True Legal. Specialist Legal Advice

True Legal
Specialist Legal Advice

True Legal's Director, Jarrod True, is a gambling law specialist. He is the author of the New Zealand Gambling Law Guide – gamblinglaw.co.nz

True Legal provides advice nationally to over three quarters of New Zealand's gaming machine trusts. In 2024, these trusts made 26,596 community grants, totalling $366 million, to 8,979 recipients.

Jarrod regularly advises on New Zealand’s online gambling legislation and regulatory framework. He is well-positioned to assist operators seeking to assess the viability of entering the New Zealand market and to support those wishing to pursue an online gambling licence.

Jarrod contributes to the Advennt digital platform and has written the New Zealand online gambling section, which summarises the New Zealand online gambling market, including the attractions and challenges.

Jarrod also provides advice regarding the format and operation of sales promotion schemes (sales promotion schemes are regulated by the Gambling Act).

Jarrod is able to advise on all matters relating to New Zealand's gambling law compliance and is happy to assist with all dealings with the Department of Internal Affairs (the New Zealand gambling regulator) and local councils.

Services

Gambling law regulatory compliance advice.
Online gambling licensing assistance.
Advice to offshore developers and operators of online gambling products, including gambling apps.
Advice regarding online gambling advertising, casino affiliates, and online payment options.
Advice regarding the structure and composition of sales promotion schemes.
Assistance with obtaining class 3 gambling licences (large raffles/lotteries and poker tournaments).
Gambling Commission appeals.
Gaming licence applications and renewals, including prompt restoration of club gaming licences.
Facilitating the relocation of gaming venues.

Gaming machine venue compliance training.
Gaming finance training for clubs.
Applications for territorial authority consent.
Applications for Ministerial consent to operate 30 gaming machines (club mergers).
Assistance with resolving gaming shop/primary activity concerns.
Assisting clients with submissions on matters regarding gambling law and policy.
Assistance with obtaining approval for gambling equipment under the minimum standards requirements.
Assistance in dealings with the Department of Internal Affairs.

Gaming licence applications and renewals, including prompt restoration of gaming licences
Gaming finance training.
Responding to financial viability concerns.
Reducing the 37.12% authorised purpose return requirement.
Responding to harm minimisation complaints.

Simplifying harm minimisation policies and resources.
Applications for Ministerial consent to operate 30 gaming machines (club mergers).
Assisting with submissions on matters regarding gambling law and policy
Assistance in all dealings with the Department of Internal Affairs.

Providing information and updates on New Zealand’s proposed online casino gambling licensing system.
Advice to offshore developers and operators of online gambling products, including gambling apps.
Advice regarding online gambling advertising.
Advice regarding online payment options.
Advice regarding casino affiliates.

Advice regarding skill-based games.
Advice regarding free-to-play games.
Providing information on New Zealand’s online gambling spend.
Assistance in dealings with New Zealand’s regulator, the Department of Internal Affairs.
Online gambling licensing assistance.

Jarrod True
New Zealand Gambling Law Specialist

Jarrod provides advice regarding the operation of gaming machines, gambling apps, online gambling, racing, lotteries, raffles, poker, and sales promotion schemes.

Jarrod has argued more successful class 4 (gaming machine) Gambling Commission appeals than any other New Zealand lawyer. He is familiar with all the Commission’s prior decisions and High Court and Court of Appeal decisions on gambling-related matters.

Jarrod represents the Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand at territorial authority gambling venue policy hearings throughout New Zealand.

Jarrod is listed by Who’s Who Legal as New Zealand’s leading gaming/gambling lawyer. The list includes the top 134 gaming/gambling lawyers from around the globe.

Jarrod graduated with first class honours in 1995.

Online Gambling in New Zealand

New Zealand's long-anticipated Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 officially came into force on 1 May 2026, marking the beginning of a significant shift in the country's gambling landscape. The transition from an offshore-dominated grey market to a fully regulated online casino licensing regime is now underway.

Under the new law:

It is now illegal for new offshore providers to begin offering online casino gambling services to customers located in New Zealand.
Existing providers that were already operating in the market before 1 May 2026 are permitted to continue offering services temporarily, under transitional arrangements, until 1 December 2026.
From 1 December 2026, only operators who have applied for or obtained a licence will be permitted to offer online casino gambling in New Zealand.

Fifteen online casino gambling licences will be allocated through a three-stage process: expressions of interest, an auction among parties invited by the Regulator, and a full licence application by the successful bidders.

The indicative timeline is as follows:

June-July 2026: Regulations published.
July 2026: Expressions of interest open.
September 2026: Licence auction.
October 2026: Processing of licence applications begins.
December 2026: Licences granted, and the grey market closes.

Information regarding the permitted games, taxes, fees, levies, community return, advertising rules, harm minimisation requirements, consumer protections, and market size can be found at Jarrod's gamblinglaw.co.nz website (here).

Jarrod can assist clients with their due diligence of the New Zealand market, with completing their expression of interest for an online casino gambling licence, and with their formal licence application.

The New Zealand Gambling Law Guide

The New Zealand Gambling Law Guide is a comprehensive guide to the law and policy surrounding class 4 gambling.

The Guide includes:

A plain English summary of New Zealand’s gambling law and regulations.
A summary of all relevant Gambling Commission decisions and court decisions.
Key chapters on grants, venue relocations, venue payments, territorial authority consents, club mergers, key person suitability, licence conditions, licence suspensions and cancellations, late bankings, gaming shops, financial viability, gaming machine number limits and online gambling.

The guide is a practical aid and essential tool for all societies and clubs that hold a class 4 operator's licence.

Enquire about pricing and subscriptions.

True Legal is a specialist law firm dedicated to providing expert advice on New Zealand’s gambling law and policy.