New Zealand’s gambling landscape officially changed this week as the government’s Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 were confirmed, and they’re now set to come into force on July 3rd. Issued via Order in Council on June 2nd and sitting under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, the regulations set the operating rules for harm prevention, consumer protection, advertising, reporting, audits, fees and levies.
For players, the changes are pretty significant, and operators will be required to let players set daily, weekly, and monthly limits on total spending, deposits, and play time, with all users to be prompted to set these limits when registering. They will also be reminded monthly. Like we saw in the UK, mandatory breaks will be required after 60 minutes of play, and self-exclusion tools need to be available at every casino, too.
Interestingly, credit cards are banned as a payment method, and players are only allowed to have one account per platform. On the advertising side of things, sponsorships and affiliate marketing are prohibited, and broadcast ads cannot air during live events or in the 30-minute window either side of them.
In the second half of July, 2026, operators will be able to start offering “expressions of interest”, which tells the regulatory that they are, essentially, interested in applying for a license. There will then be an auction set some time in September, with official applications starting a month later in October.
Up to 15 licences will be available, each covering one brand and lasting up to three years from December 1st. Only operators who have applied for a licence can continue to accept New Zealand customers. Also, worth noting is that operators will face a quarterly levy of 3.5% on online gambling profits, and the initial expression of interest carries a fee of NZD$19,000.
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Alex Smith