New Zealand is licensing online casinos for the first time. This page sets out where that process stands, what the official statistics show, and what nobody measures yet.
Most of what circulates about the size of this market is estimated rather than counted. The numbers below are the ones that are actually collected.
What the statistics show
Participation has fallen, not risen. Adults gambling in any form in the previous twelve months were 67.2% in 2018, 69.3% in 2020, and 64.1% in the 2025 national survey.
That runs against the framing of most commentary on this market, which treats growth as the given. The measured direction is down.
The majority of New Zealanders who gamble do so without harm, and that belongs alongside the harm figures rather than after them.
On risk: the 2025 survey put moderate-risk gambling at 1.9% and problem gambling at 0.5% — a combined 2.4% of adults aged 15 and over, or around 104,000 people.
And the harm is concentrated in one product. In the Department of Internal Affairs’ own words, pokies are one of the most harmful forms of gambling and the leading reason people seek gambling-related help in Aotearoa. It cites research finding that 50.3% of people who played pub or club machines at least monthly experienced some level of harm. Harm also falls disproportionately on Māori, Pacific and Asian communities and on people with lower incomes.
Our pokie machines guide covers the Class 4 sector in detail.
Licensing will produce the first measured numbers, because licensed operators will report to the Department of Internal Affairs. Until then, treat any confident market-size or forecast figure — including the ones that circulate widely — as unsourced.
Where the licensing process stands
The two regimes moved in opposite directions inside twelve months.
Offshore operators were notified to withdraw with immediate effect.
Online casino opened. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 came into force on 1 May 2026, with regulations following on 3 July. Advertising offshore casinos to New Zealanders is prohibited from the commencement date; existing operators may continue under transitional arrangements.
The licensing process runs in three stages.
Licensed operators are expected in 2027, alongside a public register published by the Department.
Our New Zealand gambling laws guide sets out the framework in full.
What a licence will actually require
The gap between a licensed operator in 2027 and an offshore one today is wider than the word “licensed” suggests.
Bonuses capped at the lesser of NZ$100 or 200% of the deposit, with sign-up inducements permitted only on the operator’s own platform. Mandatory limit prompts at sign-up and monthly thereafter. Self-exclusion effective within 24 hours. Autoplay prohibited, along with running more than one pokie simultaneously. Credit cards prohibited as a funding method.
And a complaint goes to the Department of Internal Affairs rather than to Malta, Curaçao or Kahnawake.
None of those protections exists offshore today. That is the substance of what the change is for.
What happens to players at operators that do not obtain a licence, particularly those with weekly withdrawal caps.
A note on game variety
A common argument in commentary on this market is that operators need large game libraries to compete. That is probably true, and it is a commercial observation rather than consumer information.
From a player’s side the useful version is shorter: library size tells you very little. A lobby of three thousand titles and one of five hundred draw on the same handful of studios, and the headline number is a marketing figure that counts variants separately.
What is worth checking on a specific game is its published return, which sits in the game’s own information panel — typically around 96% for a modern pokie, and materially lower on progressive jackpot titles where a slice of every wager funds the pool. Our online pokies page covers this.
One general rule worth carrying
Never reach a casino cashier through a link in an article.
Misspelled versions of well-known gambling domains are routinely registered by people running cloned sites. They copy the design exactly, accept deposits, request identity documents, and pay nothing out. Arriving at one through a typo in a link on a review site is exactly how people reach them.
Type the address yourself, or reach it from the operator’s own verified app or communications. And if a site asks for a “verification deposit” of a substantial amount before letting you withdraw, stop and check the domain letter by letter — that request is a known marker of clone sites, and several operators have publicly warned their own customers about it.
From 2027, the Department’s public register will make this checkable in a single search. Until then it is on you.
If gambling is causing problems
Free, confidential support is available in New Zealand at any hour: the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or free text 8006, and PGF Services on 0800 664 262. Both support whānau and friends as well as the person gambling, and neither requires you to be in crisis.
Our self-exclusion guide covers bank gambling blocks and device blocking software — the two protections that do not depend on any operator honouring anything — and our responsible gaming page has more.
You must be 18 or older to gamble online in New Zealand, and 20 or older to enter the gambling floor of a casino.
This page is published for information. It is not financial, legal or gambling advice, and nothing on it is a recommendation to gamble or an endorsement of any operator. You must be 18 or older to gamble online in New Zealand, and 20 or older to enter the gambling floor of a casino.
Statistics quoted are drawn from the sources listed below and describe the periods those surveys cover. New Zealanders’ spending at offshore online casinos is not measured by anyone, and any market-size or forecast figure for it — wherever you meet it — is an estimate rather than a count.
The licensing process is under way and its detail continues to change. Dates, fees, licence numbers and operator availability should be confirmed on the Department of Internal Affairs’ own pages rather than relied on from here. Descriptions of what licensed operators will be required to do reflect the legislation and regulations as made; how they are applied in practice will not be known until operators launch.
Gambling costs money over time by design, and regulation does not change that. Free, confidential support is available in New Zealand 24 hours a day on 0800 654 655, or by free text to 8006.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is gambling participation in New Zealand increasing?
No. Adult participation in any form of gambling was 64.1% in the 2025 national survey, down from 69.3% in 2020 and 67.2% in 2018.
How many New Zealanders experience gambling harm?
The 2025 survey put combined moderate-risk and problem gambling at 2.4% of adults aged 15 and over — approximately 104,000 people.
Which form of gambling causes most harm?
Pokies. The Department of Internal Affairs describes them as one of the most harmful forms and the leading reason people seek gambling-related help, citing research that 50.3% of at-least-monthly pub and club players experienced some level of harm.
How much do New Zealanders spend on online casinos?
Nobody knows. Offshore operators file no returns here. Licensing will produce the first measured figures.
How many licences will be issued?
Up to fifteen, through a competitive auction — one brand each, and no operator may hold more than three.
When do unlicensed operators have to stop?
1 December 2026 for those that have not applied. Those with pending applications may continue until a decision or 1 July 2027, whichever is earlier.
What will licensed operators have to do differently?
Cap bonuses at the lesser of NZ$100 or 200% of the deposit, prompt limits at sign-up and monthly, action self-exclusion within 24 hours, and remove autoplay and credit card funding. None of that applies offshore today.
Can I still bet on sport with an offshore operator?
No. Since 28 June 2025, only TAB NZ may lawfully accept a sports or racing bet from a person in New Zealand.
Are pokie machine numbers growing?
No. Class 4 machine numbers have been declining under sinking-lid policies at council level. The Department publishes the count quarterly.
Does a bigger game library mean a better casino?
Not really. Lobbies draw on the same studios and headline counts include variants. The published return on a specific game tells you more than the size of the lobby.
