Online Casino Gambling legislation - what you should know and how you can help

Dear members,

The Government is proposing to make changes to New Zealand’s gambling legislation by granting licenses for up to 15 online casinos.

Should the legislation pass in its current form there will be a significant negative impact on the funding available to sports clubs like ours through Class 4 gaming (pokie) funds.

This is because the proposed legislation does not contain any provisions for returning gambling profits to the community.

When people gamble on-line at these newly licensed casinos, all of the profit generated will go into the hands of the license holders instead of - as currently happens - a percentage being returned to the community through trust grants.

Our club uses community grant funding to help pay for equipment, balls, coaching, facilities and administration costs.

As we all know, cricket is not a cheap sport - however it is still accessible to most New Zealanders.

We work hard to ensure fees are kept as low as possible and remove barriers to participation.

That is a daily struggle.

Grants received from gaming trusts are a vital source of funding, which we use to deliver significant community benefits. Losing this income will have a serious impact.

So we wanted to let you know what we are doing to try to prevent this from happening - and how you can help.

Joint letter to MPs

The chairs of 16 clubs - including ours - have co-signed a letter sent to selected members of parliament outlining our collective concerns.

This letter pointed out that:

• Collectively, our 16 clubs received over $1 million in Class 4 gaming funding for the 2025 financial year
• Vital operational areas funded included over $300,000 on coaching and over $350,000 on equipment, much of this directly benefitting children
• A significant decline of this vital funding stream will have a huge impact on our ability to deliver cricket to our community
• A direct consequence of any funding shortfall will be the necessity to raise playing fees.

Select Committee submission

On behalf of its clubs the Auckland Cricket Association made a submission to the Governance and Administration Select Committee that is assessing the proposed legislation.

This submission called for the inclusion of a provision for community funding in the legislation - and pointed out the consequences for cricket clubs and their members if this doesn’t happen.

What else can be done?

This is where you come in. Our publicly elected officials are accountable to their communities. If this issue is important to you then tell your MP. Give them a call or send them an email expressing your concerns.

Our club’s local MPs are:

General Electorate - Auckland Central

• Chloe Swarbrick
• Chloe.Swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz

General Electorate - Mt Albert 

• Helen White
• Helen.White@parliament.govt.nz

Māori Electorate - Tāmaki Makaurau

• Oriini Kaipara
• Oriini.Kaipara@parliament.govt.nz

Some questions you could ask your MP

Do you believe there should be a provision in the Online Casino Gambling legislation for a percentage of profits to be returned to the community?

If so, what actions are you going to take to ensure the legislation is changed to include this provision?

If not, why not? Please explain why profits derived from gambling should be diverted to private interests instead of into our communities in a way where its distribution is attached to tangible social benefits?

Do you understand the impact this legislation could have on the operation of sports clubs in your community?

Do you believe that participation in sports should be affordable for all Kiwis? If so, how is this proposed legislation consistent with that view?

The Gambling Act contains a provision that “gambling should benefit the community” - and as such its profits are shared with the community. Please explain why that approach is not being followed in the Online Casino Gambling Bill legislation?

What happens next?

The Select Committee is to report back to the House by 4 December 2025 - so the time to act is now.

Our club will continue to advocate for a change to the legislation to protect the interests of our members and wider community. The most effective way for us to do that is through our members ensuring their voices are also heard.

We will keep you updated on any developments regarding this issue.