Licensed Online Casinos in New Zealand: Who Holds a 2026 Licence

If you are searching for a list of licensed online casinos in New Zealand, here is the plain answer first: as of November 2026, no online casino holds a New Zealand licence yet. The country passed its first online-casino licensing law in 2026, the auction that decides who may even apply has finished, but the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) — the government agency running the system — does not expect to issue the first licences until early 2027. This guide explains what the law changed, who won the right to apply, what a licence will require, and what “licensed” does and does not mean while the system is still being built.

What the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 changed

Until 2026, New Zealand had no way to license an online casino. Local companies were not allowed to run one, and overseas (“offshore”) sites served New Zealanders from abroad in a grey area with no domestic oversight. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 changed that. It came into force on 1 May 2026 and created the country’s first licensing regime for online casino gambling, run by the DIA.

The law lets the DIA grant up to 15 licences — it does not have to issue all 15. “Online casino gambling” under the Act covers three kinds of product: random number generator games such as pokies (the New Zealand word for slot machines) and digital instant games; casino table games such as blackjack, poker and baccarat; and bets on computer-simulated sporting events. Ordinary sports and race betting stays separate and runs through the TAB, and Lotto is unaffected, so this sits alongside the wider New Zealand gambling laws rather than replacing them. If you want the betting side of that picture, see our guide to online betting in New Zealand.

Who holds a 2026 licence right now — and who won the right to apply

No operator holds a New Zealand online casino licence today. The DIA has said it expects to start issuing licences “from early 2027 onwards”, after each applicant has been assessed in detail. What has already happened is the auction that decides who is allowed to apply.

That auction ran from 29 September to 12 October 2026. It was an “ascending clock auction”, where the price rises in rounds until the number of bidders still in matches the licences on offer. It drew 32 bidders, ran for 10 rounds, and the final price reached NZ$15 million per licence. When it ended, 11 entities had won the right to apply for the up to 15 licences available — between them they secured application rights for all 15.

The DIA has published the names of those 11 winners. It has not published the casino brands they plan to run; those will appear on a public register only once a licence is actually granted. The table below lists the entities and how many application rights each secured.

It is worth being clear about what this list is and is not. Winning at auction buys the right to apply, not a licence. In the DIA’s own words, “successful participation in the auction does not guarantee that a licence will be granted.” Every winner still has to pass a full application and probity assessment before it can operate legally, so a definitive roster of “licensed online casinos” simply does not exist yet.

How an operator earns a licence (the three stages)

The DIA runs licensing in three stages, and the money and scrutiny increase at each step:

• Stage one — expression of interest (EOI). This window closed on 14 August 2026. Applicants paid a NZ$19,000 (excluding GST) fee and had to show access to capital and detail their ownership, key officers, platform and branding. Anyone — or any CEO, CFO or COO — with a dishonesty conviction in the past seven years was automatically disqualified.
• Stage two — the auction. Accepted applicants bid in the September–October auction described above to decide who may apply and at what price.
• Stage three — the licence application. From October 2026, successful bidders pay the auction price and submit a full application, including a business plan and strategies for advertising, consumer protection, harm prevention and compliance. The DIA then assesses each one before deciding.

A licence runs for up to three years and can be renewed once for up to five more. Each licence covers a single brand, and no operator can be granted more than three licences. Licences are personal and cannot be transferred.

What a licensed casino will have to do for players

The reason the word “licensed” will matter is the list of obligations attached to it. A New Zealand licence is not a logo — it is a set of enforceable rules. Among the requirements the Act and its regulations impose:

• Age checks: operators must take all reasonable steps to verify that customers are at least 18, using robust digital identity checks at sign-up rather than a tick-box.
• Harm-minimisation tools: configurable deposit, spend and session limits, breaks in play, and pop-up alerts after 60 minutes of continuous play. Any increase or removal of a limit is held for a 24-hour cooling-off period, and features such as autoplay and multi-slot play are banned.
• Payment and account rules: credit cards and credit-linked payment methods are prohibited, customers may hold only one account per platform, player money must sit in a segregated account, and a customer cannot reverse a withdrawal once requested.
• Money back to the public purse: licensed operators pay a 3.5% quarterly levy to the DIA and 16% gambling duty to Inland Revenue, with a share of the duty ring-fenced for New Zealand community causes.

None of these protections apply to a site that is not licensed here, which is the practical gap between a future licensed casino and today’s offshore options.

What “licensed” means while the system is still being built

For players, the DIA’s message for now is simply “no change for now”. Offshore casinos that were already serving New Zealanders before 1 May 2026 are allowed to keep operating during a transition, but they must not advertise to people in New Zealand. From 1 December 2026, only operators that have come through the new auction and licensing process may serve New Zealand customers. Those sites are not New Zealand-licensed; many carry an overseas licence from a regulator such as Malta or Gibraltar, which is a different thing entirely.

The dates that matter from here:

• 1 December 2026: any provider that has not applied for a licence must stop offering online casino gambling to New Zealand customers. Operators with an application still under assessment may keep operating under an exemption — without advertising — until a decision is made.
• Early 2027: the DIA expects to begin issuing the first licences, with the full regulated system in place during 2027.

Until the register goes live, there is no New Zealand licence number to check. If you choose to play in the meantime, you are using an unlicensed-in-NZ site and do not have the player protections the new law will require. Practical habits still help: play in New Zealand dollars to avoid conversion surprises at online casinos in New Zealand dollars, read the bonus terms as what they are rather than free money, and remember the physical alternative — the country’s land-based casinos are already licensed and regulated. One of the auction winners is linked to a familiar domestic name; our look at SkyCity’s offshore online casino explains how that brand currently operates ahead of the new rules. Licensing also does not change the tax position, which we cover in our explainer on whether casino winnings are taxed in New Zealand.

Responsible gambling

This article is information about New Zealand’s licensing regime, not a recommendation to gamble. Online casino gambling is for adults aged 18 and over. Gambling should never be treated as a way to make money, and you should only ever stake what you can afford to lose. If gambling is causing harm to you or someone in your whānau, free, confidential help is available in New Zealand from the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or by texting 8006, from Safer Gambling Aotearoa, and from PGF Services. Setting your own deposit and time limits — and taking breaks — are simple ways to stay in control.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know which online casinos are licensed in New Zealand?

The DIA will publish approved brands on a public register once their licences are granted, which it expects to begin from early 2027. Until a brand appears on that register with a New Zealand licence, it is not licensed here, no matter what logos it displays.

Does a Malta or Gibraltar licence make a casino legal in New Zealand?

No. An overseas licence from a regulator such as the Malta Gaming Authority or Gibraltar is issued under that country’s rules, not New Zealand’s, and it does not create any New Zealand player protections. Under the transition, some offshore sites may keep serving New Zealanders for now, but that is a temporary allowance, not a New Zealand licence.

Can I still use an offshore online casino right now?

For the moment the DIA says there is “no change for now” for players, and sites that were already operating before 1 May 2026 may continue during the transition without advertising to New Zealanders. From 1 December 2026, any provider that has not applied for a licence must leave the market. A site that is not licensed here does not have to meet the new safety rules, so you carry more risk.

Are online casino winnings taxed in New Zealand?

For recreational players, gambling winnings are generally not taxed as income in New Zealand: Inland Revenue treats winnings from a raffle, Lotto or a draw as not taxable unless they are won as part of a taxable activity. The new licensing regime does not change that; the taxes it introduces — a levy and a gambling duty — are paid by the licensed operators, not by players.