Online gambling monolith, Rainbet, has come into the spotlight for their advertising strategy in New Zealand, dishing out the cash for Gen Z influencers to promote gambling to their peers – some right here in Dunedin. The catch: it’s not exactly legal.
Rainbet has been using student affiliates to promote their offshore gambling business model, which first cropped up in Dunners on several Instagram accounts, @dudslaps, @lecastle_street and @brokerollers. Most of the videos show Rainbet being used by a student affiliate on either a laptop or phone, while engaging in activities such as playing pool, grocery shopping, or fishing. While a bit funny and certainly effective in targeting students, the practice of advertising offshore gambling services is illegal in New Zealand, prohibited under section 16(1) of our Gambling Act. However, that doesn’t seem to have stopped some students from taking up the role of advertiser for these services.
Critic Te Ārohi reached out to several of these affiliate accounts for comment, but largely received radio silence. One did respond, though, telling Critic that they weren’t big fans of us sticking our noses in it and that Rainbet probably wouldn’t comment either. Upon being informed that what they were doing was illegal (potentially punishable by a fine of up to $10,000), the team behind the account told Critic that they’d get a lawyer to look into it for them (probably one of their dads). Due to the way the law functions, the advertising parties would be responsible for fronting this fine as well as Rainbet. Since the interaction, the account has removed its affiliate link.
At the time of writing, Critic could find three Rainbet affiliate accounts, which have a combined reach of 3000 followers. The account that removed the affiliate link has 5000 alone. Upcoming events management service, Southern Events (also sporting a follower count of over 5000) has an associated account (@sundayserviceslaps) that frequently posts gambling content often featuring Rainbet. When approached for comment, Southern told Critic, “We’re not affiliated with and / or [sic] promote gambling sites but us boys do punt a bit bc it’s fun lol”. They rounded out the conversation with a video filmed in a pokies room where they proceeded to hit the feature twice in a row.
It’s not just student media who’ve cottoned on to the rise of offshore gambling. RNZ reported earlier this year that a spate of warnings had been issued to influencers ordering them to stop promoting offshore gambling services, with a further 13 being monitored but no warning issued at the time. While there was nothing to suggest any relationship with Rainbet, these influencers were reportedly generally affiliates of other offshore gambling sites and services. Rainbet, according to their online terms and conditions, is a registered company in Curacao – an island in the Caribbean.
Describing itself as a “best trusted crypto casino”, their affiliate program means a commission is paid each time a referred customer remains active on the platform. One source, who has chosen to remain anonymous, claims that some sites offer affiliates $170 daily to those who post five times a day on their accounts, totalling to around $1200 a week per account – a lucrative opportunity for those students who want to make a quick buck, to say the least. With the cost of living crisis ongoing, it's understandable why students would want to get in on the action (and avoid noodle wrap struggle meals).
Rainbet did not respond to comment in time for print; they were probably laxing too hard on a Caribbean beach down the road from their HQ.
Problem gambling is an issue within New Zealand, and there are several channels through which you can get help. The Gambling Helpline (gamblinghelpline.co.nz) and Problem Gambling Foundation (www.pgf.nz) both offer services to support those with problem gambling issues.