Online Casino Gambling
Questions and answers
To ensure fairness and transparency, answers to all questions submitted will be made publicly available.
These Q&A are updated regularly to reflect the most relevant and accurate information. Any outdated information will be removed.
Ask us a question
Ask us a question (Office Forms)
Answers
Is the department going to create a system within the online gambling industry, to identify problem gamblers?
Updated December 2025
The Online Casino Gambling Bill and details of the new online casino regulatory system are still being decided. The Department will not directly create a system within the online gambling industry to identify problem gamblers. Instead, the government will mandate through regulations that licensed operators implement harm minimisation measures, including systems to identify and assist problem gamblers and will establish a national self-exclusion register by late 2027.
With the introduction of new legislation in early 2026, do you know if we can use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting of Gaming Servers?
Updated September 2025
The details of the regulatory regime are currently being worked through.
The Secretary for Internal Affairs may issue minimum technical standards that will provide specifications for the design of gambling technology, see clause 80 of the Online Casino Gambling Bill (NZ Legislation website). Similar technical standards exist for gambling equipment under the Gambling Act. These standards may include details of what would be acceptable for hosting gaming servers.
We will provide guidance on any standards that are intended to be made under the legislation, and what would be needed for compliance, as soon as possible.
At present, hosting gaming servers in New Zealand may be a breach of the Gambling Act, and we’d suggest seeking legal advice if you were intending on doing so before the Online Casino Gambling Bill passes into law.
How will the taxation work? We have had some advice that if a regulated online casino is registered in New Zealand and pays company tax, the 12% online casino duty (upgraded to 16%) will not apply as it only applies to offshore entities who aren’t paying company tax in New Zealand.
My understanding is all 15 regulated online casinos will be expected to pay 16% in duties on their GGR and then the problem gambling levy. And then if they are a registered entity in New Zealand they will still be expected to pay tax on any profits after expenses. Is that correct?
Updated December 2025
Yes, that is correct. The 15 online casinos who become licensed will pay GST, the online casino gambling duty, the problem gambling levy and if they are a registered entity in New Zealand, they will be expected to pay tax on profits after expenses.
There will be a change from “Offshore Gambling Duty” to “Online Gambling Duty” under the Gaming Duties Act 1971 to cover any New Zealand based online casinos.
To explain further, currently under section 12U of the Gaming Duties Act 1971, offshore gambling operators as defined in section 12S are required to pay an offshore gambling duty at the rate of 12%.
Schedule 2 of the Online Casino Gambling Bill proposes amendments to the Gaming Duties Act 1971 to replace any reference to “Offshore” with “Online”. This means that the duty will no longer be an offshore gambling duty but an online gambling duty and will apply to those registered under the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985 who conduct any online gambling.
The changes also amend the required duty amount from 12 percent to 16 percent.
Companies will pay any additional taxes or duties as required by the jurisdiction they are registered in.
What are the indicative dates of the two-phased Implementation Programme?
Updated December 2025
The legislation is expected to be enacted in early 2026. Those who have registered their interest will receive the latest updates on any key announcements about timeframes. To receive these updates, please register your interest (Office forms).
Are online casinos in New Zealand legal or illegal?
Updated May 2025
Online casinos based in New Zealand are illegal, however it is legal for New Zealanders to gamble on offshore online casino websites. Online casino gambling is currently an unregulated activity and there are no guarantees of player safety. It is also illegal to advertise offshore online casino gambling in New Zealand under section 16 of the Gambling Act. Please see Factsheet #27 (PDF, 179KB), which explains the prohibition in more detail.
The Department of Internal Affairs is developing the online casino gambling legislation and building the new regulatory system, with the intention of licensing up to 15 platforms that must meet a range of regulatory requirements. The Department will regulate the new system where it will be illegal for unlicensed operators to operate or advertise in New Zealand.
Can you please explain why the DIA hasn’t informed the public on their website which overseas online casino websites are paying fees to NZ? Most people would rather support those types of companies.
Updated December 2025
While there are some offshore online casino operators who are registered for GST and must pay a gambling duty to Inland Revenue, online casino gambling is an unregulated and unlicensed activity in New Zealand, therefore DIA doesn’t hold this information. For more information on offshore gambling duty please visit: Offshore gambling duty (IRD website).
Until the regulatory system is implemented, and licences are awarded to operators who meet a range of regulatory requirements, the Department of Internal Affairs is unable to channel players towards any online casino websites. For now, the advertisement of any offshore casino website is prohibited under section 16 of the Gambling Act.
Can you publish a list of any organisations that have submitted interest or applications so far?
Updated June 2025
The purpose of registering interest in the Online Gambling Implementation Programme is so that those registered can be kept up to date with the latest information about the programme. No applications for online casino gambling licences have been received as this process has not started yet.
We cannot share the details of individuals and organisations who have registered their interest to receive updates about the programme for the following reasons:
- Providing this information would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied (s2(ba)(i) of the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
- To protect the privacy of identifiable natural persons (s9(2)(a) of the Act.
- Due to the commercial sensitivity of the licensing process, disclosing the names of those who have registered interest could undermine fairness and integrity of the process and increase the risk of collusion or undue influence (s2(b)(ii) of the Act.
With legislation due to be introduced shortly, how does the government intend to ensure that the part(s) of the proposed Bill that deals with self-exclusion tools and protocols upholds best practice, given the number of other jurisdictions that have already been through this process?
Updated June 2025
Cabinet has agreed that a purpose of the Bill will be to regulate the market to prevent and minimise gambling harm. Processes related to self-exclusion protocols for players and operators are still being developed as part of the regulations that support the Bill. In developing the regulations, the Department has considered how other jurisdictions have developed their self-exclusion strategies and processes.
In case there are more license applications from the Operators than the maximum licenses offered (15), what will be the method of decision making on who gets the license?
Updated July 2025
The Online Casino Gambling Bill includes a three-stage licensing process to determine who may apply for one of the 15 available licenses. Applicants will need to meet a range of regulatory requirements at an expression of interest stage to then be able to participate in a competitive process (the first competitive process will be an auction). The competitive process will determine the 15 operators that can apply for an online casino gambling licence as part of the final stage.
Will operators who are currently in the market (and who secure a licence) be able to seamlessly retain their existing customers? Or more simply, will existing New Zealand-based customers be able to continue to play with their current operator of choice using the same account without material disruption?
Updated December 2025
Schedule 1 of the Online Gambling Bill says that if someone applies for a licence to conduct online casino gambling before 1 December 2026 the prohibition on conducting online casino gambling without a licence does not come into effect until the earlier of:
(a) The day after the Secretary notified the person that the Secretary has granted or refused to grant the licence; and
(b) 1 June 2027.
This means that those who apply for a licence can continue to operate any brand an application relates to until the outcome of the licence application is determined. This will allow New Zealanders to continue to play with their operator of choice where an application for licence has been received by the regulator.
There is no exemption from the prohibition on advertising to New Zealanders without a licence. This means operators cannot advertise until they have been granted a licence.
Could you please clarify which products will be permitted under the forthcoming Online Casino Bill? For example, will offerings such as Bingo, Poker, Keno, Virtual Sports and Show Games be allowed under a New Zealand online casino licence?
Updated December 2025
Clause 5 of the Online Casino Gambling Bill defines online casino gambling as including participation in:
- Chance based games – such as those using random number generators (e.g. slot machines, lotteries)
- Casino table games – including blackjack, poker and baccarat.
- Computer-simulated sports betting – where players bet on outcomes of simulated sporting events.
A licence will not be granted for online gambling that is substantially similar to and competes with protected New Zealand lotteries or involves the betting of the outcome of a protected New Zealand lottery. The twice-weekly national lottery draws, which consists of Lotto, Powerball and Strike, will remain exclusively with Lotto NZ.
TAB NZ will have exclusive rights to offer all sports and race betting products listed under the Racing Industry Act 2020.
In press releases and on your website states the draft new Online Gambling Act would be published in April 2025. As of 26 June 2025, it still has not been released. When will it be made available for public review?
Updated July 2025
The Bill to regulate online casino gambling was introduced on 30 June 2025. It can be found on the New Zealand Legislation website.
Online Casino Gambling Bill 178—1 (2025)
Will the online gambling revenue be subject to the same requirements to contribute 40% of the revenue back to community funding opportunities so the pool of available funding to clubs, sports, community groups is not impacted adversely if people start to spend more online than at actual pubs on gambling, reducing the overall amount available to community groups?
Updated December 2025
As part of recent changes to the proposed regulatory framework, licensed online casino gambling operators will be required to pay a 16% Online Gambling Duty, with 4% ringfenced for community funding. This ensures that a portion of gambling proceeds directly supports local sports clubs, community groups and grassroots initiatives. For more information, see the Minister’s media release about changes to the Online Casino Gambling to enable community returns .
More information can be found in the proactive release regarding OCGB community returns (PDF).
Overseas online operators are targeting New Zealand players via social media, gaining early market share. How does the regulator plan to prevent this ahead of the license auction and protect future licensed operators?
Updated December 2025
The online casino market is currently unregulated in New Zealand, and operators of offshore online casinos already have a market share.
Under section 16 of the Gambling Act 2003, it is illegal to promote any offshore gambling operators and breaches could lead to a fine of up to $10,000 per offence.
Over the past couple of months four social media influencers received fines for illegally promoting online gambling.
Several influencers with sizable audiences on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok had received warnings after partnering with international online casinos and promoting them with live-streams, promotional giveaways, and affiliate links.
Additionally, DIA is aware of advertising on social media targeting New Zealanders from companies domiciled offshore. We are working with social media platforms to remove or geo-block unlawful gambling advertising targeting New Zealanders.
As part of the proposed legislation, DIA will have the power to apply for a Court-ordered fine of up to $5M against social media companies who are breaching the advertising prohibition. DIA will also have the power to issue take-down notices if unlicensed online casinos are offering gambling to New Zealanders.
I won the million dollar wheel and I didn't collect the money and am looking for the money to be paid to me.
Updated December 2025
We are sorry to hear about your experience. Currently, online casino gambling is not regulated, which means the Department does not have a role in responding to consumer issues with online casinos. Your only option at the moment is to complain to the online casino. However, new regulations are being developed to create a safer online casino gambling environment, with more protections for consumers using licensed operators. More information about the system is available on our website, and if you are a user of online gambling services, we recommend signing up for our information so we can keep you up to date as to when safer licenced operators will be available.
