New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) will open the expression of interest (EOI) window for the country’s 15 online casino licences on 17 July, the first formal step in a three-stage process that will decide who gets to operate in the newly regulated market.
The window follows the Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, which came into force on 3 July and set out the detailed rules operators must meet on harm prevention, consumer protection, advertising and fees. The regulations build on the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, in force since 1 May, which created the legal framework for a licensed market after years of New Zealanders gambling on offshore sites with no domestic oversight.
Three stages, one licence cap
The DIA will run the process in three stages, all through the Government Electronic Tenders Service. Operators first submit an EOI covering ownership structure, key officers, platform details, branding and proof of access to minimum capital. Those accepted move to a competitive auction, expected in September, structured as an ascending clock auction: all bidders face the same price at each step and choose to stay in or drop out as the price rises, until demand matches the 15 licences on offer. Successful bidders then submit a full licence application from October, covering business plans, harm-minimisation strategy and compliance systems.
Each licence covers a single brand, and no operator can hold more than three. Licences run for up to three years, with an option to renew for a further five. The 15-licence cap was set to concentrate the market among operators the DIA judges best able to meet compliance and harm-prevention standards, rather than opening the door to unlimited entrants.
Fees and the December deadline
Operators submitting an EOI are expected to pay a fee of NZ$19,000, excluding GST, under the newly released regulations. From 1 December, any provider that has not applied for a licence must stop offering online casino gambling to New Zealand customers. Providers with an application still under review can keep operating, without advertising, until the DIA rules on it. The DIA does not expect the licensed regime to be fully operational until 2027.
Operators that breach player protection rules once licensed face fines of up to NZ$5 million, alongside a ban on advertising aimed at minors and mandatory age verification systems.
Why the government is moving now
New Zealanders currently send more than NZ$750 million a year to offshore online casinos, money that falls outside domestic tax and harm-prevention rules. The new regime applies a 12% gaming duty on licensed operators and includes a community funding guarantee equal to 4% of gross gambling revenue (GGR), aimed at sports and community groups that argued the online market would divert funding from existing gambling channels. The government has estimated that guarantee could return NZ$10 million to NZ$20 million to those groups in its first 12 months.
Inland Revenue data cited in the government’s own cabinet papers shows the top 15 operators already account for more than 90% of online gambling GST collected over the past three years, the reasoning behind capping the market at that number rather than licensing every interested operator.
Operators lining up
Thirty-six online operators are currently registered and paying GST in New Zealand, including Bet365, Entain and Super Group, alongside land-based incumbent SkyCity, which already runs online gaming through an offshore model. Cabinet papers name SkyCity, TAB NZ, Grand Casino Dunedin, Christchurch Casino, 888, Bet365, Super Group’s Betway and several Class 4 societies among parties that have expressed interest in an online licence. Entain has said it intends to seek three licences, the maximum allowed to a single operator. TAB NZ’s position is less settled: government filings suggested it should sit outside the online casino regime given its existing betting licence, though racing minister Winston Peters will decide whether it can apply.
Internal affairs minister Brooke van Velden set out the thinking behind the licence cap when it was first confirmed in November 2024:
“My goal is not to increase the amount of gambling that is happening online, but to enable New Zealanders who wish to play casino games online to do so more safely than they can today. Currently, New Zealanders can and do gamble on thousands of offshore gambling websites. By introducing a regulatory system my intention is to channel customers towards up to 15 licensed operators.”
Operators that miss the July filing, or fail the auction in September, will not get a second chance until the DIA reviews the regime after 2027. For the 36 operators already collecting New Zealand money, the next five months decide who stays in the market and who exits it.
Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
