New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs puts 22Bet under the gun after it files a gambling ads complaint. Could it spark new regulations? (Photo by Leonid Altman on Pexels)
The Problem Gambling Foundation in New Zealand has filed a formal complaint with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) against an online gambling ad featuring former New Zealand cricket star, Brendon McCullum.
The ad was promoting the online bookmaker and live casino company 22Bet, a casino reviewed via our and was seen as ‘aggressively marketed’ over YouTube. New Zealand currently does not offer legal online gambling except for the New Zealand Lotteries Commission and TAB. However, it is not illegal to gamble at entities that state they are New Zealand online casinos on their websites even though they are in fact overseas companies operating gambling services provided.
Therefore, the critical point of debate here is not the legality of 22Bet offering its services in New Zealand, and rather the aggressive advertising techniques being used to target citizens.
The rules put out by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) state that it is illegal for online or land-based gambling operators to target New Zealand audiences with advertisements. This includes the use of marketing or advertising agencies.
Possible repercussions for the 22Bet Live Casino
There really isn’t much the DIA can do to penalise the operator behind the platform which is TechSolutions Group N.V. A drastic action would be to ban the website by issuing a ‘must comply’ directive to all ISPs. This is something we have seen the Australian government carry out, but not the government of New Zealand making it highly unlikely.
Furthermore, the DIA is limited in enforcing gambling regulations against overseas gambling platforms but claims it is looking into what can be done on the topic and may contact the betting company to request changes in misleading marketing, if any. That’s the most likely scenario and the story will likely disappear, but any more debacles of this kind could spark a chain reaction that fast-forwards rumours the country may bring into force an online gambling regulatory authority.
As for the 22Bet live casino, it is a reputable online gambling platform offering players in New Zealand access to sports betting, online video slots as well as live casino games from almost 20 live dealer software providers. It has one of the largest collections of live casino games we have seen, and we’ve reviewed quite a few here on Livecasinocentral.
See the 22Bet casino online review for more information such as welcome bonus deals, a review of the live dealer games available, cryptocurrency games, the casino’s background and iGaming licensing.
Gambling Online Coming Under Fire in New Zealand
All it takes is a few bad headlines over a short period of time for the topic of online gambling to poke its head above water to cause a fiasco. The last thing online gambling sites want right now is another country tightening the rules. Unfortunately, it appears the topic is increasingly coming under fire.
Recently a man from Auckland, New Zealand, tricked two of his friends into investing money in stocks but instead gambled the money on sports wagers.
Joshua Calvert, a 30-year-old man, conned NZ$60,000 (US$37,500) from his friends while falsely claiming he is a stockbroker. He swayed his buddies into parting with their cash by sending them fake financial statements showing his success on the markets. The statements showed an increase in funds and monthly returns but were falsified. Calvert did not have a registration with the Financial Service Providers Register, which is mandatory for businesses doing such trades.
In fact, news reports coming out of the country allegedly say that he had a demo trader’s account and used a hedging scheme that eventually failed, causing him to place riskier bets and lose all the money he had taken from his friends. Jordan Sandford, one of the victims, lost all his savings by giving them to Calvert and called the man’s actions ‘intentional, methodical deception.’ An investigation into Calvert’s actions is ongoing after Sandford contacted the police.
Of course, this is an odd story that sticks out and piqued the interest of those scouring news headlines in New Zealand causing an uproar, especially from organisations like the ‘The Problem Gambling Foundation’, which is continuously pressing for more controls over online gambling.
Should New Zealand Regulate Online Gambling
The question as to whether the DIA should push forward rumoured plans to regulate online sports betting and live casino gaming depends on which side of the coin you are on.
Some estimates show that around NZ$381 million, which comes from an old report back in 2020 published by the New Zealand Racing Board. However, as the website changes its name, that new report no longer exists, so I found another older report by Radio New Zealand, which touts the same figure. That’s a large chunk of change that the government is missing out on tax revenues if domestic iGaming and sports betting regulations come into place.
Another positive for locals is that local gambling laws will apply should a casino versus player casino dispute arise. Furthermore, players would be able to find legitimate live casinos by making sure the site they want to sign up for is regulated by clicking on a New Zealand online gambling seal of approval and checking with the authority’s website.
On the flip side, bonus offers and bets that give players value for their money could be reduced. Plus, bookmakers may give longer odds in almost all betting markets in order to make up for the cost of adhering to a licensing framework. However, for some, this is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
However, online casinos with an MGA licensing cert do cover citizens in New Zealand legally via bankruptcy protection and free legal mediation services.
MGA Award Winning iGaming Regulatory Authority: The authority has also won awards such as the Corporate Service Provider of the Year at the Global Gaming Awards 2021.
Leave A Comment