New Zealand commercial gambling operators entering its regulated online casino market next year will have to feature a registration icon and audio mark to help customers recognise licensed operators and support channelisation.
Trina Lowry, Programme Director – Online Gambling Implementation, stated in an email last week that, to support transparency and public trust, the registration icon and audio must be presented in a certain way on an operator’s platform and in their advertising.
Online websites must display the registration icon when each page first loads, including home pages and login pages, without requiring user interaction. These icons must link directly to each operator’s licence details on the official public register.
For apps, the icon must be visible on the launch screen and key screens, including game listings and account information.
Advertising can feature both registration signals, depending on if its a visual, audio or audio-visual advertisement.
For audio-visual advertising, both the registration icon and audio mark must be used, visual-only advertising must show the registration icon, while audio-only advertising must use the audio mark.
Lowry added that these requirements are used in comparable jurisdictions, with further detailed specifications to be provided later this year, including size, placement, accessibility and the use of different versions of the audio mark.
The licensing transformation
New Zealand’s regulated online casino framework is set to open on 3 July 2026, with the expression of interest stage of the licensing process beginning in the second half of next month.
Up to 15 online casino gambling licences will be up for auction ahead of a scheduled market launch on 1 December 2026. From 1 June 2027, only operators that hold a licence will be permitted to operate.
Once the auction process has concluded, as well as to support consistent implementation across all platforms, the regulator plans to speak to operators that were successful to finalise the registration icon and audio mark requirements.
Earlier this month, the New Zealand government announced the roadmap for its regulated online casino market, detailing compliance requirements and specifically providing guidelines on harm prevention and minimisation, consumer protection and record-keeping, advertising and marketing, as well as fees, levies and charges.
Further guidance will also be provided in early July on legislation, regulations, minimum standards, finalised testing and verification requirements, and other requirements which the Secretary is empowered to specify.
In addition, the Secretary for Internal Affairs is expected to confirm high-level requirements, such as the type of messages and information operators must display, as well as the information an operator must collect to identify, assist, and monitor problem gamblers and how it should be used.
