New Zealand Online Casino Regulations: What’s Changing in 2025?

The New Zealand government is going to be reshaping the online gambling landscape in 2025. In order to better regulate the casino market, you can expect to see new legislation, licenses limited by auction, and better consumer protections. The general consensus is to move players away from offshore platforms to regulated online casino websites.

Latest Developments in New Zealand Online Casino Regulations

With attitudes towards gambling in a constant state of flux, New Zealand has decided to update the country’s online casino regulation. These take into account the social and economic challenges linked to problem gambling.

Over the last year or so, the Department of Internal Affairs under Brooke van Velden has overseen a number of reforms that will take into account a diverse range of stakeholders. These include casino operators, indigenous iwi groups, along with the general public’s sentiment towards gambling. This took the form of a comprehensive public consultation that began back in October 2024.

Based on these findings, in February 2025, a draft bill was introduced to Parliament. It outlined new rules for tax obligations, licensing, and harm reduction. The real focus here is consumer protection, responsible gambling measures, and better iGaming industry oversight.

All this comes about due to the staggering figure stating that 1 in 5 people in New Zealand will experience harm due to either their own or someone else’s gambling addiction. As such, these latest reforms will not only come with penalties but also help to increase understanding of both the social and economic costs of problem gambling.

When Will New Zealand Online Casino Regulations Be Implemented?

With the Online Gambling Bill being published in late 2024, expect its formal adoption by April 2025. Considering that the old Gambling Act was passed in 2003, it’s now thoroughly outdated and desperately in need of an update. This old bill allows unrestricted access to offshore casino online operators without any form of local oversight. This is one of the main points the new bill will tackle by restricting the number of licensed operators available for New Zealand players.

The rollout for the new online casino regulation is as follows:

1. April 2025 – The new bill is adopted, along with the establishment of a new regulatory authority.
2. February 2026 – The auction begins for 15 operators, with stringent checks.
3. April 2026 – The regulated market launches with the newly licensed operators.

Apart from the auction winners, all other operators will have to exit the NZ market or face hefty fines of up to NZ5 million.

How Many Online Casino Licenses Will be Available in New Zealand?

The New Zealand government has confirmed that a total of 15 online casino licenses will be available via a competitive auction process. In order to maintain as much oversight as possible, as well as prevent oversaturation, the market will be capped, with no foreseeable expansion beyond this initial limit. With a smaller fixed number of licensed operators, the government hopes it’ll be easier to get a grip on gambling-related issues and better manage consumer protection.

The Department of Internal Affairs will issue licenses with a validation period of just 3 years. Renewals will be subject to various criteria, including financial stability, transparency, harm minimization strategies, and the use of responsible gambling tools and technology. At the same time, all applicants must demonstrate a commitment towards robust data protection, anti-money laundering, and promise high standards when it comes to ethical marketing practices. For players seeking the most rewarding options, the upcoming licensed platforms are expected to feature some of the top paying online casino nz choices, ensuring competitive payouts under strict regulatory supervision.

Which Operators Have Shown Interest in the NZ Market?

With online casino gambling license auctions scheduled for February 2026, a number of international and domestic legal casino online operators have already expressed interest in throwing their hats into the ring. These include some big names such as 888 Holding, Betway, and Bet365, all based in the UK.

Although some local operators like Christchurch Casino, Grand Casino Dunedin, and SkyCity are preparing their bids, they have all voiced concerns about being shut out of the local iGaming marketplace by new, bigger, and better-resourced offshore companies. Initially, all these operators were pushing for fewer licenses, claiming that this would help ensure more profits remained within the country.

Presently, any player from New Zealand can fire up their mobile phone and legally gamble at literally thousands of offshore casinos. These operations are licensed in jurisdictions like the UK (UK Gambling Commission), Malta (Malta Gaming Authority), or iGaming Curacao. The new legislation is designed to prohibit unlicensed operators from offering their games to New Zealand players, with the threat of a NZD 5 million fine for non-compliance.

Key Features of New Zealand’s Proposed Online Casino Licensing System

The main features of the proposed casino regulation are:

• A total of 15 licenses with a two-stage process of competitive auction.
• A license is valid for 3 years and may be renewed once for up to 5 years.
• No single operator can hold more than 3 licenses.
• Operators have 90 days to activate their new license.
• Licenses are only for online casino games, with both sports betting and lottery games excluded.
• No sponsorships allowed.
• Must ensure all players are over 18 years old.
• Advertising must follow strict guidelines.

There are also stringent criteria to be met by applicants when applying. Once successful, all the licensed brands will be listed on a public registry.

How Will the New Regulations Impact Offshore Casino Operators?

For offshore casinos that carry reputable licenses, it’s business as usual. They are free to offer their games, along with sports betting and lottery options to players from NZ.

What’s important to keep in mind is that this new online casino regulation is not necessarily designed to stop Kiwi players heading to offshore casinos by penalising them. Rather, it’s a means of encouraging them to stick with home-grown operators who can offer greater local protections thanks to the new and robust New Zealand gaming license.

According to gamblinglaw.co.nz, the new legislation also contains “extraterritorial” provisions. These make it illegal for an unlicensed offshore operator to offer their online games to players from New Zealand. Having said that, it’s hard to imagine how the NZ government plans to go about enforcing this, unless it imposes some sort of IP ban.

Likewise, there’s no mention of how penalties might be imposed on an offshore unlicensed entity. As an aside, the majority of NZ online gamblers already know about the dangers of gambling at completely unlicensed casinos, especially when there are so many fully licensed and legal casino brands available.

What Consumer Protections Are Being Introduced?

The new online casino regulation is designed to prioritise consumer protections, mitigate self-harm harm and ensure a safer gaming environment. For starters, operators are mandated to carry out Know Your Customer (KYC) checks as well as verify the minimum age of 18 years. Anti-money laundering means that operators are obliged to monitor and report any suspicious activity.

To help with problem gambling, websites must offer players responsible gambling tools to minimise self-harm. These include:

• Deposit Limits – these might be daily/weekly/monthly to help curb excessive spending.
• Session Timers and Reality Checks – Alerting players during their gaming session.
• Self-Exclusion – Allowing players to block online casino access for set periods.

The new legislation also mandates that operators must show prominent links to national gambling support services. These include counselling organisations such as the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand and Gambling Helpline NZ. Also expect to see a new formal complaint resolution process, with oversight from the DIA and Gambling Commission to address customer disputes.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that gambling ads targeting minors and vulnerable groups will be banned. Furthermore, all operators must ensure absolute transparency throughout their bonus offerings and promotions.

Conclusion: legal casinos for an NZ player

It’s important to keep in mind that, though the headlines might make it look as if only 15 legal casino licenses are allowed, it’s still perfectly legal for an NZ player to gamble at an offshore casino. In other words, no offshore sites are going to be blocked. The general idea of this new legislation is to move online casino gamblers to New Zealand-based local platforms where it’s easier to regulate them.

However, in order to attract new players, expect a slew of gambling adverts from newly licensed casinos looking for the quickest return on their investment. With this in mind, it’s unknown whether these new laws are going to minimise or encourage more gambling.