New Zealand Focuses on Protecting Vulnerable Consumers from Offshore Gambling Websites

With the growing number of clients experiencing issues with gambling, the industry has been actively working on measures to enhance protection. One of the biggest threats comes from offshore gambling sites.

The groups which require an added level of protection include not only minors but those who already experienced troubles with gaming activities.

Fiona Cambridge, PGF Services counselor of Dunedin, pointed out that the government needs to update its legislation to protect the vulnerable players. Even though overseas online gambling operators are not permitted to to New Zealanders, they had ways to direct internet s to their platforms.

For that reason, the industry has started implementing stricter guidelines for advertising, with some of the states imposing a complete ban on ads.

No Contribution to the Community

Tracey Martin, Internal Affairs Minister pointed out that…

… overseas wagering was legal. As a matter of fact, in the past 18 months, New Zealand consumers had spent about $380 million on external gambling platforms.

But, unlike domestic gambling operators, offshore online gambling suppliers did not contribute to the community through funding grants. This is a key point where the significant difference could be made, such as the example of UK bookmakers who ed forces to prevent gambling-related problems.

Discussing Options

The community agrees that domestic gambling content distributors had to be responsible hosts and give some sense of protection. Several solutions came as possible and suitable measures to enhance protection.

Establishing a licensing system…

…where online providers must meet certain conditions to be able to legally offer their services in New Zealand. Other options include geo-­blocking access to overseas gaming sites or banning the use of credit cards for online gambling. The public consultation runs until the end of next month.

As an additional measure, people are encouraged to make a submission, especially if they know of anyone who lost money to an external gambling operator. Numerous jurisdictions work on establishing a solid and trustworthy self-exclusion system which would also enhance safety.

Plans to Secure the Future

The beginning of the month brought discussions regarding the potential expansion of online gambling in the country. New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) sought public opinion on this topic.

The consultation will be available on the website of the department…

…until September 30th. The citizens who are interested in giving their opinion on the matter will be able to fill out a submission form, where they would give proposals on how online gambling should be regulated in case the government chooses to go forward with legalization.

Source:

“Call for New Gambling Laws in New Zealand to Protect Vulnerable People from Offshore Gambling Sites”, Niji Narayan, europeangaming.eu, August 19, 2019.