New Zealand Bans AI Celebrity Endorsements in Online Casino Advertising Rules
Online casino operators targeting New Zealanders are now barred from using artificial intelligence to fake celebrity and influencer endorsements, under advertising rules that took effect in July 2026 as the country builds its first licensed online casino market.
Why The Rule Was Introduced
The restriction sits inside the Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, which set the rules for advertising, harm minimisation and consumer protection under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026.
The Department of Internal Affairs, which is implementing the new regime, says endorsements and sponsorships are prohibited forms of gambling advertising regardless of whether an operator holds a licence, and that the ban now explicitly covers versions produced with AI software.
A February 2026 Department of Internal Affairs briefing to Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden, released under the Official Information Act and reported by the New Zealand Herald, set out why officials wanted the rule. "These AI endorsements, including synthetic influencers, deepfakes, and other likeness-based representations, are increasingly used internationally and have already been observed in New Zealand, creating risks of consumer deception and contributing to gambling harm," the briefing said.
Officials flagged a gap in the earlier rules. Because AI-generated content does not involve a real person being paid to endorse a product, it was not clearly caught by the existing ban on sponsorships.
The briefing described that as a loophole that should be addressed, and the advertising restrictions that followed in July were written to close it.
The Deepfake That Raised Alarms
The concern was not hypothetical. In April 2025 a video used the likeness and a synthetic voice of TVNZ Breakfast host Jenny-May Clarkson to promote a gambling app called Māori Game, alongside a deepfake of filmmaker Taika Waititi. Clarkson later appeared on Breakfast to state that it was not her in the advertisement.
Ben Gamboni, the department's deputy director of gambling, told Newstalk ZB that AI-generated gambling promotions had been rising in the United States and the United Kingdom, and that people whose images are used face "harm to themselves and their brand". He tied the trend to scam sites that pose as gambling operators: "It's just a scam and a way to get your details, either for identity theft or just to take the money out of your wallet."
A Licensed Market Taking Shape
The rules land as New Zealand stands up a licensed market for the first time. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 commenced on May 1, 2026, and the government will grant up to 15 licences through a competitive auction rather than opening the market to all comers.
Expressions of interest close on August 14, 2026, the auction is expected in September, and successful bidders can apply for a licence from October. Operators that do not apply must stop offering online casino gambling to New Zealanders from December 1, 2026.
Until a licence is granted, all online casino advertising to New Zealand customers is prohibited, and the Department of Internal Affairs says the system will not be fully operational until 2027. Enforcement tools include take-down notices, formal warnings and penalties of up to NZ$5 million for serious or persistent breaches, according to the government's third-reading statement.
What The Rules Cover And What Comes Next
The advertising rules reach beyond AI. They also block gambling ads during a live broadcast or within 30 minutes either side of one.
Sports and race betting sit outside the Online Casino Gambling Act and are covered by separate rules, so players comparing betting sites face a different framework.
The next milestones to watch are the August cut-off for expressions of interest and the September auction, which will decide which brands can legally advertise to New Zealanders.
