Four social media influencers and an offshore gambling organisation have been collectively fined $125,000 by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) - the government’s gambling regulator.
And if the influencers don’t start to comply with the law, they may have their social media accounts disabled, the watchdog told the Herald.
In May, Socialite Millie Elder-Holmes became the first New Zealander fined $5,000 for promoting overseas casinos to her social media fans and followers. She paid it, and has now been hit with another $10,000 fine for two more breaches.
That’s because it is illegal for overseas gambling sites to advertise in New Zealand, including on social media.
Three of Elder-Holmes’ fellow content creators, Calen Morris, Billy Whaanga and Tuhira Wana have now also received multiple $5000 fines.
Eight more content creators are under active investigation and may also be fined, according to the DIA.
Morris and Whaanga have been fined $20,000 each for four infringement notices and Wana $15,000 for three notices.
The Herald has tried to contact all four content creators for comment.
Spinbet has also been fined $60,000 for 12 infringements - Spinbet is an overseas online casino and sports betting platform based on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
Lawyer Vicki Scott, Internal Affairs Director of Gambling, told the Herald she had heard anecdotally that offshore casinos were paying some influencers a lot more than what they then have to pay in fines.
“Tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands. There’s no concrete evidence but if people are willing to incur $5,000 per post, you have to assume people are receiving a fair amount from the casinos.”
The Herald has talked to influencers who say they have been offered up to $50,000 to advertise gambling to their followers.
Scott said if the fines weren’t a deterrent, perhaps losing access to their social media accounts would be.
Scott told the Herald Internal Affairs has the power to request social media influencers’ platforms be disabled if they kept breaching New Zealand’s online gambling advertising laws.
Scott said the numbers of people complaining to DIA about influencers using their platforms to promote gambling has doubled in two years, to 75 this year.
She said there are 40 content creators on the DIA gambling watchlist. That’s up from 24 in June.
DIA has issued 17 warning letters, served 26 cease and desist notices and eight more influencers are under active investigation, she said.
Social media influencer (SMI) complaints – total figures
Scott said the maximum fine for an infringement notice was $5,000 - set by the Gambling Act. But if DIA chose to file a charge at the district court level, a judge would have the discretion to fine that offender $10,000 instead.
“We opt for the $5,000 infringement fine as its cleaner for us and doesn’t clog up the court system,” Scott said. “It is dealt with immediately and faster.”
She said there were further steps which could be taken for serial offenders.
“The $5,000 doesn’t seem like a lot but it can very quickly rack up if influencers continue to post,” she said.
“If we are not getting traction that way and influencers continue to break the law, then we can work with the social media platforms and request they either deactivate their accounts or geo-lock New Zealanders from following them.”
Scott said there would soon be new rules and new legislation to govern online casinos.
The government is opening online gambling in New Zealand and inviting interested parties to bid for 15 available licences.
The legislation is being overseen by Act Minister Brooke van Velden and will come into effect in 2026.
“They will be able to advertise with a few restrictions once Cabinet decides” said Scott.
“There will be strict prohibition in force [for unlicensed operators] with a fine up to $5m. We will be taking this very seriously and shut any black markets out immediately.”
“It’s disappointing to see influencers still pushing a product that does so much harm to Māori
Jason Alexander, Chief operating officer of Māori health policy agency Hapai Te Hauora, said it was disappointing to see Māori influencers - or any influencers - using their profiles to target whānau.
“It’s disappointing to see influencers still pushing a product that does so much harm to Māori, but the real issue is the companies paying for it,” Alexander told the Herald.
“Overseas online casinos bankrolling influencers to deliberately bypass our laws. That’s exploitation.
“If you’re willing to undermine our rules and target Māori for profit now, you shouldn’t be anywhere near a licence when regulation arrives.
“These operators have shown zero respect for how we do things here. They’re happy to exploit our whānau via loopholes.
“Any future licensing regime must exclude companies that have traded on harm and worked around our protections; they simply cannot be trusted.”
Māori content creator and influencer Jimi Jackson - who once promoted online gambling, but says he has not done so for seven months - says he is still offered whopping incentives to change his mind.
Jackson, who has 1.1 million Facebook followers and 581k Instagram followers, claimed in a recent post he had been offered close to $1 million to promote online gambling again.
“But I have said no every time and said I would never promote gambling again,” Jackson said.
Some influencers have consistently rejected approaches from offshore gambling sites.
Last month creative content artist Paaka Davis told of rejecting a $50,000 offer to promote online gambling.
“I was offered $50,000 for a series of stories for a new gambling group. But I had to say no to them, I’m not interested.
“It’s hard and you have to be really versatile but stay true to yourself and be true to who you are.”
Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden’s Online Gambling Bill will regulate online gambling in New Zealand with fines up to $5 million for unlicensed operators.
It is currently before Parliament’s Governance and Administration select committee and has received 5000 submissions.
Foreign companies are likely to dominate New Zealand’s internet gambling market.
The Government will auction 15 online casino licences, which is expected to generate up to $200m for the Government.
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Online casino licenses will be issued for three year terms in February 2026, under the new regime.
Where to get help:
The Gambling Helpline, 0800 654 655, 7 days a week. The Gambling Helpline is also available by texting 8006.
Joseph Los’e is an award winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as the Kaupapa Maori Editor. Los’e was chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and before NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.