Labour And National Open To Gambling Ad Ban In Sport, But Funding Gap Looms
Both Labour and National are now open to banning gambling advertising in sport, but neither has said how sport would replace the money.
Newsroom reports that Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon tentatively expressed openness to a ban in election debates, and that Labour racing spokesperson Tangi Utikere has now confirmed the party will look at the issue after it wins the election.
Luxon raised concerns about grassroots funding when asked about a ban, according to Newsroom.
A column in B2B News New Zealand argues that the political case is close to settled, while the commercial case has barely started, and that nobody has published a costed replacement for any lost income.
How Fast The Debate Has Moved
The shift is recent. In April 2026, the NZ Herald reported that New Zealand would not follow Australia in restricting sports gambling ads for now.
The Department of Internal Affairs said the Racing Industry Amendment Act 2025 allows regulations on advertising, and that the Minister for Racing intended to observe the new online casino system before considering further harm minimisation rules.
The online casino regime already carries its own limits. DIA said it would include a ban on ads from online casinos during live broadcasts likely to attract child audiences, a ban on sponsorships and endorsements, and a rule against placing ads where more than 20% of the expected audience is under 18.
Our report on the strict casino advertising rules ahead of the 2027 launch sets out the details.
Australia's reforms were the benchmark at the time. They included a cap on TV betting ads between 6am and 8:30pm, a ban on such ads during live sport in those hours, and limits on athlete and celebrity appearances.
Youth Forum Pressure
Pressure has built from the harm side. RNZ reported on a youth forum in Auckland's Greenlane run by the Problem Gambling Foundation, Asian Family Services and Mapu Maia. Candidates from the Greens, New Zealand First and National all agreed advertising should not target people under 18.
The Greens' Ricardo Menéndez March said his party is committed to banning online gambling advertisements.
Problem Gambling Foundation chief executive Melissa Thompson said current rules do not go far enough because they do not address the volume or frequency of ads, and called for consistency across online casinos and sports betting.
RNZ also noted that a law passed this year allows 15 offshore online casinos to be licensed in New Zealand, with harm-prevention strategies and age checks required.
The Funding Question
The money at stake is large. Sport NZ's funding paper says Class 4 gambling returned $165 million to play, active recreation and sport in 2024.
It cites 2025 NZIER modelling in which funding falls by up to 15.8% over five years in a worst case, a potential loss of up to $43.3 million a year by 2029. In the best case, funding could rise by around $1.8 million.
That modelling concerns online gambling taking share from pokie trusts, not an advertising ban.
The B2B News New Zealand column argues that sport's real exposure runs through pokie trusts and wagering rather than shirt sponsors, and that an ad ban does nothing to plug that gap.
The NZ Herald also noted that more than 50 sporting organisations united against the Online Casino Gambling Bill, saying it posed a risk to community sports funding.
With both major parties open to a ban, sport bodies are likely to press for answers on replacement funding before any legislation is drafted.
