How much money, if any, does the Minister expect the Lotteries Commission to receive from online casinos, following the passing of the Online Casino Gambling Act 2006, for the purpose of distribution to community groups, and does the Minister have confidence in the systems in place to ensure that community groups do not miss out on the funding?

Answer

The Department of Internal Affairs have previously released information that it estimates between $10-$20 million per year for community returns from online casino gambling gross gambling revenue. This information can be found on the following website: Cabinet Paper: Online Casino Gambling Bill: Community returns, 28 October 2025 • www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Proactive-Releases-2025-26/$file/Proactive-release-OCGB-Community-returns.pdf Cabinet Paper: Online Casino Gambling Bill: Enabling distribution of community returns by the Lottery Grants Board, 24 November 2025 • www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Proactive-Releases-2025-26/$file/Proactive-release-community-returns-distribution-mechanism-December-2025.pdf No money will be provided to the Lotteries Commission. The money will go to the Lottery Grants Board who will allocate funding to Lottery Distribution Committees who will distribute community returns generated from online casino gambling. This is due to its established, nationwide grants system which has robust and transparent reporting processes. As the presiding member of the Lottery Grants Board, I have confidence in the systems in place for community organisations to apply for Lottery Grants Board funding.