In a surprise announcement the government of New Zealand just announced its plans to license and regulate online casino gambling. This would be fantastic news for online casino operators and players who have been calling for an open-border multi-licensing program in the region for years.

 Licensed Kiwi online casinos Confirmed

The Honourable Brooke van Velden, the New Zealand Minister of Internal Affairs, posted the welcome announcement on the official website of the New Zealand Government on 30 July 2024.

In the post, Ms van Velden says:

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“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.”

Adding this must be seen as a control measure, not an opening of the floodgates:

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“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.”

The post clarifies that the proposed Gambler Act that will open New Zealand to offshore licensed online casinos will focus on "a high-level approach to regulating online casinos” where the intended outcome is increased tax revenues, minimisation of gambling harms,  and enhanced player protection.

The Regulator is Looking Ahead to 2026

Rather than rushing the process to maximise its revenue-generating potential, the government has confirmed that licensees should only expect to go live in 2026.

Ms van Velden said:

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“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.”

As we have seen in other regulated online gambling markets, New Zealand will offer a limited number of conditional licenses, which will be valid for three years before needing to be renewed.

They appear to be following the lead of other leading online gambling markets when it comes to advertising. The initial agreement will allow operators to advertise in the country legally but will not allow gambling sites to sponsor events, venues, or sports teams where viewership cannot be limited to adults of gambling age of 18 or older.

The new licenses will also be strictly limited to online casino games, with sports betting and lottery not included.