, ACT and NZ First MPs cast their votes (mostly in absentia) in favour to carry the vote 68 to 55.
Van Velden said that online casino licences, of which up to 15 will be issued, would come with obligations, including monitoring for problem gambling, and other harm prevention mechanisms, which would be set through regulations.
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After a U-turn in October following a howl of protest from community organisations like sports clubs, online casino licence holders will have to make community contributions just like brick and mortar gambling establishments do.
“Once licensed they will be able to advertise with restrictions, be required to pay tax, and contribute to wards the problem gambling levy,” van Velden said.
She said the licences would show the public which online casinos were “legitimate”, and the Department of Internal Affairs would be able to issue take-down notices for unlicensed gambling sites, and impose fines of up to $5 million on their operators.
Advertisement would not be allowed to target under 25s unless the operator could demonstrate that the adverts could be precisely targeted at people over the age of 18, and that the adverts would not appeal to children under the age of 18, van Velden said.
“It is not the government’s intention with this bill to increase gambling, but to make sure it is safer for those who choose to gamble,” she said.
Opposition MPs felt she was naive to expect that to happen. They expect a flood of gambling advertising, and an increase in gambling harm.
Labour’s Lemauga Lydia Sosene said the bill did not go far enough to protect people from harm.
“In our view the licences are far too many for New Zealanders to practically understand the controls that we say do not go far enough,” she said.
It legitimised 24/7 gambling because unlike land-based casinos, which had opening and closing hours, online casinos could carry on their business at all hours.
Green MP Mike Davidson said: “Online gambling is particularly harmful as it is continuous, easily accessible, and easy to hide.”
It was done on personal devices, and that brought gambling into people’s homes.
“It’s clear this bill will increase harm amongst vulnerable people, but it got pushed through without actually fixing that big issue,” Davidson said.
NZ First’s Andy Foster described the bill as the “sheriff” for an activity which was already happening, and which was growing each year.
“Do you want the wild west or do you want the sheriff?” Foster asked.
MP Oriini Kaipara from Te Pāti Māori said online casino gambling was designed to be addictive and to keep people playing until they lost all their money.
“Gambling harm is intergenerational. It compounds stress, poverty and whanau breakdown, and without strong protections this bill will deepens inequalities and inequities for Maori,” she said.
NZX sharemarket-listed SkyCity welcomed the passage of the Online Casino Gambling Bill through its Third Reading.
“This is an important milestone in establishing a clear, regulated framework for online casino gaming in New Zealand, with a strong emphasis on consumer protection, harm minimisation, and ensuring benefits flow back to communities,” the company said.