New Zealand’s long-awaited move to a regulated real-money iGaming environment finally has a concrete timeline. On the 30th June 2025, Brooke van Velden – the Minister of Internal Affairs – introduced the Online Casino Gambling Bill, a framework that would see up to 15 licenses auctioned off to operators. Strict harm-reduction measures and high taxes will also be a part of the Bill.
The bill marks the first time Wellington has attempted to bring offshore casino play into a fully licensed, consumer‑protected environment – and less than a day after the announcement, some of the world’s largest online casino operators – including 888, bet365, and SuperGroup – signalled their interest.
It’s promising news for Kiwis – but before the Bill comes into effect, many residents are still choosing to play at offshore sites. If you’re looking for a platform that already puts player safety first – you’ll want to check out the most trusted online casino in New Zealand.
For years, New Zealand has tolerated a “grey-market” approach to online gambling regulation: Kiwi residents are free to gamble online at offshore casinos – but those operators answer to foreign regulators – not to Wellington.
As a result, there have been numerous cases of blocked withdrawals, unfair account closures – and even a total lack of responsible gambling tools, at some times.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) estimates Kiwis spent NZ$2.6 billion on all forms of gambling last financial year, with a growing slice heading offshore (DIA expenditure statistics).
Now, this is something we’ve been following closely here at DashTickets – and our in-depth explainer on upcoming regulations changes is where you can read all about the full background of the changes – and what they entail.
While we cover the main details of the bill in the in-depth explainer we just mentioned, we’ll quickly go over some of the core pillars, below:
| Bill Feature | What It Means for Operators and Players |
|---|---|
| License cap | A maximum of 15 three-year licenses will be awarded via an auction process |
| Harm-minimisation | All operators must enforce mandatory deposit limits, self-exclusion APIs, and real-time affordability checks |
| Advertising rules | Limited daytime ads; no content targeting minors – final restrictions TBD |
| Taxes and fees | License auction proceeds + GGR taxes will be funnelled into community grants and problem gambling funds |
| Penalties | Unlicensed sites that continue to accept NZ players will face fines of up to NZ$5 million |
In the third quarter of 2025, the Bill will undergo a Select Committee Review – and this is where public submissions and expert testimony will be brought in to help shape the final Bill. In Q4 of 2025, Parliament will vote on the Bill – and minor amendments are still possible. If successful, the Bill will receive Royal Assent in Q1 2026 – and license auctions are set to begin in February 2026.
Interestingly, global consultancy Deloitte projects that fully regulated iGaming markets post average annual growth rates of 11 % – and this is driven by improved trust and a wider range of payment options. Applying similar metrics, some analysts believe New Zealand’s online gambling market could be worth US$580 million by 2030!
Still, regulation does not guarantee a safer environment by default – and there are still a number of hurdles that need to be overcome before the Bill can be brought into law. However, it’s a very promising start – and it looks like regulated online gambling in New Zealand will finally move past the “concept” stage – into becomming a reality!
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