Preferred Regulatory Settings: A Case Study of the TAB NZ

Abstract

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the government actively supports gambling through a preferential regulatory environment that facilitates ongoing, and increased, gambling operations. This article questions why preferential regulatory treatment exists for an activity that generates social harm. The article focuses on the Totalisator Agency Board New Zealand (TAB NZ) and the racing industry. TAB NZ has more regulatory concessions than the gambling sector in general, including through the tax system and self-regulation. There is an absence of transparency about both this support and the underlying assumption that increasing gambling to support the broader racing sector is desirable.