NZ sports are against the New Zealand gambling bill’s rule not to designated any profits to grassroots sports.
A coalition of more than 50 New Zealand sporting organisations, including leaders from rugby, cricket, football, cycling, and other popular sports in the country, has banded together to publicly oppose the proposed Online Casino Gambling (OCG) Bill.
Sports leaders have expressed concerns that the new iGaming licensing proposal fails to protect community sport funding. That revenue stream is critical for thousands of local clubs and grassroots programmes. In the country.
New Licensing Planned for 2026
Right now, the licensing process is in full swing. New Zealand has already invited operators to show interest in the new iGaming market, which the government plans to bring online in 2026.
However, we don’t have the full scope of the planned framework publicly available right now, with only snippets of information released, giving us a plan for the broader licensing rules that will come into effect.
Last Week, More than 50 Sporting Bodies Opposed the Bill
Behind the scenes, major sporting bodies have rallied together, possibly in order to get a better deal rather than stop the licensing authority, which seems inevitable at this point.
As per our previous news, How Will Regulated Online Casinos Affect New Zealand?, we have established that the bill aims to regulate online casino gambling in New Zealand for the first time. It seems sports betting will likely fall under the same purview.
In case you were unaware, Kiwi players can already gamble online, but only at regulated sportsbooks, which have been available since 2003, when the Gambling Act allowed TAB NZ to offer sports betting and the Lotteries Commission to sell lottery products online.
Source: We used several sources, with the main one being the NZ Herald Sporting Bodies Unite to Fight Gambling Bill news report.
The Core Issue
At present, much of New Zealand’s amateur and youth sport is funded by gaming machines, such as profits from pokies. Of course, as online casinos are not legal, players play land-based pokies, and the profits are distributed to sports clubs through charitable trusts.
The argument is that under the OCG Bill, licensed online casinos would not be required to contribute any portion of their profits to grassroots sports. According to sporting leaders, this creates a dangerous gap in funding that could strip up to NZ$150 million a year from the community sport sector.
I would argue that there are still hundreds of thousands of Kwis who play pokie machines online at overseas online casinos. Therefore, it is easy to become sceptical as to what exactly the coalition of sporting bodies is trying to say.
The dangerous gap comment seems a little over the top, but Martin Sneddenc clears up this point.
Who’s Speaking Out?
The argument that grassroots sports should receive funding from online pokies and other casino games becomes clearer.
Martin Snedden, former Black Caps cricketer and current Chair of Cycling NZ, told Herald NOW that the bill represents “a massive missed opportunity” [to support the sports system]. “The OCG Bill lets offshore operators make millions in New Zealand without having to give anything back to the communities that need it most. If this passes as-is, the whole grassroots sport ecosystem will be at risk.”
Personally, I agree with the ‘missed opportunity’ point. The extra inflow of revenue from online casinos would help sports in the country. However, I disagree that there is any risk or that not directing revenue to grassroots sports will create a gap. Simply because online pokie gameplay in the current unlicensed system doesn’t contribute anything.
| The coalition includes |
|---|
| New Zealand Rugby |
| New Zealand Cricket |
| Football New Zealand |
| Netball New Zealand |
| Cycling NZ |
Among these sporting committees, dozens of other national and regional sport bodies
Why This Matters to NZ Players
If you’re a Kiwi who enjoys online casino games, this bill will directly impact where your gambling dollars go.
- Under current law, pokies in pubs and clubs fund local sport.
- Under the OCG Bill, online casinos could keep all profits, whether based in New Zealand or overseas.
- Without mandatory contributions, sports groups fear a collapse in youth and amateur sport funding.
Public Consultation Is Open
If you want to have your say, then you can. The government currently has a public consultation open with a submission deadline of 17 August 2025. You can submit your thoughts via the Parliament website.
The Online Casino Gambling Bill Submission page is here.
Casinoplusbonus Opinion
The OCG Bill could reshape New Zealand’s online gambling industry, but there are some who believe it could unintentionally dismantle one of the country’s most important sports funding streams. Personally, I don’t see it.
Some players may be happy to see profits from playing NZ-regulated pokies support the next generation of Kiwi athletes. After all, the country is sports bonkers, so it makes sense. Other players may prefer to keep things as they are because sending money to grassroots sports could cost the operators, which in turn reduces the value offered to players.
Let us know your thoughts in the Casinoplusbonus forum!
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