‘They’ll pop up everywhere’: Inescapable gambling ads targeting teens
Friday, 15 August 2025
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Young people are increasingly being lured into the world of sports betting, online casinos and pokie machines by a barrage of social media posts and targeted advertising. Katie Hunter reports.
Toby can’t go on social media without seeing an advertisement for an online casino.
“It doesn’t matter if it's Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, they’ll pop up everywhere,” he says.
The 18-year-old, whose last name The Post has agreed not to publish, took home the jackpot the second time he ever played the pokies. It started a gambling habit that led to him sinking his savings into the TAB and online casinos.
Nearly a year later, Toby is overcoming the addiction, but seeing big gambling wins online tests his resolve.
“I struggle with it a little bit. So when I do see it, it's just like enticing and I've got to keep that distance.”
Scrolling through Instagram, the advertisements take on various forms – some are subtle, like an online casino logo watermarked in the corner of a seemingly random video, or a sports podcast, where the odds on an upcoming game are casually dropped into the conversation.
Others are more obvious. In one video, a popular influencer gambles hundreds of thousands dollars on online blackjack while taunting the computer-generated dealer. Another video satirically promotes gambling as the key to becoming stronger.
Toby isn’t the only one seeing the advertisements.
About 44% of those aged between 15 and 24 have gambled in some form in the past year and a quarter of moderate to high-risk gamblers in New Zealand are young people.
Ministry of Health figures show about 9% of people accessing gambling harm support between July 2022 and July 2023 were aged 18 to 24 – but advocates warn not everyone seeks help and the true extent of harm is unknown.
What have influencers got to do with online casinos?
“Influencers”, who promote products to their large online audiences, are increasingly becoming a crucial part of gambling operator’s marketing strategies – whether it is legal for them to promote the sites or not.
It is illegal for anyone to publish an advertisement for an offshore gambling operator in New Zealand, but that hasn’t stopped the practice.
The Department of Internal Affairs began issuing its first-ever takedown notices to influencers breaching the law earlier this year, warning they could face hefty fines if they did not comply. In May, personality Millie Elder-Holmes was fined $5000 after ignoring an earlier warning.
Proposed legislation would raise penalties for individuals breaching advertisements regulations from a maximum of $10,000 to $300,000.
But not every online personality wants to play a part in promoting gambling.
Joe Daymond is one of them. The Kiwi comedian, who has more than 380,000 followers across his social platforms, told followers in a recent TikTok post he was being contacted by gambling operators daily asking him to promote their sites online.
Addressing the camera directly, Daymond said many people did not understand the lengths online casinos would go to normalise gambling.
“I get hit up every single day and I know why, because I'm brown, you know, fairly relatable, kind of seem like your everyday normal guy.”
Daymond said he did not want anything to do with gambling and warned that people did not realise how ingrained gambling operators were in society.
Whether influencers can post themselves gambling online as entertainment to Kiwi audiences is a grey area.
Tim Myers is a New Zealand-born, Canadian-based influencer with more than one million followers on Instagram. Using the “Tim Naki” handle, Myers is known for his series betting $1 on online blackjack for every like on his last video. His largest bet so far totalled nearly $140,000 – and in his most recent series, has won more than $2 million in just 32 days.
The comments under Myers’ videos are full of praise. One user comments they have never been on a more fun journey, while another encourages Myers to keep going until he reaches $10 million in profits. Only a handful of comments question whether the videos are legitimate.
Myers doesn’t just show off his blackjack winnings to his online audience – he says he can teach them how to do it too. On his website, he advertises the Naki x Razed Blackjack Book: The Guide to Winning Millions. Clicking on the link reveals a table telling players what move they should make depending on what cards are in their own and the dealer’s hands.
And if users want to try the guide out for themselves, they don’t have to go far. Directly underneath the chart is a link leading to an online blackjack site.
It is not know if he is sponsored by gambling companies. The Post attempted to contact Myers through his site, but did not receive a response.
What’s being done in New Zealand?
Under current laws it is illegal for offshore casinos to operate from or advertise in New Zealand – but this is set to change.
The Online Casino Gambling Bill, which is open for public consultation, will allow up to 15 licensed casinos to legally operate in New Zealand. If passed, license holders would be able to promote their sites within limitations, including not advertising to children.
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says while gambling advertising will likely increase once licensed casinos begin operating, the Government is looking for feedback on how advertising is regulated. This included whether influencers should be allowed to promote licensed gambling sites.
Public submissions on the bill are open until August 17. If passed, the legislation will come into effect early next year.
Dr Maria Bellringer, Auckland University of Technology Gambling and Addictions Research Centre Director, is worried letting licensed operators advertise, especially on social media, will risk normalising gambling among young people.
An Australian study published last year found gambling advertisements featuring influencers and celebrities were appealing to young people and made gambling “very socially acceptable”. Researchers said the findings also suggested influencer promotions increased trust in gambling brands, while reducing risk perceptions associated with gambling products and behaviours.
“I think what these companies are trying to do is to get the younger generation interested in gambling because they’ve got more life ahead of them to be gambling for longer,” Bellringer says.
She is also concerned some under age will seek out unregulated gambling operators to try online casinos because they have been so heavily marketed to them.
Bellringer believes it will be difficult for the Government to enforce advertisement regulations.
But while it is uncertain if influencers will get to play a role in promoting online casinos, they can advertise the TAB and its youth-focused subsidiary, Betcha.
The TAB has a monopoly on the New Zealand market after The Racing Industry Amendment Bill, which makes it illegal for offshore betting providers to accept online bets on sport and racing from New Zealand, passed into law earlier this year.
Since Entain, one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, took over the TAB’s operations and created Betcha, its marketing approach has heavily focused on social media and influencers. While legal, many warn it is a strategy that harms young people.
The rise of sports betting
Two years ago, university student Thomas Bishop won $800 after placing two bets with the TAB. The 23-year-old told The Post he cashed in his winnings and walked away – he hasn’t gambled since.
Bishop stopped because he did not find gambling satisfying, but believes he could have easily gone the other way. He knows other people who have lost more money than they have won trying to double their winnings.
“Once someone makes their first little bit … then they get that adrenaline rush and they kind of cling on to that and try and chase it again and again and again. And then all of a sudden, they’ve rinsed their bank account.”
Despite not having gambled in a long time, the TAB still sends texts encouraging him to make a deposit to get free bonus money.
He believes the number of advertisements promoting the TAB and Betcha ‒ mostly through Instagram sponsored ads and reels ‒ has gone up in the past year, making it easier to reel people in.
“I don’t follow the TAB and I don’t follow Betcha, but I see their ads every day.
“ It's not great on New Zealanders, especially young New Zealanders, and especially people in high school who are now basically waiting to turn 18 so that they can make a TAB account or a Betcha account.”
The Problem Gambling Foundation launched its new campaign Are You Being Played? in June to highlight how gambling is becoming increasingly embedded into sports and the tactics betting operators use to encourage young people to gamble.
Advocacy and public health director Andrée Froude says an uplift in advertising is to blame for more young people and especially more young men engaging in sports betting. It is difficult for young people to completely avoid gambling promotions because they live their lives online, she says.
It is more than just advertising though – gambling odds are becoming a regular part of sports commentary. Former All Black Israel Dagg now gives the odds on the rugby before the games and the TAB have its own podcasts discussing odds prior to sports and racing events.
As someone working towards a career in that field, Bishop wants no part in promoting gambling.
“That’s just more marketing for people to sit there and go, ‘you know, I think that this team or this person has got a very good chance of winning’. It kind of gives you that little doubting thought of, ‘should I put money on this?’ ”
A spokesperson for Entain Australia and New Zealand told The Post they were unable to comment on how many users aged between 18 to 29 were using the TAB and Betcha platforms.
The spokesperson says both platforms have harm minimisation measures in place to keep betting fun and safe for users.
But Bishop believes gambling platforms targeted towards young people should not be allowed.
“You’re setting them up for failure, setting them up for getting addicted to losing money.”
Gambling not a ‘great standard’ to set for young people
When Toby is asked if gambling operators should be allowed to advertise to New Zealanders, he pauses before replying.
“No, probably not. I don’t think they should be able to advertise, I think they should put out warnings instead of advertising.”
In his view, gambling operators shouldn’t be allowed to advertise on social media because there is a risk children could watch the promotions.
He accepts online casinos that have been awarded licenses will want to promote their businesses, but says cash prize or jackpot promotions should be banned because “the winnings is what gets people in”.
Most young people cannot afford to gamble, he says, and many do not know where to go for help.
“I don't think it’s a great standard to set for young people’s minds.”
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