New Zealand Moving Closer to Regulated Online Casino Market

The New Zealand government is moving towards the full regulation of online casinos in 2026 with the goal of providing consumer protections which are currently unavailable through the unregulated offshore casino market.

Proposed New Regulations Highlights

• Licensing system in place by 2026
• Casino licenses issued through auction process
• Licenses valid for three years
• Sports betting and lottery not included
• Minimum age of 18
• Advertising allowed but under strict conditions
• Sponsorships by online casinos to remain banned
• Department of Internal Affairs to regulate the industry

Under the proposed new regulations, a licensing system for online casinos operating in New Zealand would be introduced by 2026. These rules would require operators to secure licenses, comply with strict consumer protection standards, and pay taxes on revenue.

Leading the initiative is Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. who stated:

“There will be a licencing system for online casinos, where operators will need to comply with a set of criteria before they will be able to offer services to New Zealanders. It will be illegal for unlicensed operators to offer services to New Zealanders.

Licensing is how we regulate most forms of gambling domestically. This is not intended to increase the amount of gambling New Zealanders do but to ensure operators meet requirements for consumer protection and harm minimisation, as well as paying tax.”

I expect the new regulatory system to be in place from early 2026 and the public will have the opportunity to provide feedback during the Select Committee process. Once established, the Department of Internal Affairs will be the regulator.”

Current Market Status

The New Zealand online casino market is currently something of a gray area.

According to New Zealand’s Gambling Act 2003, locally-based online casinos are banned, but international (offshore) casinos are technically legal as they are breaking no laws by allowing New Zealanders to access them.

The government has made it a priority to reduce the harms of problem gambling by moving local gamblers away from international casinos that offer no customer protections to locally-licensed platforms. It believes that a formal licensing structure would help minimize these risks, aligning New Zealand with other nations like the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands, where online gambling regulations have proven effective.

New Offshore Tax Duty

Earlier in 2024, the New Zealand government announced a new taxation policy for offshore gambling companies that operate locally. The offshore gambling duty will require offshore online gambling operators to pay a 12% duty on their profits, in addition to the existing Goods and Services Tax (GST). This measure aims to ensure that operators contribute fairly to New Zealand’s tax revenue.

The policy came into effect in July of 2024.

Olivia Richardson

Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.