Bill to regulate online casino gambling passes first reading in New Zealand parliament
The proposed legislation would allow up to 15 licences for online casino gambling operators.
New Zealand.- The Online Casino Gambling Bill has passed its first reading in the New Zealand parliament today (July 15). The legislation, introduced by minister of internal affairs Brooke van Velden, would allows for up to 15 online gambling licences to be auctioned, introducing safeguards to the currently unregulated online market.
van Velden said in a Tuesday statement: “Currently, New Zealanders can legally access thousands of offshore gambling websites. But the market is unregulated, so there are no player safety standards or oversight of harm minimisation.
“My intention with this bill is to ensure that online gambling is safer for New Zealanders who wish to gamble online to do so. In addition, companies providing this service contribute to tax revenue and funding the services that treat gambling harm in New Zealand.”
The Department of Internal Affairs would enforce the regulatory system, with all costs recovered from fees on licensed gambling companies. Fines of up to NZ$5m (US$3m) could be applied to companies for breaking the rules. Companies applying for a licence would need to provide a harm prevention strategy and information on compliance history.
“The most important part of this bill is protecting New Zealanders who enjoy gambling online by introducing robust safety measures for licensed operators. The bill will now proceed to select committee, and I would encourage interested New Zealanders to have their say when public submissions open,” van Velden said.
