New Zealand's online casino law: the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 tracker

The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 (2026 No 14) received the Royal assent on 28 April 2026 and came into force on 1 May 2026. Its stated purposes are to:

• set up a licensing system for online casino gambling;
• ban running or advertising online casino gambling without a licence;
• prevent and minimise harm from online casino gambling;
• protect consumers who take part; and
• make sure money from online casino gambling benefits the community.

The bans apply to operators and advertisers whether they're in New Zealand or overseas, as long as people in New Zealand can take part or see the ad. The Act doesn't cover betting on real sports and races, which online is limited to TAB NZ under separate law, or New Zealand lotteries run by the Lotteries Commission.

Detailed rules for licensed operators are in the Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, in force since 3 July 2026. They cover harm prevention, consumer protection, advertising and marketing, and fees and levies.

Checked against the Act, the regulations and the DIA's online casino pages on 23 October 2026.

We check the DIA's online casino pages at least monthly and log each change in the change log for this page.

Licences are granted in three stages: expressions of interest, an auction, and a full application. There are up to 15 licences. Each covers one brand and the platforms players use to reach it, lasts up to three years and can be renewed for a further five. No one may have significant influence over more than three.

The auction decided who may apply and the price: NZ$15 million per licence. 11 entities won the right to apply for the 15 licences available. Winning doesn't guarantee a licence. Each must pay the auction price, submit a full application with strategies for advertising, consumer protection, harm minimisation and compliance, and satisfy the DIA that it's suitable.

The DIA isn't publishing the brands each applicant plans to run at this stage. It will publish approved brands on its public register once each licence is granted, and expects to start granting licences from early 2027. The Act requires the register to be online and kept up to date. Our page on which online casinos will be licensed lists the 11 entities.

• Running an online casino for New Zealand without a licence. Section 9 bans it. Under the transition rules, online casinos that were serving New Zealanders on 1 May 2026 may continue until 1 December 2026, and after that only if they've applied for a licence.
• Advertising unlicensed online casinos. Under section 10, anyone who publishes or arranges an ad for online casino gambling that people in New Zealand can see breaks the law unless the ad is published under a licence. No licences exist yet, so no online casino may advertise to New Zealand. The Act's definition of an advertisement covers endorsements, sponsorships and similar third-party arrangements, and the ban applies wherever the publisher is based.
• Affiliate sites. The DIA says that, because there are no licensed operators in New Zealand yet, affiliate sites that promote unlicensed online casinos to New Zealanders are unlawful. In its July 2026 Q&As, the DIA also said four social media influencers had been fined over the previous year for promoting online gambling.
• Gambling online for someone under 18. From 1 December 2026, it's an offence to take part in online casino gambling on behalf of a person in New Zealand who you know is under 18, or when you're reckless about whether they are. The maximum fine is NZ$10,000.

The DIA can issue a take-down notice to an unlicensed operator or advertiser, with a deadline no more than two days away. It can also ask the High Court for a pecuniary penalty of up to NZ$5 million for a company, or NZ$300,000 for an individual. You can report unlawful online casino advertising to the DIA at onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz.

The bans on running and advertising unlicensed online casinos target operators and advertisers, not players. The Act's definition of conducting online casino gambling doesn't include taking part as a gambler, and the DIA says it's legal for New Zealanders to gamble with the offshore casinos allowed to operate during the transition. That gambling is unregulated, though, so there's no guarantee of player safety.

Licensed operators will be allowed to advertise in New Zealand, within the limits in the Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026. Among other things, the regulations ban ads that:

• use sponsorships, personal endorsements or affiliate arrangements;
• offer an inducement, except as the regulations allow; or
• are likely to promote excessive, continuous or impulsive gambling.

An affiliate arrangement is one where someone refers people to a gambling platform and is rewarded depending on what happens next, such as the person opening an account. The DIA says a link displayed for a flat fee, or an organic search result, is likely not an affiliate arrangement, but must still meet the other advertising rules. Ads must also not be placed where more than 20% of the audience is likely to be under 18, or be likely to appeal to under-18s. The DIA expects licensed casinos to start advertising in the first half of 2027.

1 December 2026 is when the transition period ends for online casinos that haven't applied for a licence. Under Schedule 1 of the Act:

• An online casino that was serving people in New Zealand on 1 May 2026 and applies for a licence before 1 December 2026 can keep operating until the day after the DIA tells it whether it has a licence, or until 1 June 2027, whichever comes first.
• Any other online casino must stop serving people in New Zealand from 1 December 2026.

Applicants still can't advertise during this period. The DIA says that from 1 December 2026, only operators that won at auction and applied will be able to serve customers in New Zealand, and all other online casinos must leave the market. The same date brings in the offence of gambling online on behalf of someone under 18.

If you have money with an online casino, check whether it will keep serving New Zealand after 1 December 2026, and withdraw any balance you want to keep before then.

Once licensed, online casinos must meet these rules from the Act and the regulations:

• Age and ID checks: the casino must verify your identity and that you're at least 18 before your account is activated.
• Limits: you must be able to set daily, weekly or monthly limits on time played, deposits and spend. The casino must prompt you to set them when you open an account, and monthly until you do. Raising or removing a limit takes at least 24 hours.
• Breaks and alerts: time-out options of 24 hours, 1 week and 1 to 3 months as a minimum, breaks in play, and a pop-up after 60 minutes of continuous play that shows your session time and losses. The game pauses until you acknowledge it.
• Self-exclusion: you can exclude yourself for a period you choose, including indefinitely, and can't shorten it once it's set. The casino must exclude you within 24 hours.
• Problem gambling: the casino must exclude anyone who identifies as a problem gambler, asks to be excluded, or whom it identifies as a problem gambler.
• No credit: the casino must not accept credit cards or other credit, or offer you credit to gamble.
• Complaints: each casino needs a public complaints process and must respond within 40 working days. You can also complain to the DIA.
• Registration icon: the casino must display it on its platform and in its visual ads.

Offshore casinos operating during the transition aren't bound by the regulations on harm minimisation, consumer protection and advertising, though they must follow the Act itself, including the advertising ban.

You must be 18 or over to gamble at a licensed online casino. Section 38 of the Act requires operators to take all reasonable steps to make sure players are at least 18, and the regulations require them to verify your age before your account is activated. From 1 December 2026, gambling online on behalf of someone under 18 is an offence.

Land-based casinos have a different limit. Under section 303 of the Gambling Act 2003, you must be 20 to gamble in a casino or enter its gambling area.

If gambling is causing you harm, call the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or text 8006, day or night. More services are on our gambling help page.

• 23 Oct 2026 First published. Checked the Act, the regulations and the DIA's online casino pages on 23 October 2026, including the auction results the DIA published on 13 October 2026: 11 entities won the right to apply for the 15 licences. No licences have been granted yet.