The Problem Gambling Foundation say they have "serious concerns" about an aggressive online marketing campaign from an off-shore gambling company, which features cricketer Brendon McCullum.
The ad, which plays on YouTube, features the former Blackcap and current England coach sitting in a Ferrari, calling on viewers to sign up for 22Bet. "Bet to play, bet to win," he says in the ad.
22Bet is an off-shore betting website based out of Cyprus.
Currently, it's illegal for overseas bookmakers to advertise in New Zealand.
But because YouTube is an international site, the ads have slipped through the cracks.
Other ads that viewers receive also say the company is a "legal bookmaker", promising signup bonuses for prospective players.
The ads have been played incessantly, with Kiwis taking to social media to complain about the "annoying" and "repetitive" advertisements.
It's now caught the attention of the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF), which filed a complaint to the Department of Internal Affairs.
Speaking to 1News, PGF spokesperson Andree Froude said she has "serious concerns" about the advertising.
She called it the "most aggressive marketing I've ever seen".
She said that since it's not based in New Zealand, those putting money into the site may be at risk, as it's not regulated here.
"People go onto this betting platform, and they're not actually covered by New Zealand law; it's based in Cyprus, so they're not actually protected.
"People may not be aware of that, so if, for example, something went wrong and they couldn't get their money out, they wouldn't be protected."
Were this ad being played on traditional forms of media, Froude said they would be illegal. The fact that they're on YouTube makes things tricky.
"Our concern was the aggressive advertising that happens on YouTube; they're managing to circumnavigate our law by using YouTube, which of course, is an international platform that they can use and appear to be using ghost accounts too."
When it comes to the face of 22Bet, Brendon McCullum, she said it lures people into a false sense of security, making them think the brand is based in NZ.
"Brendon McCullum's face popping up can absolutely be misleading," she said.
"Having a famous Kiwi can trick people into thinking it's a New Zealand site, which it absolutely isn't."
She wants to see New Zealand gambling laws updated to reflect the rise of social media better.
"We need a couple of things; we need much stricter advertising rules and regulations for gambling full stop; we see lotto ads on TV - that's gambling - we should be treating it as we do alcohol.
"We also need an update of the gambling act because it's now 20 years old; that doesn't even account for the changes we've seen in technology.
"We need a lot to be done to make sure that people aren't harmed."
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