The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation



 

Resource material › Our Policy Advice Areas › Gambling Policy

The Department provides advice to the Minister of Internal Affairs on gambling issues.

Gambling legislation overview

The Gambling Act 2003 repeals the Casino Control Act 1990 and the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1977 and integrates them into a single Act.

Racing is administered under the Racing Industry Act 2020 (with some exceptions, such as gaming machine operations in TABs and racing clubs). The Racing Industry Act 2020 provides the framework for the regulation and governance of the racing industry.

See also: Racing Policy

The following statutes are administered by other agencies, but impact on gambling:

The Gaming Duties Act 1971 provides for the payment of sector-specific duties by the Lotteries Commission, gaming machine societies and casinos responsibility of the Inland Revenue Department.

The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 places obligations on New Zealand’s financial institutions, casinos, virtual assets service providers, accountants, lawyers, conveyancers and high value dealers to detect and deter money laundering and terrorism financing.

The Act ensures that businesses take appropriate measures to guard against money laundering and terrorism financing. This enhances the reputation of individual businesses, and of New Zealand as a safe place in which to do business. Licenced casino operators and TAB NZ are both defined as “reporting entities” for the purposes of the AML/CFT Act. This Act is administered by the Ministry of Justice.

Policy reviews and consultations

Find out more about gambling consultations.

Related information

For a full list of gambling legislation, see:

Gambling legislation and regulation