The bill would licence 15 online casinos in New Zealand and community groups fear for their funding, writes Lyric Waiwiri-Smith\u00a0in today\u2019s extract from The Bulletin.<\/p>\n
To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday,\u00a0sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n To regulate somewhat or not at all<\/p>\n Internal affairs minister Brooke van Velden has told Newsroom<\/a> her Online Casino Gambling Bill will set up \u201cguardrails\u201d in an otherwise unregulated (and largely offshore) industry. By allowing the licensing of 15 online casinos to advertise in New Zealand for the first time, the government hopes to establish a more regulated gambling market.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the bill\u2019s first reading in July, the Greens broke ranks with the left-bloc to vote in favour of the bill, with caveats. The Green Party\u2019s internal affairs spokesperson Benjamin Doyle told RNZ\u2019s Russell Palmer<\/a> the bill was a \u201csmall step\u201d towards harm reduction, and advancing it to the select committee would allow for community leaders to give their advice on amendments.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former Labour racing minister Kieran McAnulty pushed for a ban on offshore betting<\/a> in 2023. McAnulty\u2019s amendment to the Racing Act was only just passed in July<\/a>, with further amendments from current racing minister Winston Peters preventing geo-blocking for online bookmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gambling harm\u2019s uneven hand<\/p>\n The Department of Internal Affairs has already cracked down on influencers promoting online gambling through social media, with van Velden telling Te Ao M\u0101ori New\u2019s M\u0101ni Dunlop<\/a> that penalties could range from $10,000-30,000. As Dunlop reports, there\u2019s particular concern around the targeting of M\u0101ori audiences, particularly through M\u0101ori influencers.<\/p>\n Aotearoa\u2019s Asian population is also vulnerable to gambling harm. The governance and administration committee heard from Asian Family Services\u2019 Kelly Feng that Asian communities face significant culture shame, stigma and secrecy with gambling addictions. Asians are nearly 10 times more likely to be affected by gambling harm than \u201cmainstream New Zealanders,\u201d as Feng has previously told RNZ<\/a>.<\/p>\n The tight partnership between gambling and sports<\/p>\n Class 4 distributors (like pubs with pokie machines) must return at least 40% of their profit to the community through funding grants under the Gambling Act 2003. The closest clause the new bill has to this is a requirement for operators to contribute 1.24% of their profits towards a problem gambling levy which has failed to show a reduction in gambling harm, as reported by RNZ<\/a>. One of the bill\u2019s most vocal opponents, former New Zealand Cricket boss Martin Sneddon, told Stuff\u2019s Steve Kilgallon<\/a> last month that while the bill is \u201cintended to do the right thing\u201d, there is \u201cone glaring omission, and that is the failure to protect future community funding.\u201d<\/p>\n That funding looks like $186m received through the pokies for local sports alone, and local sporting bodies fear a local online gambling industry will simply entice punters away from the pokies, therefore reducing that community funding. But van Velden is adamant that legalising advertising for online gambling won\u2019t lead to less punters at the pokies.\u00a0<\/p>\n