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. The Secretary must not grant a licence unless the provider has demonstrated this suitability. Following completion of the auction process, we can confirm that 11 entities have been successful at winning the right to apply for the 15 licenses available.
Legislation and Compliance:
Instead, it controls which operators can legally offer online games here and introduces local rules designed to protect customers. The scale of that offshore activity is what pushed the reform. The legal gambling age in New Zealand is 20 for casinos and 18 for pokie venue, lotteries, and the TAB. All five licensed casinos enforce the 20-year minimum age at entry and require photo identification. Pokie venues enforce the 18-year minimum age at the gaming room rather than the venue entrance. The pub or club itself remains accessible to anyone of legal drinking age for ordinary hospitality.
It does not create an offence of participating in overseas online gambling, and no New Zealander has been prosecuted for placing a bet or a spin online. The Problem Gambling Foundation (pgf.nz) provides counselling, harm-reduction programmes, and advocacy. Safer Gambling Aotearoa coordinates multi-agency responses. The Ministry of Health funds host-responsibility training for venue operators and publishes problem-gambling prevalence research. Setting firm deposit and session limits before you play can help reduce the risk of losing more money or spending more time gambling than intended.
Finding a Casino Near You in New Zealand: Land-Based and Online (
If you’re looking for somewhere to play that isn’t one of the five casinos, see the licensed pokie venues directory or pick your region. Online pokies typically publish higher return-to-player figures than venue machines, but the house edge still applies and the online market serving Kiwis is offshore and unprotected until DIA licensing begins around 1 December 2026. Our online versus land-based safety guide compares the two, and the RTP guide explains what the payout figures mean. The Act came into force on 1 May 2026, with the licensed market expected from around 1 December 2026 and further elements phasing in through 2027 — including a national self-exclusion register expected by around late 2027. The regulated and licensed online casino gambling system is expected to be fully in place. The Gambling Act 2003 regulates those who conduct or promote gambling and creates no offence of participating in overseas online gambling.
What is the minimum age for online casino play?
Implementation of the new regime is being phased in and is not expected to be fully operational until 2027. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is leading the implementation of the Online Casino Gambling regulatory system, following commencement of the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026. This guidance provides detailed information on the auction process, principles, and requirements for auction participation. 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.
NZ Gambling Regulation 2026: Licensing Standards, Duty and Enforcement Explained
The competitive process took place as an ascending clock auction. Further information and guidance will be provided as each stage of implementation progresses. Some sites currently accepting Kiwis will Boho casino review exit during 2027.
Players do not commit an offence, and gambling winnings for most recreational players, are generally not subject to income tax in NZ. The major change begins from 1 December 2026, when only successful auction bidders with applications under consideration may continue temporarily. Only five venues in New Zealand hold a casino operator’s licence under the Gambling Act 2003. The casino operator’s licence is the only one that permits casino table games — blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker — alongside pokies machines. Every other licensed gambling venue in the country is a pokies pub or club and falls under a different licence class (Class 4). The rules differ between the two formats in a couple of ways worth knowing.
Penalties under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 apply to operators conducting online casino gambling without a licence or advertising in breach of the Act, not to the people who play. New Zealand has five Department of Internal Affairs-licensed casinos, located in Auckland, Hamilton, Queenstown, Christchurch, and Dunedin. The country also hosts roughly 1,100 licensed pokie venues, pubs and clubs permitted to run pokies machines under the Gambling Act 2003. This directory lists every licensed casino and every pokie venue, organised by region and city, so visitors and residents can find a land-based gambling venue near them. For years, Kiwi players have used offshore casinos without the protection of a New Zealand licensing system.
- A pokie venue is a pub, club, or similar DIA-licensed site hosting between one and 18 pokies machines under the Gambling Act 2003.
- It does not create an offence of participating in overseas online gambling, and no New Zealander has been prosecuted for placing a bet or a spin online.
- The licences are open to operators based anywhere, provided they pass the competitive process and a full suitability assessment of the company and the people behind it.
- Every site welist offers deposit limits, loss limits, reality checks, time-outs and self-exclusion — use them.
- Wellington has never had a licensed casino, and the Gambling Act 2003 prevents new casino licences being issued.
- The major change begins from 1 December 2026, when only successful auction bidders with applications under consideration may continue temporarily.
Alongside the duty, operators pay GST and the problem gambling levy. The auction attracted 32 bidders and concluded after 10 rounds, with the final auction price reaching $15 million (NZD) per licence. The auction determined who has won the right to apply for an online casino gambling licence. Successful participation in the auction does not guarantee that a licence will be granted, and all successful entities must now proceed through a detailed application and assessment process before any licensing decisions are made. 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.
Current Regulations
If you hold a balance at one, the section below on the December 2026 deadline is the part to read. Smaller cities with their own dedicated pages include Tauranga, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Napier, New Plymouth, Whangārei, Nelson, and Invercargill. Core rules of the licence structure are set out below.
Sports and racing betting is governed by separate legislation which made it unlawful in 2025 for offshore operators to accept bets from people in New Zealand, leaving TAB NZ and its Betcha brand as the only lawful provider. Online casino was liberalised and licensed; sports betting was closed. The 2026 rules reshape the playing experience itself, not just who holds a licence.
Note this differs from land-based casinos in New Zealand, where the entry age is 20. A licensee must satisfy the DIA on consumer protection and harm minimisation, and will be answerable to a New Zealand regulator. It creates no offence for a person in New Zealand who plays at an online casino, licensed or otherwise. For a full explanation of Class 4 licensing, stake limits, and community-grant rules, see pokie venue in NZ.
Rules of Casino Games
- We have started to implement the new law to ensure a safe, fair and well-controlled online gambling environment for New Zealanders.
- New Zealand’s online casino market is shifting from a long-running offshore grey area to a regulated system for the first time.
- All five licensed casinos enforce the 20-year minimum age at entry and require photo identification.
- Pokies are available at all five licensed casinos and at every licensed pokie venue.
- From 1 May 2026 operators must not advertise online casino gambling services to New Zealand customers while unlicensed.
Those penalties can fall not only on operators but on anyone who publishes or arranges prohibited ads. Until New Zealand licences are issued, advertising an online casino to people in New Zealand is prohibited. Once licensed operators enter the market, advertising will be permitted only within the new rules, which prohibit practices including affiliate marketing, sponsorships and paid endorsements. Licensed operators pay a 12% online gambling duty, rising to 16% from 1 January 2027, with the additional four points ring-fenced for community funding, plus GST. The structure mirrors the long-standing principle that gambling revenue in New Zealand returns something to sports clubs, charities and harm-reduction services. New Zealand law targets the provision of gambling, not participation in it.
Where Are the Licensed Casinos Located?
Advertising remains prohibited while an application is under assessment, though the applicant may continue operating. Once a licence is granted, the operator may advertise in New Zealand subject to restrictions set under the Act. Two licensing regimes matter for physical gambling venues. Casino operator’s licences sit under Part 3 of the Gambling Act 2003 and each is granted to a specific operator and venue; no new casino licence has been issued since 1996. Class 4 is the pub-and-club gaming-machine licence, a much larger register, each tied to a specific pub or club.
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. During 2026 and into 2027, expect some sites to claim New Zealand licensing before any licence exists.