The initial phase of the three-stage licensing process requires operators to register their interest in licences by 14 August
New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs has begun the licensing process for obtaining one of the 15 online casino licences in the country’s newly regulating market.
The government has opened the expression of interest (EOI) process for obtaining an online casino licence, marking the first step for potential operators interested in participating in the re-regulating iGaming market.
The initial phase of the three-stage licensing process requires operators to register their interest in licences.
The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 14 August and only operators with an accepted expression of interest will be invited to bid for licences in the second stage auction process.
Successful bidders will then be invited to apply for licences, which are expected to be issued in early 2027.
Last month, the government confirmed that it had reassessed its interpretation of legislation and is now of the view that there are no statutory barriers preventing TAB NZ from lodging an expression of interest, and if successful in the expression of interest and auction process, apply for a licence.
The Department of Internal Affairs’ previous view was that the TAB NZ would be unable to apply for an online casino licence without amendment to the Racing Industry Act 2020.
“The TAB NZ is a statutory entity with specific functions described in the Racing Industry Act, including to conduct betting, broadcasting, and gaming, and to make rules under Part 4 relating to betting,” said the Department. “We consider gaming has a broad meaning, encompassing online casino gambling.”
New Zealand’s Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 came into force on 3 July.
Providers who were based offshore and were offering to New Zealand customers on 1 May may continue to do so until 1 December.
The new Act requires the Minister for Internal Affairs to recommend regulations establishing a centralised exclusion register by 1 December 2027.
“The Department has started initial high-level policy work on the register,” said the government. “Further decisions on the design of the register, consultation approach, and delivery arrangements are still to be made, so we are not in a position to provide further detail at this stage.”
All EOI documents, guidance, and submission requirements are available through the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) portal.