The countdown has officially begun for New Zealand’s online casino market, as a date has been set for when the country plans to launch its online casino licences.
New Zealand government’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Brooke van Velden, has released the cabinet paper and associated materials for the online casino gambling bill, which has been in motion since being introduced to parliament in June.
Other important updates were contained within the release for interested parties to take into account, but the date of 1 December 2026 will now be added to the diary of all stakeholders as the date for when online casino licences will start.
The wheels are now speeding up for New Zealand’s online casino market, as the government also stated in an email update that detailed regulations for licence holders are expected to be finalised by mid-2026.
“It is our intention to give the sector time with these finalised regulations before running the licensing process,” said Trina Lowry, Programme Director – Online Gambling Implementation, in an email update.
Draft regulations that have recently been issued to the cabinet for approval include areas covering harm prevention and minimisation, consumer protection and record-keeping, advertising and marketing, as well as fees, levies, or charges for cost recovery.
Lowry added that the government hopes to provide another update with detailed information on the regulatory decisions taken before the end of the month.
Community funding changes
Community funding returns have also been introduced in the bill, with offshore gambling duty rising from 12% to 16%, with this 4% increase ringfenced for community returns.
As a result, it is estimated that community returns could reach between NZ $10m and NZ $20m in the first year (approximately €4.9m to €9.9m), although this is dependent on how much total gross gambling revenue the licensed online casino market generates.
New Zealand’s government noted that the community return option “does not seek to replicate the not-for-profit Class 4 model” and that the most relevant comparison would be to land-based casinos in the country since they are for-profit entities, in comparison to Class 4 or Lotto, whose profits must be used to benefit communities.
