By Miranda Raaff, Head of iGaming Information at MDC
As the New Zealanders head to the election polls in October 2023, it will be interesting to see whether the Green Party’s distinctive stance on gambling impacts the final vote. With a strong 2023 campaign, the party has brought many key issues to light particularly gambling and the regulations surrounding it.
In most parts of the world, it’s not often that you find a political party with such a clear-cut and defined gambling policy, but the Green Party has one and it has not been quiet about it. In fact, the party has been vigorously pushing for stronger measures to regulate the most harmful forms of gambling in New Zealand.
But before getting into the nitty-gritty of this policy, let’s look at the statistics in New Zealand, particularly for online gambling.
According to an in-depth study: “Overview of gambling harm from 2019/20 to 2021/22”, published by the Ministry of Health NZ on its website, online gambling increased considerably during the COVID-19 lockdown. Spending grew from $4.1 million a week at the start of 2020 to $6.25 million a week during Levels 3 and 4 lockdown. Compared to the same period the previous year, spending on online gambling went up 51 percent, indicating that lockdown boosted online gambling.
This is one of many reasons why the Green Party is calling for the amendment of all NZ gambling legislation to ensure a focus on eliminating gambling harm. The party wants Parliament to ensure that gambling policy decisions are based on robust evidence; that communities are enabled to make decisions about gambling; and that all existing forms of gambling be regulated. But it also wants the country to continue the forms of gambling that research shows cause little harm.
In addition, the party aims to disestablish the role of the Minister of Racing and place responsibility for all forms of gambling with the Minister of Internal Affairs. Further, it requests that gambling representatives and bodies do not influence decisions related to gambling regulation or gambling harm.
But that’s not all. The Green Party also demands a full social, economic, and environmental impact study on the effect of gambling in New Zealand, as well as ongoing research to monitor these impacts. When it comes to brick-and-mortar casinos, it further supports the moratorium on the issuing of any new casino venue licences. All in all, the party has pushed its bold campaign consistently hoping to make a substantial dent in the political voter landscape, but whether it succeeds or not is a different question altogether.
As an igaming information resource portal globally, MDC – a division of the OneTwenty Group – has been consistently pushing a faithful focus on responsible gambling to help players. MDC does this by thoroughly vetting hundreds of online casinos through in-depth screening, safety and security checks, inspection of valid gaming licenses, and verification of fair gaming to ensure players find the most reputable and regulated brands in their country. So, for MDC the outcome of the election would be interesting to see.
For the Green Party, this is not the first time, it has been so persistent in a campaign. Over the last few years, it has been at the forefront of many social, economic, and environmental campaigns. These include its ‘Zero Carbon’ project for climate action, the creation of ‘Jobs for Nature’ in response to COVID-19, the fight for renters’ rights, and the push for an end to new offshore oil and gas exploration.
All in all, the party has been super busy ahead of the election, so it will be interesting to see if its gambling policy comes to fruition should the party emerge victorious in the election. Given that there are many stakeholders in the gambling industry including casinos, players, and regulatory bodies that could be affected, the changes of such a policy could be considerable not only in the legislative landscape, but also in the entertainment arena. So, we wait with bated breath to hear the outcome of the New Zealand election.
