The Rangitīkei District Council has initiated a review of its gambling policies. The council’s recommended course of action after this study keeps the district’s ban on freestanding Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) facilities in place and maintains existing limits on gaming machines.
The council is consulting on the Draft Gambling Venue (Class 4) Policy and TAB Venue Policy. Required under the central government legislation, both of these policies must be reviewed every three years.
While no significant changes have been proposed by the council, some minor adjustments have been put forth to bring these policies into line with central government legislation. The adjustments will not impact how the policies are implemented.
The decision was reached following the council receiving a social impact assessment on the impacts that gambling has on residents in Rangitīkei. The council has described the district’s exposure to harmful gambling as medium-high, which means residents could be more likely to be exposed to harmful gambling than other New Zealanders.
The Rangitīkei review notes the dual impact of gambling in the community. It notes that while risks exist, a significant proportion of revenue is generated from gambling, which is used to support events, sports clubs, and other community projects.
The review comes at a time when New Zealand gears up for the launch of its regulated online 바카라 market in 2026, with the government’s plans to auction 15 licences to online 바카라 operators. This is expected to generate NZ$719m in gaming duty over four years.
As per the country’s gambling regulation, internal affairs minister Brooke Van Velden said these licences would be awarded by auction and that each brand would require one to operate. As per cabinet papers filed in , a number of operators, including SkyCity, TAB NZ, 888, Bet365 and SpinBet have expressed interest in applying for an online licence.
The country first announced that it would regulate online 바카라s in July, agreeing for a high-level approach to online 바카라 regulation. This was to minimise harm, support tax collection and provide consumer protections to New Zealand players.
However, local 바카라 operators, including SkyCity and Christchurch Casino, have raised concerns about being outbid by larger offshore companies. This could, in turn, could impact compliance and social responsibility standards.