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New Zealand is facing some serious potential changes to its national lottery system. The government has opened a public consultation on the possibility of changing the country's legislature to allow remote lottery betting.

This article aims to shed light on the current legal standing of online gambling in New Zealand and the lottery, the idea of change for the country, what this change would mean if local lotteries beyond the national lottery were exempt from the remote gambling prohibition and how things might move forward for New Zealand.

The Current Legal Stance of Online Gambling in New Zealand

Interestingly enough, online and remote gambling is not allowed in New Zealand. There are currently only two forms of legal wagering or betting in the country. The first is the Lottery NZ, the national New Zealand lottery house. The second is through New Zealand Race Betting, focusing primarily on sports betting. Finally, sports betting is allowed in the country, as is scratch card betting. Therefore, within these niches, you have no deposit bonus in New Zealand promotions that you're able to apply but the buck ends there.

All other forms of gambling in New Zealand are illegal unless they're authorised under the Gambling Act of 2003. In 2021, New Zealand allowed for an exemption to specific gambling activities, as things were operating more remotely worldwide then. They offered a Class 3 license, which allowed establishments to offer their services remotely—something that was illegal before.

This is where the lottery comes in, as the lottery was actually included in this exemption under the Class 3 license regulations and processes. However, at the end of October 2024, they fell out of this Class 3 license exemption. There is a movement to seek the legality of online and local lotteries.

An Attempt at Change

As you can see from the above, there is an attempt at change. If there is a public consultation on this legislative amendment, to exempt the lottery from the prohibition of remote gambling, the country seems to be swaying toward allowing this.

As mentioned above, only the national lottery system is currently allowed. Therefore, the aim is to allow more lottery systems with online lottery games to become legal. This will be a massive change for local lotteries, who have, up until now, been the only ones allowed to offer lottery services.

The government is taking this potential amendment very seriously, with the public consultation going on for the next few months. The Governance and Administration Committee is the one dealing with the feedback and the decisions, and then they need to report back to the House of Representatives on 10th October 2025.

What This Would Mean for the New Zealand Gambling and Lottery Industry

Introducing the legality of online and local lottery systems outside of the state-owned lottery commission, Lotto NZ, will completely change the way that New Zealand's gambling and lottery industry works.

For one thing, there will be more competition in the lottery, which has only been a nationally governed operation until now. With the rise of local lotteries, which can take a piece of the pie, things will get quite interesting in terms of supply and demand.

This will also seriously impact players interested in placing bets on the lottery, as they will have a lot more choice. With only one lottery provider, you are forced to agree to all the terms and conditions offered by that operator. However, with the rise of other lottery operators, there could be more freedom for lottery seekers.

How Will Things Move Forward for New Zealand

It's hard to say how the proposed lottery exemption in the legislature will progress for New Zealand.

It's impressive that the country has taken a communal legal stance with the public consultation. The way that they are dealing with this matter seems to indicate that they will make a fair and wise decision.

Taking a year, namely from October 2024, when the remote lottery license expired, until October 2025, when the governance and administration committee has to report back to the House of Representatives, indicates that they are taking the decision seriously and in their stride. Not rushing such an important decision is vital.

Furthermore, it's important to know that any changes in the lottery and how the country earns and spends its funds will also immediately impact the country's financial and economic state. These are hard to see in advance; therefore, it can only be speculated currently. However, with more people engaging in the lottery, chances are that the lottery industry will grow significantly. Therefore, the country will have to look at tax rebates and amounts concerning this new industry's growth and how to manage it.

Final Thoughts

Under the New Zealand Gambling Act 2003, section 9, remote interactive gambling is currently prohibited. However, with the public consultation currently underway and the possibility of a legislative amendment that would essentially allow lotteries to offer their services, things could be moving toward a very interesting change.

New Zealand