The Act reaches providers wherever they are based
DIA states that the prohibitions in the Online Casino Gambling Act apply whether a provider is based in New Zealand or anywhere else. Section 9 makes it unlawful to enable people in New Zealand to take part in online casino gambling without a licence, and section 10 bans advertising and marketing aimed at them.
Serious breaches can bring penalties of up to NZ$5 million. DIA also says it works with overseas regulators and licensing bodies when it enforces the law.
What an overseas casino licence in NZ does not change
DIA's rule for the period after the cut-off names one route: the auction winners, who may operate while DIA assesses their applications. Providers that have not applied must stop, and the guidance lists no exception for a provider that holds a licence elsewhere.
The New Zealand licence also works differently from many foreign ones. It covers a single brand, so a company running several brands needs a licence for each, and no entity can be granted more than three in this process.
Before the cut-off
The transitional provisions let providers that already served New Zealand on 1 May 2026 continue until the cut-off. No new provider may enter before the licensed market starts, and advertising to people in New Zealand is already prohibited.
What a New Zealand licence will show
A casino with a New Zealand licence will appear on DIA's public register and display a registration icon. A licence from elsewhere brings neither, and DIA says that people who use an unlicensed platform do not get the protections a licensed one must give.
Sources
- DIA: guidance for providers that must exit the market
- DIA: information about licensing, page updated 10 November 2026
- DIA: information for players