New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has lodged a submission with Parliament on the Online Casino Gambling Bill, calling for urgent amendments to ensure online gambling operators are required to reinvest a portion of their revenue back into the communities they impact.
With the submission period closing on 17 August 2025, NZC is urging cricket organisations, clubs, and members across the country to make their voices heard and demand that the Bill aligns with the community-focused principles of the Gambling Act 2003.
NZC’s submission highlights a critical flaw in the proposed legislation: the absence of a mandate for online casino operators to channel a proportion of their revenue back into communities, unlike the current Class 4 gambling (pokies) framework, which requires a minimum of 40% of proceeds to be directed to community purposes.
This long-standing mechanism has been vital in funding grassroots sports, arts, and social services, acting as a deliberate investment to mitigate the societal harm caused by gambling.
In its submission, NZC argues that excluding a similar requirement for online casinos risks eroding this funding stream, threatening the sustainability of the very community organisations which are being asked to deal with harm caused by gambling.
The shift from traditional, on-site gambling to online platforms is already straining the financial resources of sporting codes like cricket.
NZC warns that licensing 15 online casinos without a community funding obligation could dry up a critical revenue source that supports clubs, equipment, coaching, and development programs - particularly in rural, Māori, and Pasifika communities.
This omission, NZC notes, was a deliberate choice by the government, with the Minister of Internal Affairs citing concerns about community “dependency” on Class 4 funding.
NZC finds this rationale ironic, given that the Gambling Act 2003 explicitly acknowledges gambling’s addictive nature and requires community funding as an investment in damage control - to offset its harms.
NZC’s submission highlights that allowing online operators, many of which may be offshore, to profit without contributing to harm minimisation, contradicts the Act’s core philosophy of balancing gambling’s risks with societal benefits.
It calls for the Bill to embed the principle that “gambling should benefit the community,” as established in the 2003 Act, and to mandate a dedicated proportion of online gambling revenue for community initiatives, such as sport, health, education, and cultural programs.
“We urge every cricket club, association, and member to lodge a submission by 17 August,” said NZC chief executive Scott Weenink.
“This is about protecting the future of the communities we serve. Online gambling must not be allowed to put profit ahead of the whānau and communities it damages.
“Kiwis have a social contract with the Government in which wagering revenue is reinvested to uplift the very communities that bear the social cost of gambling.”
“The Gambling Act 2003 exists to manage these risks, not eliminate gambling, by channelling its proceeds to offset harm through community funding”.
NZC encourages all stakeholders to lobby Parliament, demanding that the Online Casino Gambling Bill includes a robust, transparent, and equitable funding mechanism, mirroring the Class 4 model, to ensure gambling revenue continues to be re-invested into the communities that bear the cost of its harm.
For more information on how to lodge a submission, visit this page. Join NZC in advocating for a fairer future for our communities.
