What Is the Online Casino Gambling Bill 2025?
The Online Casino Gambling Bill 2025 is a New Zealand law that creates, for the first time, a formal system for licensing and regulating online casinos that accept NZ players. It was introduced to Parliament in June 2025 by Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden at the request of Cabinet, passed its third and final reading in late April 2026, and is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law on 1 May 2026.
Before this legislation, there was no specific law governing offshore online casinos serving New Zealand. Players could access hundreds of international sites with no guarantees about fairness, data protection, or what would happen to their money if something went wrong. Operators existed in a grey zone, technically neither licensed nor explicitly illegal under NZ law, and paid no tax on revenue generated from NZ players.
That grey zone is now closing. The Bill establishes a licensing regime administered by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). It sets out who can apply for a licence, what obligations licensed operators must meet, and what enforcement tools the government will have.
The five stated purposes of the legislation are:
- Establishing a licensing regime for online casino gambling
- Prohibiting unlicensed online casino conduct and advertising
- Preventing and minimising harm from online casino gambling
- Protecting consumers who participate
- Ensuring that money from online casino gambling benefits the community
Is Online Casino Gambling Still Legal in New Zealand?
Yes. Playing at online casinos remains legal for New Zealand residents. The Bill does not criminalise players. There is no offence for simply participating in online casino gambling. The prohibitions are directed at operators and advertisers, not individual players.
The one player-facing offence applies to anyone who participates in online casino gambling on behalf of a person they know, or are reckless as to whether, is under 18. This carries a fine of up to $10,000 and does not come into force until 1 December 2026. Standard play on your own account is completely unaffected.
What is changing is the environment in which you play. Over the next 12 to 18 months, operators who do not obtain a NZ licence will be unable to legally serve you, and the pool of available casinos will shift accordingly. The unlicensed offshore market that NZ players have relied on for years is being replaced by a capped, regulated, and taxed domestic one.
Key Dates and Timeline
The transition to a licensed market is structured and phased. Each milestone has a specific meaning for players. Note that the market launch and licence issuance dates are later than many early reports suggested.
The Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent from the Governor-General today, becoming law. From this point, unlicensed operators cannot advertise to NZ audiences. Existing operators may continue serving players during the transitional period but the advertising ban applies immediately. Process guidance for operators pursuing a licence is also published today by the DIA.
The licensed market formally launches. Operators who have not entered the licensing process must stop serving NZ players. Advertising regulations targeting harm minimisation and under-18 protection must also be in place by this date. The offence for gambling on behalf of an under-18 player commences. This is the point at which the pool of legally operating casinos begins to narrow materially.
The DIA has confirmed that online casino licences are expected to be issued from early 2027 onwards. This is later than some earlier reports suggested. The three-stage competitive process takes time, and supporting regulations covering advertising, harm minimisation, consumer protection, and fees are still being drafted.
Even operators who applied for a licence but were not granted one must stop serving NZ players. From this date, only operators holding a valid NZ licence can legally operate here. Any operator still active in NZ without a licence after this date faces penalties of up to NZ$5 million.
A national self-exclusion register must be established. Players who add themselves to this register will be excluded from every licensed NZ online casino simultaneously, not just a single operator. A significant upgrade for responsible gambling protection.
The online gambling duty rate rises from 12% to 16% of gross gambling revenue. The ring-fenced community fund provisions take effect. Licensed operators will pay materially more in local tax than the previous offshore levy.
How the New Licensing System Will Work
Understanding the licensing process explains why not every casino you currently use will be available to NZ players in 12 to 18 months. The government has deliberately designed this as a tight, competitive, and expensive process.
A hard cap of 15 licences
The Bill limits the total number of online casino licences to 15 across the entire NZ market at any one time. A further rule prevents any single entity from controlling more than 3 of those licences. For context, NZ players currently have access to hundreds of offshore casino sites. That field will narrow to a maximum of 15 licensed operators.
A three-stage competitive tender
Licences are not simply applied for. Operators must navigate three stages:
- Expression of Interest. Operators submit detailed disclosures covering ownership structure, key management, 7-year compliance history, and proof of capital. The DIA screens out applicants with dishonesty convictions or who would prejudice NZ's international reputation.
- Competitive Process. Accepted applicants enter a government-run tender (effectively an auction) to determine who may apply and how much they will pay for the licence. This is a direct Crown revenue mechanism.
- Full Application. Successful tenderers pay the bid price and submit comprehensive strategies for advertising, harm minimisation, consumer protection, and compliance, alongside a full business plan.
Licence duration and renewal
Licences run for 3 years from the grant date, renewable once for 5 years. After the renewal expires, operators must re-enter the competitive process from the beginning. Holding a NZ licence is not a permanent right to operate here.
How to check if a casino is licensed
The DIA will maintain a public register of all licensed operators, available online at all times. Licensed casinos must also display a government-issued registration icon on their platform and in all advertising. If a casino you visit does not display this icon once licences have been granted, check the public register before depositing.
Supporting regulations still to come
The Bill is the framework. The detailed rules that govern how it operates in practice, covering advertising standards, harm minimisation procedures, consumer protection requirements, and fee structures, are still being drafted by the DIA and are expected later in 2026. This is why there is a gap between Royal Assent today and the market launching in December.
Your New Rights as a Player
This is where the Bill delivers something genuinely new for NZ players. Licensed operators will face legally enforceable obligations toward the people on their platforms. These are not voluntary codes of conduct. Breach carries fines of up to NZ$5 million for companies and, ultimately, loss of licence.
Operators must take all reasonable steps to verify every player is at least 18. Regulations will prescribe specific procedures. A checkbox at sign-up is not sufficient.
Operators are explicitly prohibited from offering credit they know, or should know, will be used to gamble. A significant consumer harm closure that did not exist before.
Every operator must run a publicly available complaints process. Complaints must be responded to within 40 working days. Unsatisfied players can escalate directly to the DIA.
Even if a licence is suspended, cancelled, or surrendered, operators must allow you to access your account and withdraw your balance. Winnings from before the licence ended must be paid.
Regulations will require procedures to ensure game designs are not misleading and that players receive clear information about rules and odds before they play.
Regulations will cap bets, deposits, prizes, and session durations. Operators must also provide tools allowing you to set your own personal limits on all of these categories.
Is It Safe to Play at Online Casinos Right Now?
This is the practical question most NZ players are asking today. The short answer is: it depends on which operator you use, and the picture will become clearer over the coming months.
Existing operators who were active in New Zealand before 1 May 2026 are allowed to continue serving NZ players during the transitional period until 1 December 2026. However, those operators are now prohibited from advertising to NZ audiences. New unlicensed operators cannot enter the NZ market at all from today.
What this means practically:
- Large international operators already licensed in the UK, Malta, or Gibraltar are the most likely to pursue NZ licences. They have the compliance infrastructure, capital, and regulatory track record to satisfy the Bill's criteria. These are the safest options during the transition.
- Smaller or less-regulated operators may not have the capital or compliance capacity to survive the licensing process, and some will begin exiting the NZ market before December 2026.
- Operators who have already requested affiliates remove NZ marketing material are very likely planning to exit. If a casino you use disappears from recommendation sites, treat it as an early warning to withdraw your funds.
- No new operators can enter the NZ market from today without a licence. If a casino you have not used before suddenly starts targeting you as a NZ player after 1 May 2026, be cautious.
Problem Gambling Protections Under the New Law
The Bill takes a more proactive approach to problem gambling than anything previously in place for NZ players. Licensed operators cannot simply wait for players to come forward. The following protections will be legally mandatory once the market is live.
Operator-side identification
Licensed operators must take all reasonable steps to identify problem gamblers on their platforms. Regulations will specify the sources of information operators must consider, meaning operators are expected to act on behavioural signals, not only wait for self-declaration.
Self-exclusion from the licensed market
Once licences are granted and the market is live, you will be able to identify yourself to any licensed operator as a problem gambler or request exclusion from their platform. The operator must take all reasonable steps to honour that request and maintain the exclusion.
National self-exclusion register from December 2027
By December 2027, a national register will be established. Recording yourself in this register means every licensed NZ online casino must exclude you simultaneously, not just the one you approached directly. This is a material upgrade from the current situation where self-exclusion at one platform has no effect at any other.
Mandatory harm minimisation messages
Regulations will require operators to display specific harm minimisation information to players, with rules covering the type, frequency, and exact placement of such messages. Similar requirements are already operating on Australian gambling platforms.
What You Should Do Today
You do not need to make dramatic changes right now. But a few sensible steps will put you in the best position as the market transitions over the next 18 months.
- Take stock of where you have accounts and balances. Identify which casinos hold your funds and consider whether each is a well-established, internationally regulated operator. Large operators with MGA, UKGC, or Gibraltar licences are most likely to pursue NZ licensing and remain available to you through and beyond the transition.
- Withdraw uncommitted funds from operators you are uncertain about. If you have balances at platforms you are not confident will remain available in NZ, withdrawing them now removes any risk if that operator exits the market before the December deadline.
- Be alert to changes in casino advertising. Unlicensed operators are prohibited from advertising to NZ audiences from today. If you notice a casino you have used suddenly goes quiet on its NZ-facing promotions or disappears from comparison sites, take that as a signal to check on your account and balance.
- Watch for the registration icon from early 2027 onwards. Once the DIA begins granting licences, the government-issued registration icon will appear on licensed casino platforms and advertising. If you do not see it, verify the casino against the public register before depositing any funds.
- Use the complaints process if something goes wrong with a licensed operator. Once licensing is established, you have a real avenue for redress through the operator's mandatory complaints process and, if needed, escalation to the DIA. Document any issues you experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a Bill or a law right now?
Can I still play at offshore casinos that are not NZ-licensed?
Will there only ever be 15 online casinos available to me?
What happens to my money if a casino loses its NZ licence?
When will I actually be able to play at a licensed NZ casino?
Will online casino advertising change?
Does this affect Lotto NZ or sports betting?
No licences have been granted yet. Who can I play with safely right now?
The Bottom Line for NZ Players
New Zealand's online casino market is entering a period of real, substantive change. The Online Casino Gambling Bill has passed Parliament and is becoming law today. The practical impact for players is phased: the advertising ban on unlicensed operators starts now, the licensed market launches in December 2026, and licences will be issued from early 2027 onwards.
The end state is meaningfully better for players than what existed before. Enforceable consumer protections, mandatory complaints processes, spending controls, problem gambling tools, and fund security obligations are all things that never applied to the offshore casinos serving NZ players previously. The 15-licence cap means the operators who make it through will have been rigorously screened at every level.
The near-term reality requires some care: knowing where your money is, choosing established operators, and watching which casinos confirm their intention to pursue NZ licensing. CASINOenquirer will update this guide as Royal Assent is confirmed, as the DIA publishes its licensing process guidance, and as the first NZ licences are granted.
We'll Keep This Updated as the Market Develops
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