Christchurch man sentenced for New Zealand’s largest ever illegal lottery

24 June 2026

25-year-old Christchurch man, Waiariki McIlroy-Jones, has been sentenced to 6 months community detention and 250 hours community work for running New Zealand’s largest ever unlawful Facebook lottery, that generated over $11 million in a year.

It follows an investigation by The Department of Internal Affairs which laid charges against McIlroy-Jones and his company Jonez LRC in May 2024 for organising illegal gambling and profiting from the lotteries.

“This is the first prosecution of an online illegal lottery in New Zealand. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning for businesses considering promotions involving prizes and payments, about the importance of understanding and complying with gambling law,” Vicki Scott, Director Gambling, at the Department of Internal Affairs says.

Money and assets associated with the offending are currently subject to a High Court restraining order and forfeiture of the proceeds and assets will be sought under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 by the Commissioner of Police.

“Mr McIlroy-Jones used extensive social media marketing, often flooding Facebook feeds with images and videos of, mostly expensive cars, but also caravans, boats, cash, and even a mortgage-free house in Rangiora, to entice people to enter the draws he personally benefitted from,” Vicki Scott says.

“Lotteries are highly profitable because of their wide appeal. Mr McIlroy-Jones used schemes such as double-entry periods and half-priced entries after a person had already entered, to try to maximise sales without any care for the harm unregulated gambling can cause, including encouraging consumers to gamble excessively or beyond their means.

“The Gambling Act exists to ensure gambling is fair, well-run and responsible, and that any potential harm is minimised to keep our communities safe. It also means money goes back to the community. In this case the community was deprived of these benefits.

“There are also important lessons for consumers about identifying legitimate promotions. Key warning signs to watch out for include high value prizes well over $5,000, lotteries requiring payment for entry that aren’t clearly operated by licensed charities and promotional activities that seem too good to be true,” Vicki Scott, says.

Under the Gambling Act, gambling with prizes that exceed $5,000 can only be conducted by a not-for-profit society for authorised purposes and requires a class 3 gambling licence to ensure the integrity of the operation and protection of participants.

For more information on gambling regulation visit dia.govt.nz/Gambling.

-ENDS-


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Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua   
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Email: media@dia.govt.nz