Fake .nz gambling domains operating in New Zealand

[The Buzz]

More than a dozen international sportsbook and casino sites are operating under .nz domains, appearing as they are located in New Zealand when they are not.

Only Lotto and TAB have approval to run gambling products online in New Zealand. Part of their approval includes a requirement to return a portion of the proceeds they collect to community groups. The Department for Internal Affairs (DIA) in New Zealand believes the offshore operators are cashing in on New Zealand’s brand of a well-regulated country and the websites could potentially be run by criminal organizations.

From Newsroom in New Zealand:

The DIA has contacted the hosting providers of the websites in an attempt to get them removed, said the DIA’s director regulatory systems (gambling) Chris Thornborough.

“One of the sites we contacted was brazen enough to use the government’s official Coat of Arms. We can only presume this was done to suggest some sort of formal connection with the New Zealand government or our local gambling laws.”

Thornborough said the department has suspicions one of the sites it has contacted may be run from within New Zealand. If this is true, there could be legal implications.

For the others, there is little the DIA can do, other than ask for the removal of the coat of arms, and suggest hosting providers remove the sites.

New Zealanders can legally gamble on sites outside of the country but the DIA worries for the safety of consumers who choose to do this.

“These operators can exist in unregulated or under-regulated places and can be run by criminal organisations looking to cheat you out of your money or use the contact to attempt to hack identities.”

Rogue operators could be running gambling sites which give punters zero chance of winning.

Read more here: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/04/1...-nz-connection

[Former Member 14]

Unlike NZ where anyone can obtain a .nz etc.

Here in AU to obtain a .au, you needed one (1) of the following:

• Australian BRN (Business Registration Number)
• ACN (Australian Company Number)
• Trademark

Given there's no eligibility criteria for a .nz domain, then the DIA are the fools, for not ensuring the aforementioned criteria framework.

[ocreditor]

Enforcement will follow

[Cash Bonus]

One can never be too careful anymore these days after reading this article. That's terrible.

[Sherlock]

What about bovada.lv? They parasite on Latvia? What about so many cryptocasinos on .io? They abuse British Indian Ocean Territory?

[TheGooner]

ALmost no-one in New Zealand under 30 thinks a .nz site is actually local.


NZ uses the old two level system so government is .govt.nz, companies are .co.nz, and organisations are .org.nz ...
The straight .nz domains website are just another version of things the went before like .kiwi (local nickname for nz)

Advertising and targeting NZ residents specifically online is actually an offense ...
so usually there are no New Zealand people with a .nz gambling site (if they have any sense).

[Former Member 14]

NZ uses the old two level system so government is .govt.nz, companies are .co.nz, and organisations are .org.nz ...

I've had multiple .co.nz and .net.nz domains for 10+ years. Before .nz was made public, I was given the option to register additional .nz on all my aforementioned NZ domains. A couple of them I did just so they can't be squatted. But I certainly don't use them.

I would assume .govt.nz and possibly .org.nz would require specific NZ criteria to be met, before one could obtain those ext's.

Reiterating, unlike .au ext's (which require a specific criteria), anyone can register a .co.nz, net.nz etc., etc., without any NZ specific registration criteria. Personally, I think that's where NZ shot themselves in the foot here.

The DIA should have got its 'ducks in a row' and liaised with which ever Gov., Dept., looks after NZ TLD's, before this sh#t hit the fan!

BTW AUDA (.au Domain Administration Ltd) has been running TV ads for the new proposed shortened .au domain ext. I guess .net.au and .com.au ext's are becoming rather hard to find these days.