Community calls in New Zealand led by an opposition MP to ensure that comprehensive player safety measures are included in the country’s new gambling bill were addressed during today’s reading.

Lemauga Lydia Sosene, a Labour politician and the party’s spokesperson, has become a key figure in campaigning for community returns to be prominently featured in New Zealand’s online gambling legislation.

Sosene, together with the community groups she represented, achieved success on that front late last year when the government agreed to include a mandatory 4% levy on online casino profits to be invested back into the public – with a following revision whether that rate should be put up.

Now, the Labour MP seems to have scored another win as her campaigning to ensure that sufficient steps are taken to minimise gambling harm appears to have contributed to the New Zealand government giving this extra attention in the upcoming bill, which passed the second-to-last-parliamentary stage today.

The bill now only has to secure approval in its third reading to then receive Royal Assent, after which it will become law and lay down the foundations for a multi-licence online casino market in New Zealand.

Reading through the current version – which was voted today, 27 March – policymakers have recommended that several changes be made to tighten problem gambling rules before it goes back to voting again.

In particular, clause 39 dictates that operators are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the risk of harm from online gambling is minimised. The recommended amendment is that these steps are also tied directly to the procedures set out in the regulatory framework, which would avoid any unnecessary misunderstanding.

Further assurances that the government will do everything in its power to protect vulnerable groups were recently given by Paul James, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. 

“We’re really trying to strike a balance here between measures that effectively detect and prevent and minimise harm, while also ensuring the settings are not so restrictive that the gambling operators can operate effectively, and that New Zealanders feel confident in making those choices in participating with our non-extended gamblers,” James said.

“Getting the balance wrong will mean that people will opt into the black money and New Zealanders will gamble without any support or protection.”

New Zealand is preparing to hand out a total of 15 online gambling licences by the end of this year, with the Online Gambling Bill expected to be enforced with a Royal Assent and set the grounds for the new market on 1 May.

The proposed timeline will see the window for online casino licence applications open on 1 December with the 15 licence market to go live on 1 July 2027.

Currently, gambling international Entain is the owner of an exclusive sports betting licence by franchising local player TAB NZ’s operations. 

The firm has previously stated that it will try to obtain three of the 15 licenses, which would give it a major advantage in a market that is ripe for cross-selling opportunities.