A proposed change to gambling laws will allow up to 15 online casinos to operate in New Zealand. In its current form, the Online Casino Gambling Bill would have a major impact on the funding available to Auckland’s cricket clubs and compromise their ability to serve their communities. The following letter was sent to Electorate MPs by Auckland Cricket on behalf of our 16 principal clubs. 

We, the chairs of Auckland’s 16 principal cricket clubs, express our deep concern over the proposed Online Casino Gambling Bill legislation currently before the Governance and Administration select committee.

Auckland’s cricket clubs serve a large, super-diverse community.

For the 2024/25 season there were 12,895 registered unique participants across our club network. Of these, approximately 40 per cent of our participants were South Asian and approximately 35 per cent NZ European, 1,384 were women and girls and around 60 per cent aged 5-13.

Our clubs produce significant community benefits that extend well beyond the cricket pitch including:

• Community connection: clubs bring together people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds through creating welcoming and inclusive environments to strengthen community identity.
• Physical wellbeing: by encouraging and promoting active recreation such as Smash Play and club competitions for all ages, clubs contribute to improved physical and mental health outcomes.
• Pathways and Youth Development: Clubs provide structured pathways for aspiring athletes, supporting their talent development aligned with Auckland Cricket’s priorities and principles.
• Participation equity: Clubs create accessible opportunities for competitive, social, and recreational involvement. Programmes such as CricStars reduce barriers to participation for young people living with a disability and our girls’ modified programmes support the increased participation of women and girls in physical activity.
• School-club connections: Clubs partner with schools to introduce Tamariki and Rangatahi to sport early, supporting improved school engagement and transitions into community participation.

Cricket is not a cheap sport – mainly due to equipment requirements - however it is still accessible to most New Zealanders.

The Auckland Cricket Association and its clubs work tirelessly to ensure fees are kept as low as possible and remove barriers to participation.

That is a daily struggle.

With cricket already constrained by an insufficient number of cricket pitches, fields and suitable practice facilities to meet the needs of a growing population, our clubs are under huge pressure to adequately serve our communities.

Grants received from gaming trusts are a vital source of funding, which we use to deliver significant community benefits.

Collectively our 16 clubs received over $1 million in Class 4 gaming funding for the 2025 financial year.

Vital operational areas funded in FY25 included over $300,000 on coaching and over $350,000 on equipment, much of this directly benefitting children.

For the 2026 financial year we are forecasting revenue of $1.5 million in gaming funding across our 16 clubs.

A significant decline of this vital funding stream will have a huge impact on our ability to deliver cricket to our communities.

A direct consequence of any funding shortfall will be the necessity to raise playing fees.

Therefore the first to lose out will be our most underprivileged and economically disadvantaged community members. To be clear – this legislation in its current form will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable people in our community.

The current system of clubs being able to access gaming revenue allows us to apply for funding targeted to areas where it will deliver the greatest community benefit.

We note that the Internal Affairs Minister has indicated consideration is now being given to including "community returns as part of the online casino gambling bill".

On behalf of the extended Auckland cricket community – which covers an extensive geographic area consisting of a richly culturally and socially diverse population – we ask you to advocate on our behalf for socially responsible changes to the proposed legislation.

We request that the Bill is made consistent with the Gambling Act provision that “gambling should benefit the community” - and as such its profits are shared with the community.

We can assure you that we will be doing everything we can to ensure our community’s concerns are raised and our voice is heard ahead of the legislation returning to the house on November 17.

Article added: Wednesday 22 October 2025