Online Casino Gambling
Information for online casino providers: licensing and compliance
If you’re interested in gaining a licence to conduct online casino gambling in New Zealand, this page outlines what you need to know about the upcoming process and requirements, plus an indicative timeline.
Updated 21 August 2026
On this page:
- Regulatory status
- New Zealand Market Insights
- Timeline overview
- Licensing process
- Stage 1: Expression of Interest
- Stage 2: Auction
- Stage 3: Licence application
- Requirements for licensed operators
- Requirements for providers who do not gain a licence
- Stay informed
Regulatory status
The Online Casino Gambling Act is now in force and provides the legal framework for regulating online casino gambling in New Zealand.
Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 (NZ Legislation website)
Implementation of the new regime will occur in stages. While the Act is in force, the full licensed online casino gambling regime is not expected to be fully operational until 2027.
During this transition period, regulatory systems, the licensing process, and operational requirements will be progressively introduced. This staged approach allows time to establish licensing arrangements, assess applicants, and ensure that regulatory, harm minimisation and compliance systems are in place before the regime is fully implemented.
Detailed regulations supporting the Act have now been released and are informing the staged implementation of the regime.
Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 (NZ Legislation website)
The regulations set out the rules for licensed operators conducting online casino gambling in relation to:
- harm prevention and minimisation
- consumer protection and record-keeping
- advertising and marketing
- fees, levies, and charges
In doing so, they establish a robust and balanced framework to protect consumers, reduce gambling related harm, and ensure online casino gambling operates in a safe, fair and responsible way in New Zealand.
Further information and guidance will be provided as each stage of implementation progresses.
Current requirements for providers
At this stage, online casino gambling advertising is prohibited in New Zealand. Online casinos must not advertise online casino gambling services to New Zealand customers.
Until the licensing regime is in place, no new online casino gambling providers may enter the New Zealand market, and only providers already operating in New Zealand may continue to do so, subject to the transitional provisions in the Online Casino Gambling Act.
Providers should ensure they are complying with all current legal requirements while the new regime is implemented. Your compliance history may be taken into account as part of the licensing process.
New Zealand market insights
Access to New Zealand market insights was one of the most requested resources by those interested in gaining a licence to conduct online casino gambling in New Zealand.
Insights into New Zealand’s online gambling environment have been collected – including online casino gambling, online sports and race betting, and overseas lotteries over a two-year period from October 2023 to September 2025.
There are a few important things to note about the methodology used for these reports. The insights:
- are based on consumer card transactions from one bank and upweighted to estimate total market size
- measure spend on deposits (not necessarily amounts wagered) and do not take any winnings into account, and
- exclude New Zealand statutory providers (Lotto NZ and the TAB)
2025 New Zealand Market Insights Report – Historical Market Analysis (PDF, 3MB)
2025 New Zealand Market Insights Report – User Behaviour (PDF, 3MB)
Timeline overview
|
When |
What’s happening |
What this means |
|---|---|---|
|
17 July to 14 August 2026 |
Expressions of interest (EOI) stage |
Potential operators were invited to submit an EOI to participate in Stage 2 of the licensing process. |
|
August 2026 |
EOI assessment |
EOI are being assessed. Submitters will be advised of the outcome in due course. |
|
September 2026 |
Auction |
An auction is expected to determine which potential operators may apply for a licence. |
|
October 2026 |
Licence applications open |
Successful bidders from the auction may submit full licence applications. |
|
1 December 2026 |
Operating restrictions apply |
Providers that have not applied for a licence must cease operating in New Zealand. Providers with an application under consideration may continue to operate without advertising until a decision is made. |
|
2027 |
Licensed regime fully operational |
The regulated and licensed online casino gambling system is expected to be fully in place. |
Licensing process
Up to 15 online casino gambling licences will be available, each valid for a period of up to three years, with the possibility to renew for a further five years. Each licence will cover a single brand, and the various platforms players may use to interact with that brand. No one can be granted more than three licences as part of this process.
Licences will be issued through a three-stage process:
All stages of the licensing process will be run through the Government Electronic Tenders (GETS) website.
GETS - Government Electronic Tender Service
Stage 1: Expression of Interest
The expression of interest (EOI) stage closed on 14 August 2026.
Potential operators who submitted an EOI do not need to take any further action at this stage and will be contacted in due course regarding any additional information needed, and in time the outcome of their submission.
Stage 2: Auction
Following acceptance of EOIs, the right to apply for an online casino gambling licence will be awarded to up to 15 potential operators through a competitive process.
Cabinet has decided that the first competitive process will be an auction. Only those who have had their EOI accepted will be invited to participate.
The Secretary will be responsible for:
- setting the auction rules, and
- managing the auction process.
Auction format
The competitive process will take place as an ascending clock auction.
An ascending clock auction is a way of setting a price when there are multiple interested buyers.
The price changes in steps. At each step, all participants are offered the same price at the same time and choose whether to stay in the auction or withdraw. As the price rises, participants exit once the price is higher than what they are willing to pay. The auction continues until demand matches what is available.
This approach has been chosen because it is well suited to situations where transparency, fairness and confidence in the final price are important. All participants are treated equally, the process is easy to understand, and decisions are made openly rather than through sealed bids or complex bidding strategies.
Because the price changes in steps, the final price clearly reflects what the remaining participants are willing to pay. This helps us to ensure the outcome is seen as fair, consistent and robust, and gives confidence that the price has been set through a transparent competitive process.
Auction guidance is now available. This guidance provides detailed information on the auction process, principles, and requirements for auction participation.
Online Casino Gambling: Auction guidance (PDF, 360KB)
Stage 3: Licence application
Successful bidders may apply for a licence by paying the amount for a licence determined by the auction and completing a comprehensive application, including providing a business plan and detailed strategies relating to advertising and marketing, consumer protection, harm prevention and minimisation and compliance, as well as any additional information required at the licence application stage.
This information, together with the information provided at Stage 1 (expression of interest), will be used to assess whether the provider is suitable to hold a licence and is willing and able to comply with all applicable requirements. The Secretary must not grant a licence unless the provider has demonstrated this suitability.
From 1 December 2026, providers must cease conducting online casino gambling in New Zealand if they have not applied for a licence.
Providers who have submitted a licence application will be granted an exemption to continue operating without advertising until the outcome of their application has been determined.
Guidance on how to submit a licence application will be provided before this stage of the licensing process begins.
Requirements for licensed operators
Licensed operators will need to comply with regulations designed to ensure system integrity, player protection, and responsible gambling.
The details of the regulatory framework are currently still being worked through. Finalised regulations and guidance on how to comply will be published in mid-2026.
Requirements for providers who do not gain a licence
From 1 December 2026, providers are required to cease conducting online casino gambling in New Zealand if they have not applied for a licence. Providers who have submitted a licence application can continue to operate until the outcome of their application has been determined. If the licence application is declined, the provider will be required to cease all online casino gambling operations in New Zealand and must exit the market.
Stay informed
To stay informed:
View public questions and answers or ask us a question (Office Forms)
