New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has issued detailed guidance on gambling advertising targeted at licensed online casino operators. This guidance includes stringent regulations, particularly concerning the protection of minors and the content of advertisements.
The updated guidance, released this week, accompanies the Online Gambling Regulations 2026 unveiled in June. With plans to launch licensed iGaming in 2027, the regulator is currently accepting Expressions of Interest (EODs) for online licenses from potential operators. The initiative to liberalize iGaming was first announced in 2024.
As outlined in the guidance, advertisers are required to evaluate their target audience demographics carefully. Advertisements must avoid placement in areas where individuals under 18 could make up more than 20% of potential viewers. This includes prohibiting ads near schools, youth events, and on platforms frequented by users under 18, as well as blocking many popular social media and livestream channels.
Ads using formats appealing to younger audiences, such as cartoons, mascots, and youth culture music, are strictly forbidden in gambling promotions. Additionally, advertisements cannot target individuals under the age of 25 unless operators can demonstrate effective age verification and exclusion systems that successfully prevent those under 18 from access.
This requirement is reinforced by the Online Gambling Regulations, which mandate that customers must verify their full name, date of birth, and confirm they are at least 18 years old before activating their accounts.
Operators are instructed to disable automated audience expansion features that might inadvertently target minors. They must utilize available audience controls, including age and geographic targeting, placement exclusions, and disabling features like audience expansion. For advertisements embedded in software or during live events, age restrictions must be enforced, including age-gates or ticketing controls, especially at industry-related events.
Furthermore, a designated wait period will prohibit ads during live broadcasts, specifically from 30 minutes before the event to 30 minutes after.
The new advertising regulations also ban any content that could be interpreted as personal endorsements. Advertisement content must not promote excessive, impulsive, or relentless gambling behaviors. The regulator will scrutinize the wording, imagery, audio, sequencing, and any calls to action in ads to determine if they induce a sense of urgency or pressure.
Advertising claims must be verifiable in accordance with the New Zealand Fair Trading Act 1986. Other prohibitions include the use of images or videos of physical gaming machines and poker chips, as well as a specific ban on advertising jackpots for slot games, although promotions for table game jackpots remain permitted.
Advertisements must avoid all references to luck, fate, rituals, or superstitions and should not imply that gambling is a necessary or life-enhancing activity.
To enhance protections regarding customer data, operators are expressly prohibited from using individual customer behavior metrics to encourage higher-risk gambling. This includes targeting players with bets that exceed their typical levels or promoting slot games to individuals who typically engage with table games.
Any direct communication methods, such as emails, text messages, or direct messages, must obtain clear, voluntary consent from recipients and must respect unsubscribe requests without delay.
Advertising materials promoting bonuses, free spins, or similar offers are required to prominently disclose all material terms. Additionally, inducements linked to new accounts can only be advertised on platforms that hold licenses for online casino services or through compliant direct communications.
Promotional content such as native ads, paid editorial content, and social media posts must include explicit advertising disclosures within the advertisement itself.
