46049 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Internal Affairs

46049 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What progress, if any, has been made in the quarter (January to March 2024) on the action area ‘Identify improvements to the legislative and regulatory framework to reduce gambling-related harm’ under ‘Objective 3: Strengthen leadership and accountability to achieve equity’ within the Ministry of Health’s Strategy to Prevent and Minimise Gambling Harm 2022/23 to 2024/25?

Hon Brooke van Velden: Cabinet made an in-principle decision in March 2024 to regulate online casino gambling in order to minimise harm and provide consumer protections to New Zealanders, as well as to raise additional tax revenue. I am advised by the Department of Internal Affairs (the Department) that, in the period of January to March 2024, it began active work developing a new technical standard to support the introduction of mandatory carded play in SkyCity casinos. This would allow for more robust harm minimisation strategies to be applied and gives the Department significantly more information on the steps SkyCity takes to minimise harm at its casinos.