Which online casinos will be licensed in New Zealand?

The DIA published these results on 13 October 2026. Where the DIA gives a number of rights to apply, it's shown in brackets.

• Baytree Interactive Limited (3 rights to apply)
• Christchurch Online NZ Limited
• One Casino Limited
• Playvia Gaming (NZ) Limited (2 rights to apply)
• Rock Swift Group Limited (2 rights to apply)
• Rush Entertainment Limited
• Skill On Net Limited
• SkyCity NZ Online NO1 Limited
• SkyCity NZ Online NO2 Limited
• Stake New Zealand Limited
• TAB New Zealand

These are company names, not the brands players will see. The DIA isn't publishing brands at this stage, because operators may change them during the application process. Being on this list doesn't mean a company will get a licence, and it doesn't make any site it runs licensed today. We don't link to any of these companies' gambling sites.

The auction was stage 2 of a three-stage process, after expressions of interest closed on 14 August 2026. It ran from 29 September to 12 October 2026 as an ascending clock auction: the price rose in steps, and bidders dropped out once it passed what they were willing to pay, until demand matched the licences available. 32 bidders took part. It ended after 10 rounds, with the final price at NZ$15 million per licence. The auction settled who may apply and the price, which each winner pays when it applies.

• Up to 15 licences. The Act stops the DIA granting a licence if it would mean more than 15 held at any time.
• One brand per licence. Each licence covers a single brand and the platforms, such as a website or app, that players use to reach it.
• No more than three per person or group. No one may have significant influence over more than three licences, for example by controlling 20% or more of a licence holder's voting power or securities.
• Three years, renewable. Each licence lasts up to three years and can be renewed for a further five.

1. October 2026: licence applications open for successful bidders, according to the DIA's timeline. Each pays the auction price and applies with a business plan and strategies for advertising and marketing, consumer protection, harm prevention and compliance. The Act gives applicants 20 working days to apply once invited, unless the DIA allows longer.
2. From 1 December 2026: applicants that were already serving New Zealanders on 1 May 2026 can keep operating, without advertising, while the DIA assesses them. Every other online casino must stop serving New Zealand.
3. From early 2027: the DIA expects to start granting licences. If some applications take longer, it may grant licences progressively, so licensed casinos may not all start on the same day.
4. 1 June 2027: the transition ends, and applicants still without a decision can no longer operate without a licence.

Once licensed, a casino can advertise in New Zealand within the limits in the regulations. The DIA expects that to start in the first half of 2027. Our law tracker follows each date.

The Act requires the DIA to keep a public register online and up to date. For each operator it must show the operator's New Zealand address for service, a description of its gambling platform and how to reach it, and a summary of any enforcement action. For each licence it must show the start and expiry dates, any conditions, whether it has been renewed, and whether it's current, suspended, cancelled, surrendered or expired.

The register won't list any casinos until the first licences are granted. After that:

1. Go to the DIA's website, dia.govt.nz, by typing the address yourself, not through a link in a casino site or ad.
2. Open the register of licensed online casinos.
3. Check that the brand and the website or app you use appear on it.
4. Check that the licence is current, not suspended, cancelled, surrendered or expired.
5. Look for the registration icon on the site. A licensed casino must display it, and a site without a licence must not. Check the register as well, rather than relying on the icon alone.

• A site that claims to hold a New Zealand online casino licence before the DIA has granted any.
• A site that says it won a New Zealand licence at auction. The auction gave only the right to apply.
• Ads for online casinos aimed at New Zealand, including through influencers or affiliate sites. They're unlawful until a casino is licensed.
• An online casino that started serving New Zealand after 1 May 2026. No new providers may enter the market until licensing is in place.
• After 1 December 2026, an online casino still serving New Zealand that hasn't applied for a licence.

You can report unlawful online casino advertising to the DIA at onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz.