Vicky Scott, DIA: “Our focus is on building a gambling system that is robust, transparent, and future-ready”

The Director of Gambling at New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs outlines the country’s most significant regulatory milestones of 2025 and the reforms reshaping its gambling framework. She also looks ahead to 2026, with a focus on online casino licensing, enforcement, and harm minimisation.

Exclusive interview.- Vicki Scott is the director of Gambling at New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), the authority responsible for regulating the country’s gambling sector and ensuring that gambling is conducted safely, fairly, and in a way that minimises harm. With extensive oversight of both land-based and online gambling, the DIA plays a central role in shaping New Zealand’s regulatory response to an increasingly global and digital market.

In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Scott reflects on the most significant regulatory developments of 2025, including the introduction of the Online Casino Gambling Bill and amendments to racing and sports betting legislation. She also discusses the DIA’s intensified enforcement actions against illegal offshore advertising, the preparation for a licensed online casino market, and the department’s key priorities for 2026, from harm minimisation to data-driven regulation and international cooperation.

Reflecting on 2025, what have been the most significant regulatory milestones for the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)?

Throughout 2025, we have had a strong focus on harm minimisation, modernising regulatory frameworks, and tackling illegal activity both online and offline.

A major development was the introduction of the Online Casino Gambling Bill in June, which will establish a licensing regime for online casino operators and ban unlicensed gambling. The Bill provides the framework for consumer protections, harm minimisation measures, and penalties of up to NZ$5m (US$2,8m) for breaches. DIA has spent much of 2025 preparing the systems and processes needed to implement this new regime when the legislation is enacted in 2026.

Another milestone was the extension of TAB NZ’s statutory monopoly to include online sports and racing betting. DIA worked proactively with major overseas operators to ensure compliance with the new law, and attention has now shifted to addressing non-compliance through withdrawal notices and international cooperation.

Harm minimisation measures across land-based gambling have also advanced. Our biggest casino operator, SkyCity, introduced mandatory account-based play across all its New Zealand casinos in July, incorporating features such as enforced breaks after five hours of continuous play. We’ve worked closely with SkyCity to facilitate the smooth implementation of this new system and have begun consultation with the wider gambling sector with a view to adopting alternative payment options more broadly. We’ve also seen compliance with harm prevention regulations in pubs and clubs improve dramatically in 2025, reflecting ongoing efforts to embed safer gambling practices.

Finally, DIA strengthened compliance through targeted enforcement. Six illegal land-based gambling venues were disrupted, and prosecutions for fraud and illegal lotteries advanced. Enforcement against illegal gambling advertising intensified as complaints surged, driven largely by social media influencers promoting offshore casinos.

“Throughout 2025, we have had a strong focus on harm minimisation, modernising regulatory frameworks, and tackling illegal activity both online and offline.”

Vicki Scott, director of Gambling at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) – New Zealand.

How does the Racing Industry Amendment Bill complement the broader regulatory reforms in New Zealand’s gambling sector, and what specific impacts do you anticipate it will have on the regulation and operation of racing and sports betting markets?

For historical reasons, sports and racing betting are primarily regulated under New Zealand’s racing legislation rather than the Gambling Act, but these statutes work together to form an integrated body of law that covers all types of gambling. The recent amendments to the Racing Industry Act are the first steps in updating New Zealand’s laws to properly reflect the realities of the large, dynamic, and international online gambling market in the 2020s and beyond.

The primary driver for all these law changes is to help keep New Zealand consumers safe if they choose to gamble online. While there are many responsible gambling companies around the world, there are also many companies that operate at the margins of regulatory compliance, or worse, seek to con unsuspecting customers with fraudulent practices. New Zealand’s law changes make it clear which companies are authorised here. They also hold those companies accountable for delivering good quality products and protecting their customers from the risks that gambling can pose.

The racing and sports betting legislation has the effect of channelling customers to New Zealand’s domestic provider, TAB NZ, which is obliged to distribute its profits to the racing and sports codes in this country. We expect to see more customers betting domestically, with funding for racing and sports – from the grassroots to elite level – growing as a result. We also expect TAB NZ to demonstrate good accountability as New Zealand’s betting provider, including ensuring strong customer protection and harm prevention and minimisation.

The DIA has intensified enforcement actions against illegal offshore gambling advertising, including recent fines totalling $125,000 to social media influencers and cease-and-desist letters to 26 accounts. What have been the key challenges in combating offshore operator marketing tactics, and what enforcement tools have proven most effective?

One of the biggest challenges is that at present, offshore gambling operators and their marketing partners operate outside New Zealand’s jurisdiction. They use sophisticated digital tactics, including social media influencers and targeted ads, to reach New Zealanders. This makes enforcement difficult because the content is hosted overseas and often involves anonymous accounts.

Complaints about illegal advertising have surged—up 39 per cent this year—driven largely by influencer promotions on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. We’ve issued 27 infringement notices, but these low-level fines have their limitations.

Despite the hurdles, we’ve had success to date with a mix of enforcement and education. We work closely with platforms like Meta to remove or restrict offending accounts. We’ve also taken an educative approach, such as warning university students who were paid to promote casinos, which stopped the activity entirely.

Under the new Online Casino Gambling Bill, we will have stronger penalties at our disposal – take-down notices and civil penalties of up to NZD$5m, for example. In addition, the prohibitions in the Bill will apply regardless of whether a person is in New Zealand, and we will be working closely with our international counterparts to combat the black market. Whilst we await the implementation of the new regulatory system, we will continue to use every tool available—warnings, infringement notices, platform restrictions, and public education—to protect New Zealanders from harm.

“Under the new Online Casino Gambling Bill, we will have stronger penalties at our disposal.”

Vicki Scott, director of Gambling at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) – New Zealand.

The Online Gambling Bill, which recently went through the select committee review, proposes up to 15 licenses for online casino operators. How is the DIA preparing for this significant regulatory expansion, and what safeguards are being embedded to ensure harm minimisation and consumer protection?

We have been learning a lot from international regulators in preparation for this regulatory expansion. It’s been so promising to see the generosity and openness of our overseas counterparts, who have shared their insights and experiences about regulating this market so freely.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the International Association of Gambling Regulators Conference in Toronto. This was an incredible opportunity to connect with regulators from around the world and explore the shared challenges we face. It was clear that effective regulation of online casinos is a global effort and one that relies on strong international partnerships, open dialogue, and a commitment to continuous learning.

In addition to this, we have been engaging with social media and advertising platforms to ensure they are prepared to support compliance, including the removal of advertisements by unlicensed providers. We will continue to strengthen these partnerships in 2026.

Progress is also being made on the regulations in relation to the Online Casino Gambling Bill. These regulations will ensure that harm prevention and minimisation measures are in place, and that consumers will have more protection when gambling in the regulated market. Earlier this year, DIA completed targeted consultation with impacted and affected stakeholders as part of the development process, and more recently, the Minister of Internal Affairs sought Cabinet approval for the draft regulations.

We hope to be able to provide another update with detailed information on the regulatory decisions taken. For those who want to receive this update, I’d strongly encourage you to visit www.dia.govt.nz/OGI and register your interest in the programme.

“Effective regulation of online casinos is a global effort.”

Vicki Scott, director of Gambling at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) – New Zealand

Looking ahead to 2026, what are the DIA’s principal priorities?

As we move into 2026, our focus is on building a gambling system that is robust, transparent, and future-ready. A key priority is the full implementation of online casino regulation, including licensing, monitoring, and enforcement to ensure integrity and protect consumers. We are embedding stronger compliance practices across casinos and working with multiple agencies to address gambling-related crime.

Equally important is our commitment to reducing harm and improving financial compliance across our land-based gambling sector to maximise community funding from licensed gambling.

Finally, we are investing in data-driven regulation and futureproofing our technology systems. This includes leveraging analytics to target risk, progressing the upgrade of our Electronic Monitoring System, and embedding operational excellence across all areas.

The Director of Gambling at New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs outlines the country’s most significant regulatory milestones of 2025 and the reforms reshaping its gambling framework. She also looks…