A New Zealand campaign is using fortune cookies and other foods to share anti-gambling messages. The initiative also aims to spark discussions about gambling stigma in Asian communities.
Health NZ and Asian Family Services launched the initiative in conjunction with marketing agency The Media Lab. Fortune cookies, usually filled with messages of good luck, now carry warnings. Examples include “They Bet On You Staying Silent” and “We Can Overcome Gambling Harm Together.”
Antony Young, co-founder of Media Lab, said that the campaign is using food to deliver the warnings. He explained that, across Asian communities, meals are more than just sustenance—they are social rituals, emotional anchors, and trusted spaces for storytelling, according to StopPress NZ.
He said that in many ways, the dinner table is the original social media platform. Whether it’s Taiwanese dumplings, Thai Pad See Ew, or Kashiri Rogan Josh, food serves as a powerful cultural and emotional touchpoint.
Besides the fortune cookie warnings, printed messages also appear on chopsticks, menus, payment cards, and the doors of Asian restaurants.
The campaign is also using traditional marketing, placing anti-gambling messages on outdoor billboards near SkyCity and Christchurch Casino. The campaign also targets key Asian dining areas like Dominion Road and Upper Queen Street in Auckland, as well as Courtney Place and Tory Street in Wellington.
Currently, online casinos are illegal in New Zealand. Yet, residents can gamble on offshore sites. The DIA or Department of Internal Affairs introduced the OnlineCasinoGamblingBill in early 2025, which proposes issuing licenses to 15 operators.
Brooke van Velden, Internal Affairs Minister said the new legislation targeted to control, instead of expanding, the gambling market. She stated that her goal is not to increase online gambling but to enable New Zealanders to play casino games more safely.
She expects the new legislation to come into effect in 2026. Beyond licensing operators, the reform will impose stricter rules on iGaming advertising, particularly if it is misleading or targets minors.
