New Zealand has introduced some of the strictest online casino player-protection measures seen anywhere in the world, including mandatory deposit limits, forced breaks, and a total ban on gambling with borrowed money.
Under the new rules, operators must provide mandatory tools that allow players to set monthly limits on playtime, deposits, and total spending. These limits must be prompted at account creation. Players must also be reminded of them monthly. If a player wishes to decrease their limit, they can do so any time. Increasing requires a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period.
The regulations also forced an industry first: every 60 minutes, players will be completely locked out of their account for a minimum of 5 minutes, something we haven’t seen in the industry until now.
One of the most significant developments, however, is that players are now going to be unable to fund their online gambling accounts using credit cards and buy now pay later schemes. Operators will also face a mandatory problem gambling levy, and there are now strict advertising rules that explicitly prohibit content that targets minors.
Advertising is already quite tightly constrained in New Zealand, but the upcoming advertising changes are expected to completely ban paid endorsements, like promotions by social media influencers, celebrities, and athletes, as well as banning any forms of online gambling advertising between 6:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sponsorships are also expected to be prohibited, which is another industry first.
Now it’s easy to see why such strict measures are being taken, because health information from healthify shows that New Zealanders spent close to $2.8 billion on gambling in the 2023/2024 year. Maori, Pacific peoples, Asian people, young people, and low-income households are much more likely to be affected by problem gambling, too.
For players, the reality is that from July 3rd, when you play at a licensed New Zealand casino, you will be prompted to set limits, and you must take a break every 60 minutes, for at least 5 minutes.
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Alex Smith