New Zealand’s Governance and Administration Committee put out its report about the country’s Online Casino Gambling Bill. This report shows the government wants to make the online casino area clear since it has worked without direct legal oversight for a long time. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden called it an important step to make a regulated and responsible digital gambling system. Van Velden sent the Online Casino Gambling Bill and said the Committee findings match Cabinet choices about cutting gambling harm and keeping revenue streams that help local communities. People sent more than 5,000 submissions during the asking process, which shows a big public involvement.

From these submissions, 3,966 worried that moving gambling activity online might hurt the community returns that poker machines make now. This money helps youth sports, cultural projects, disability programs, and local clubs in important ways. Equipment buying for civic groups and travel help for Special Olympics athletes got mentioned as examples. People who answered the question warned that the decline in poker machine revenue could leave many groups without the needed financial support. The government said again that community returns will stay as the main part of the online casino system to answer this. Licensed online operators must give money to community funding, like current models, under the bill. The committee supported this way and said the Lottery Grants Board should handle online-made community funds to match the recent government direction.

RG Steps at the Front of the Law-Making

Submissions also pointed out bigger worries about gambling becoming normal and possible increased harm from 24/7 online access. More concerns came up about advertising and how it affects young people and weak communities. Minister van Velden noted these problems shaped the bill’s harm-cutting requirements, like mandatory identity checks, spending limits, self-exclusion tools, and strict advertising rules. These steps try to reduce risks from unregulated offshore platforms that face no duty to protect New Zealand consumers now. The government will review after two years to see if online gambling affects poker machine-related revenue and watch the long-term impact on community groups. This checking will help find if community and sporting groups keep getting enough support, or if more policy changes are needed.