🇳🇿 New Zealand gambling license check

Partially regulated   Last verified

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New Zealand regulates online casinos under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, run by the Department of Internal Affairs. No online casino licence has been granted yet, and DIA expects to issue the first licences from early 2027. Type a company name below to check it against the 11 entities that won the right to apply in October 2026.

Check a casino against the DIA register

Searching 11 casino and betting names from the DIA register, read 2026-10-27.

Regulator
Department of Internal Affairs · DIA
Official register
Public licensee register
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No, manual search only
Regime
Partially regulated

How to verify a New Zealand license

  1. Until DIA grants licences, treat any claim of a New Zealand online casino licence as false, because none has been issued
  2. Find the operating company in the casino's terms and conditions and compare it with the 11 entities on the DIA Online Gambling for Providers page
  3. Remember that a company on the DIA list holds only a right to apply, and that DIA does not say which brands or websites belong to it
  4. Once licences are granted, look the brand up in the DIA public register of licensed online casinos
  5. Look for the DIA registration icon on the site and in its advertising, which every licensed operator will have to display

License types in New Zealand

The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 lets only a licensed operator conduct online casino gambling that people in New Zealand can join, and only a licensed operator may advertise it there. DIA runs the licensing in three stages, an expression of interest, an auction for the right to apply and a full licence application. Each licence covers a single brand and the platforms players use to reach it. Online sports and racing betting is a separate matter, and since 28 June 2025 only TAB NZ may offer it.

  • Online casino gambling licence granted by the Secretary for Internal Affairs under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, one brand per licence
  • Right to apply for a licence, won at the DIA auction of September and October 2026

Key facts about the DIA regime

  • No online casino licence has been granted yet, and DIA expects to issue the first licences from early 2027
  • The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 received assent on 28 April 2026 and came into force on 1 May 2026
  • On 13 October 2026 DIA named 11 entities that won 15 rights to apply for a licence, among them SkyCity, TAB New Zealand, Stake New Zealand and Skill On Net
  • The auction ran from 29 September to 12 October 2026, drew 32 bidders and ended after 10 rounds at NZ$15 million per licence
  • No more than 15 licences may be held at any time, and no person may have significant influence over more than 3
  • A licence lasts 3 years and may be renewed once, for 5 years
  • From 1 December 2026 a provider that has not applied for a licence must stop offering online casino gambling in New Zealand
  • Online casino gambling may not be advertised in New Zealand until licences are granted
  • Licensed operators must pay DIA a levy of 3.5 percent of their online gambling profits

What the license means for players

Nothing changes for players yet. Online casinos that served people in New Zealand before 1 May 2026 may keep doing so until 1 December 2026 but may not advertise to them. After that date only operators with a licence application under assessment may continue, until DIA decides. Once licensed, an operator must take all reasonable steps to make sure players are at least 18, let players set daily, weekly or monthly limits on play time, deposits and spend, offer self-exclusion for a period the player chooses, and refuse credit cards. A player will be able to complain to the operator or to DIA. Unlawful advertising can be reported to onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz. The Gambling Helpline is 0800 654 655, or text 8006.

Red flags and fake DIA claims

  • The site says it holds a New Zealand online casino licence before DIA has granted any
  • The operating company is not one of the 11 entities DIA named after the auction
  • The casino advertises to people in New Zealand before licences are granted
  • The site keeps serving New Zealand players after 1 December 2026 without a licence application under assessment
  • An offshore site takes bets on sports or racing from people in New Zealand, which only TAB NZ may offer
  • The site accepts payment by credit card

Legal status and tax

The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, Public Act 2026 No 14, received assent on 28 April 2026 and came into force on 1 May 2026. It prohibits conducting or advertising online casino gambling for people in New Zealand without a licence, makes the Secretary for Internal Affairs the licensing authority and requires a public register of operators and licences. The Secretary may issue take-down notices to unlicensed operators, requiring them to make their platform or advertisement inaccessible in New Zealand. Breaches carry pecuniary penalties of up to $5 million for a company and $300,000 for an individual, and gambling online on behalf of a person under 18 is an offence with a fine of up to $10,000 from 1 December 2026. A provider that was already serving New Zealand when the Act began may continue until 1 December 2026, or, if it applied for a licence before that date, until DIA decides or 1 June 2027 at the latest. The Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, in force from 3 July 2026, set the rules on harm minimisation, consumer protection, advertising and levies, and they bar advertisements that use endorsements or affiliate arrangements.

Licensed operators must pay DIA a levy of 3.5 percent of their online gambling profits for each return period, plus GST. An expression of interest in a licence cost a fee of $19,000 plus GST, and each licence costs the amount set at auction, NZ$15 million. From 1 January 2027 the Act raises the rate of the online gambling duty in section 12U of the Gaming Duties Act 1971 from 12 percent to 16 percent, and it allows the problem gambling levy to be charged to an online casino operator whether it is in New Zealand or abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates online gambling in New Zealand?

Department of Internal Affairs, usually shortened to DIA, oversees gambling in New Zealand. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 lets only a licensed operator conduct online casino gambling that people in New Zealand can join, and only a licensed operator may advertise it there. DIA runs the licensing in three stages, an expression of interest, an auction for the right to apply and a full licence application. Each licence covers a single brand and the platforms players use to reach it. Online sports and racing betting is a separate matter, and since 28 June 2025 only TAB NZ may offer it.

How do I check if a casino holds a New Zealand license?

No online casino licence has been granted yet, and DIA expects to issue the first licences from early 2027. Type the casino name or its web address into the search on this page, which reads the DIA register every day. A real licensee appears there under its own name. No online casino licence has been granted yet, so no register of licensed operators exists. The Department of Internal Affairs publishes the 11 entities that won the right to apply for a licence at the auction that ended on 12 October 2026. The list gives company names only, with no brands, websites or licence numbers, and DIA says approved brands will be published on a public register once a licence is granted. A company on this list holds only a right to apply, and none of them holds a licence yet.

What does a DIA license mean for players?

Nothing changes for players yet. Online casinos that served people in New Zealand before 1 May 2026 may keep doing so until 1 December 2026 but may not advertise to them. After that date only operators with a licence application under assessment may continue, until DIA decides. Once licensed, an operator must take all reasonable steps to make sure players are at least 18, let players set daily, weekly or monthly limits on play time, deposits and spend, offer self-exclusion for a period the player chooses, and refuse credit cards. A player will be able to complain to the operator or to DIA. Unlawful advertising can be reported to onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz. The Gambling Helpline is 0800 654 655, or text 8006.

How do I spot a fake New Zealand license claim?

The site says it holds a New Zealand online casino licence before DIA has granted any The operating company is not one of the 11 entities DIA named after the auction The casino advertises to people in New Zealand before licences are granted The site keeps serving New Zealand players after 1 December 2026 without a licence application under assessment An offshore site takes bets on sports or racing from people in New Zealand, which only TAB NZ may offer The site accepts payment by credit card

Sources

Not sure how registers work in general? Read our guide to checking if an online casino is licensed or browse every jurisdiction we cover.