A $125,000 enforcement action reveals the intersection of social media influence, regulatory gaps, and community harm in the digital age
Four prominent New Zealand influencers have found themselves at the center of the country’s most significant digital gambling enforcement action. Millie Elder-Holmes, daughter of late broadcaster Paul Holmes, leads the group with $15,000 in total fines. Calen Morris (known online as “Uncl lingling”), a gang member turned social media personality with 78,000 followers, along with Billy Whaanga and Tuhira Wana, have each received multiple $5,000 penalties for promoting overseas gambling sites to their followers.
When Elder-Holmes posted another sponsored story to her Instagram account, she likely didn’t anticipate becoming the face of New Zealand’s most significant crackdown on digital gambling promotion. Yet her journey—and that of her three co-defendants—from social media personalities to regulatory targets tells a larger story about how quickly the influencer economy can collide with the law. 
The Perfect Storm of Regulation and Reality
The Department of Internal Affairs’ decision to impose collective fines totaling $125,000 on four prominent influencers represents more than just enforcement—it’s a watershed moment that exposes fundamental tensions in how we regulate digital spaces.
Unlike traditional advertising, where companies face direct accountability for their promotional campaigns, the influencer model creates a complex web of responsibility. Social media personalities become the public face of products and services, often without fully understanding the legal implications of their partnerships.
This dynamic became particularly problematic in New Zealand’s gambling landscape, where overseas operators found influencers to be an effective workaround for advertising restrictions. Rather than confronting regulatory barriers directly, these companies could simply pay local personalities to promote their platforms, creating a gray area that has now been definitively closed.
The Mathematics of Influence and Harm
The numbers behind this crackdown tell a compelling story. Complaints to the DIA about influencer gambling promotion doubled in just two years, reaching 75 cases in the most recent period. This surge reflects not just increased activity, but growing public awareness of the potential for harm.
What makes this particularly significant is the concentrated impact on Māori communities. When a population group represents 17% of the general population but 30% of problem gamblers, any targeted marketing becomes a public health concern rather than merely a commercial transaction.
The financial incentives driving these partnerships were substantial—with offers reportedly ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 for individual influencers. These sums represent life-changing money for many content creators, creating powerful motivation to overlook potential consequences.
Beyond Individual Accountability
While the headlines focus on named influencers, the real story lies in the systemic issues this crackdown reveals. The DIA now monitors 40 content creators and has the authority to request platform deactivation for persistent violators—a power that fundamentally changes the risk calculation for influencers.
This represents a shift from reactive to proactive regulation. Rather than simply responding to complaints after harm has occurred, regulators are now actively monitoring digital spaces and intervening before problems escalate.
The approach also reflects a more sophisticated understanding of how modern marketing operates. Traditional advertising regulations were built for clearly defined media channels, but influencer marketing blurs the line between personal expression and commercial promotion in ways that existing frameworks struggled to address.
The Broader Digital Enforcement Landscape
The gambling advertising crackdown operates within a larger pattern of regulatory catch-up with digital realities. The DIA has simultaneously been addressing other forms of illegal online gambling, including unlicensed car raffles and prize competitions that exploit regulatory gaps.
Many operators discovered they could circumvent licensing requirements by structuring their activities as social media competitions or using platforms like Facebook and Trade Me to sell raffle tickets. The regulatory response has been to clarify that online gambling restrictions apply regardless of the platform or promotional method used.
This broader enforcement strategy signals that regulators are no longer treating digital spaces as separate from traditional oversight. The internet may have created new opportunities for circumventing regulations, but it hasn’t created immunity from them.
The February 2026 Transformation
The current crackdown gains additional significance when viewed against upcoming regulatory changes. New legislation will introduce fines up to $5 million for unlicensed operators while simultaneously creating a legal framework for licensed online gambling to operate in New Zealand.
This creates an interesting dynamic: the government is simultaneously cracking down on illegal gambling promotion while preparing to tax and regulate a legal gambling market. The transition period has become a crucial test of regulatory resolve and industry compliance.
The new framework will also fundamentally change the economics of gambling promotion in New Zealand. Rather than relying on overseas operators paying influencers to circumvent advertising restrictions, there will be a regulated market with clear rules about promotional activities.
Lessons in Digital Responsibility
Perhaps the most important outcome of this enforcement action isn’t the fines themselves, but the precedent they establish for digital accountability. The message is clear: online activity isn’t exempt from existing laws, and influence comes with responsibility.
For influencers, this creates a new calculus around partnership decisions. The potential for regulatory action, public criticism, and reputational damage must now be weighed against financial incentives. Some, like the creators who rejected significant offers to promote gambling, had already made this calculation.
For platforms and overseas operators, the crackdown demonstrates that regulatory arbitrage through influencer partnerships is no longer a viable strategy. The cost and complexity of compliance may drive some operators away from the New Zealand market entirely.
The Community Response Factor
What makes this enforcement action particularly powerful is its foundation in community complaints. The doubling of complaints over two years suggests growing public awareness of gambling’s potential for harm and decreased tolerance for its promotion.
This grassroots pressure created the political and regulatory space for enforcement action. Without community voices demanding accountability, it’s unlikely that regulators would have prioritized this issue or dedicated resources to monitoring social media activity.
The role of Māori health organizations in documenting and reporting problematic content also demonstrates how advocacy groups can effectively leverage regulatory frameworks to address community concerns.
Looking Forward: The New Normal
As the dust settles from this $125,000 enforcement action, it’s clear that the relationship between social media influence and regulatory oversight has permanently shifted. The era of treating online promotional activity as somehow separate from traditional advertising law is ending.
For content creators, this means developing better understanding of the legal implications of their partnerships. For overseas operators, it means accepting that regulatory arbitrage through influencer marketing is no longer viable. For regulators, it means maintaining the capacity to monitor and respond to evolving digital marketing strategies.
The ultimate test will be whether this enforcement action successfully deters future violations or merely drives them further underground. Early indicators suggest compliance is improving, but the true measure will be whether the upcoming regulated gambling market can satisfy demand without the need for illegal alternatives.
What’s certain is that New Zealand has drawn a clear line in the digital sand: influence without responsibility is no longer an option, and the internet isn’t a law-free zone.
If you or someone you know needs help with gambling, contact the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or text 8006. The service is available seven days a week.
