**New Zealand’s Online Casino Gambling Regulations**

The Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 (NZ) (Regulations), which come into effect on 3 July 2026, represent a significant step in the implementation of New Zealand's new online casino licensing regime.

In particular, the Regulations confirm a tightly controlled model characterised by limited advertising channels, strict controls on inducements and game design, and a multi-layered fees, levies and duties.

We have highlighted below some of the key provisions and their practical implications for prospective operators.

Author: Lorna Reid, Associate / Alexander Norrish, Senior Associate / Julian Hoskins, Principal

What fees, duties and levies apply?

The fee for an expression of interest for an online casino gambling licence is NZ$19,000 (plus GST).

Operators should model their business proposal by reference to not only the potential price at the auction and the yet undisclosed licence application fee, but also to ongoing duty, levy and harm-minimisation funding obligations.

First, operators must pay the ‘Online Gambling Duty’ at 16% of online gambling profits which is calculated similar to Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR).

Secondly, operators must pay a quarterly levy of 3.5% of online gambling profits to fund the administration and enforcement of the Act.

Thirdly, operators are required to pay the Problem Gambling Levy, which is set at 1.24% of GGR (turnover less prizes paid and payable) and is used to fund problem gambling services and harm-minimisation measures.

Taken together, these obligations mean that the total cost of entry is likely to be materially higher than the initial outlay.

Can operators offer inducements?

The Regulations permit operators to offer inducements in connection with account creation, account access and deposits into customer accounts. However, inducements are subject to strict conditions, including advertising restrictions and caps on the value of offers.

Sign-up inducements may only be published on the operator's platform and cannot be advertised through social media, television, radio, billboards, affiliate websites or other online advertising. While for existing customers, inducements may only be published on the operator's platform or through direct marketing.

The Regulations also impose value caps. Where a customer is not required to spend their own money, the value of the inducement cannot exceed NZ$100. Where the customer must spend their own money to receive the inducement, the value of the offer is capped at the lesser of NZ$100 or 200% of the value of the customer's deposit or bet.

In practice, these restrictions significantly limit the use of inducements as an acquisition tool, particularly compared to other regulated markets such as Australia. The only Australian jurisdiction that has a comparable cap is South Australia where “complimentary gambling products” in the form of bonus bets offered in respect of, say, wagering products can only be advertised if it valued at AU$100 or less. Online casino products are not permitted in Australia.

Where can online casino gambling be advertised?

Similar to Australia’s restrictions around gambling advertising and live sport, New Zealand will prohibit online casino advertisements from being broadcast on a platform during a live broadcast, or within 30 minutes before or after that live broadcast on the same platform.

Advertising is also prohibited on public transport and on the front page of print publications. Operators must also ensure that online casino advertising is not published in a manner that is likely to be seen by people while they are participating in another form of gambling.

What advertising practices are prohibited?

The Regulations prohibit advertising that associates gambling with personal success, financial improvement, alcohol consumption or socially irresponsible behaviour. These kinds of restrictions will be familiar to other regulated markets, such as Australia.

However, an important distinction is that the New Zealand regulations go a step further and prohibit:

· sponsorships, endorsements, and affiliate marketing;

· referring to or implying any connection between an operator’s business and contributions for community purposes; and

· use images and sounds of gaming-machines and poker chips.

For operators that typically use affiliates, sponsorships or influencers, or charitable donations to build their brand and attract customers, these restrictions may require a significant rethink of marketing and customer acquisition strategies.

Advertisements that encourage excessive or impulsive gambling, or create a sense of urgency, are prohibited. This includes portraying a person gambling at work or during family activities, suggesting gambling is a way to deal with emotions, implying that people will miss out if they do not gamble, or encouraging players to continue gambling rather than stop.

Safer gambling obligations

Customers must be provided with safer gambling tools, including the ability to set limits regarding play duration, deposits and spend, breaks-in-play, time-outs, pop-up alerts regarding time and losses. and platform-level self-exclusion.

Despite being flagged in the Act itself, at this stage, there is no equivalent centralised industry-wide self-exclusion register like Australia’s BetStop. Instead, the Regulations focus on a platform-level self-exclusion. Customers have the option to elect to self-exclude. However, operators also have an obligation to exclude a customer from all of their platforms for up to two years if, after providing information about problem gambling services and tools, they still have reasonable grounds to believe the customer is showing signs of problem gambling. These requirements go one step further than providing tools - they place a positive obligation on operators to intervene and will likely require active monitoring of customer behaviour.

Identity verification

A notable feature is that identity and age must be verified before account activation. There is also an account access requirement where operators are required to verify that the person attempting to access an account is the account holder before granting access. This likely will require a person logging into the account via credentials known only to the account holder. If interpreted more broadly by the DIA, the access requirements may add friction to the onboarding and log-in processes.

Deposit and withdrawal restrictions

Another feature is that a customer is limited to 1 deposit method per platform at any given time. A customer cannot change their deposit method in quick succession (i.e., cannot change it within 24 hours of selecting the method). However, customers must be allowed to register a different withdrawal method. In practice, these restrictions reduce flexibility for customers and may slow deposit activity, but are clearly intended to curb impulsive spending and strengthen payment controls.

Game design restrictions

The Regulations also impose restrictions on the design of online casino games. Autoplay is prohibited and losses cannot be disguised as wins, meaning returns equal to or less than the original wager must be presented as losses and cannot be accompanied by celebratory sounds or animations. These restrictions will likely limit an operator’s ability to use pre-existing casino games utilised in other jurisdictions. These pre-existing games may need to be reconfigured or adapted to ensure compliance.

Operators will also need to take care when describing and presenting their games to customers. The Regulations prohibit misleading practices, including suggesting that a customer’s chance of winning improves the longer they play or the more they spend, where that is not in fact the case, or exaggerating the likelihood of a particular outcome.

Practical implications for operators

Taken together, the Regulations establish a structured and closely regulated environment. For operators that are well-prepared, the regime offers the opportunity to participate in a newly regulated market with clear rules, strong consumer protections and a defined licensing framework. Early engagement with the requirements, particularly in relation to platform design, marketing strategy and compliance systems, will be critical to successfully navigating the licensing process and establishing a competitive position.

About Senet

Senet is a multidisciplinary Australian firm specialising in gambling and gaming law, regulatory compliance, and business advisory services. We are the largest specialist team in Australia and based in Victoria. Recognised globally as experts in our field, we understand Australia’s complex gaming legal and regulatory landscape, enabling us to guide clients through their compliance requirements across each state and territory. Our clients range from start-ups to publicly listed global operators, both nationally and internationally. Our team is deeply immersed in the industry, often sharing insights at public speaking events, and our principals have held executive roles in a global ASX-listed entity and a 'Big Four' advisory firm, giving us a unique perspective on the challenges our clients face.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the topics covered in this article, please contact the team at Senet.

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