The OCG Bill submission is incredibly important, I’ve created a simplified summary to help unpack what this means for us.

If you or anyone needs help with making a submission, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Mainland.  Let’s make sure our voices are heard.

Why do we need to make a submission:  The NZ government has introduced an Online Casino Gambling (OCG) Bill to regulate online gambling in NZ.  This will legally allow online Gambling in NZ, submissions to have our say are now open but closing on 17 August.

• The intent of the legislation – regulating an unregulated, illegal, market - seems sensible. We wish to take issue with only one matter, that new licensees (unlike Class 4 trusts) will have no obligation to provide community funding.

• The potential risk to the future Class 4 (pokies) grants to communities, including sport and recreation.  Current trends showed us when online shopping increased, it reduced in store shopping, therefore as legal access to online gambling increases, the proportion of monies spent on land-based (pokies machines) will most likely decline, which would significantly impact Class 4 (pokies) community funding.

• The solution – Embed in the Bill the same principle from the Gambling Act 2003 (and the 1977 Gaming and Lotteries Act before it); “Gambling should benefit the community”. Carry this out by requiring that some revenue from online casino gambling is shared with the community, especially sport.

How to make a submission: Go to the Parliament link here and follow the steps. Online Casino Gambling Bill Submission - New Zealand Parliament

Article added: Wednesday 06 August 2025