How do you check whether an online casino is licensed in New Zealand? As at 8 October 2026 you cannot yet: the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has issued no online casino licence, and the public register that would confirm one has not been published. DIA expects the first licences from early 2027.
This guide explains how to check an online casino licence in NZ once the register exists, what a registration icon does and does not show, and what to rely on until then. It will be revised when DIA issues licences or publishes the register. For the state of licensing, read where online casino licensing in New Zealand stands today.
Is any online casino licensed in New Zealand today?
No. Neither DIA’s page for players nor its page for providers, both checked on 8 October 2026, records a licence as issued. DIA says it anticipates issuing licences “from early 2027 onwards”. That date is an expectation, not a promise.
The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 (the Act) came into force on 1 May 2026. Section 9(1) allows a person to conduct online casino gambling for people in New Zealand only if, among other conditions, the gambling is conducted in accordance with a licence. The Secretary for Internal Affairs grants licences, so DIA is the only source of one. Words on a web page are not.
The same logic applies to wording such as “NZ licensed” or “licensed in New Zealand”. As at 8 October 2026, a statement like that on an online casino site cannot match a licence granted under the Act, because none has been granted. This guide names no site. It describes the claim, not any operator.
A licence names the operator and the platform and branding it authorises, according to section 22 of the Act. DIA says up to 15 online casinos will gain the right to apply through an auction, and section 19(3) sets 15 as the most licences that can be held at any time. Sports and racing betting sit outside this regime. DIA says they are regulated under the Racing Industry Act 2020 and the Gambling Act 2003.
The authority on where licensing stands is DIA, not an operator’s own page. Its page for providers was updated on 15 September 2026 and describes the auction as set for 29 September 2026. It reports no outcome.
What changes on 1 December 2026, and what does not?
A date in the Act divides online casino operators into three positions. Each position gives a different answer to the question of what you can check.
| Operator’s position | What the Act and DIA say | What you can check |
|---|---|---|
| Has not applied for a licence | Schedule 1 clause 1(3): the section 9(1) ban does not apply until 1 December 2026. DIA says providers that have not applied must cease operating in New Zealand | No public list of applicants was found on DIA’s pages on 8 October 2026 |
| Applied before 1 December 2026 and was operating when the clause began | Schedule 1 clause 1(2): the ban does not apply until the earlier of the day after DIA’s licence decision is notified and 1 June 2027. DIA says these providers may keep operating, without advertising | An exemption is not a licence. No register entry exists to confirm one |
| Holds a licence | A licence is granted under the Act. DIA expects to start issuing them from early 2027 | The register entry, once DIA publishes it |
Sources: Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, Schedule 1 clause 1 and section 9(1); DIA pages for providers (updated 15 September 2026) and players. All checked on 8 October 2026.
A site that is still open after 1 December 2026 therefore tells you little. It may be an applicant working under an exemption, which is not a licence. It may be an operator the ban already reaches. This guide does not decide which, and only DIA can.
Advertising proves nothing either. Section 10 allows advertising that can reach people in New Zealand only in accordance with a licence, among other conditions, and DIA says applicants under an exemption may not advertise. With no licence issued as at 8 October 2026, an advertisement cannot rest on one yet.
How to check an online casino licence in NZ once the register is published
Section 74 of the Act requires the Secretary to maintain a register of operators and licences, make it available on an internet site maintained by or on behalf of the Secretary, and keep it up to date. DIA says it “will publish a public register of licensed online casinos”. The register’s web address, its launch date and its search function are not published as at 8 October 2026.
This guide therefore links to no register. The steps below describe the check as the Act sets it out.
- Find out who operates the site. A licence names the operator, the platform and the branding it authorises. Look in the footer and the site’s legal pages for the operator’s name and the brand name. Write both down.
- Reach the register from DIA’s own website. Type the address of the Department’s website yourself or use a bookmark you made, and look for the register from there. Do not follow a link from a casino page, an advertisement or a message, because a link can lead anywhere.
- Match the platform and the operator. The Act says the register describes each operator’s gambling platform and the ways to reach it. Compare that description with the address of the site you are on. DIA has not yet said whether the register will list web addresses directly.
- Check the status and the dates. For each licence the register shows its start and end dates, any conditions, whether it has been renewed, and whether it is current, suspended, cancelled, surrendered or expired. Only “current” answers your question.
- Note the date you checked. A licence can be suspended or cancelled after you look. Keep a screenshot or a short note with the date, because the result is true for that day only.
The register also holds a summary of any enforcement action taken against the operator. A logo on a casino page never carries that information.
What is the registration icon, and why is it not enough?
The Act defines a registration icon as a picture or symbol that the Secretary publicly notifies. Section 41 requires a licensed operator to display it on the platform its licence authorises and on its visual advertising, and to play a registration audio mark on the platform and in audio advertising. DIA says licensed casinos will be required to display a “unique registration icon”.
The icon must come down no later than 24 hours after a licence is suspended, cancelled or surrendered, or after it expires (section 41(3)). A person who is not permitted to conduct online casino gambling must not display it at all (section 41(4)). A rule protects you only where someone enforces it.
An image can be copied, and a copied image costs a scam site nothing to place on a page. A register entry sits on DIA’s own website. Treat the icon as a pointer to the register, never as the proof. None of the sources checked for this guide documents how often icons are copied, so this is a point about why the check works, not about how common copying is. For how scam sites and advertisements imitate real brands, read how to spot a fake casino site or scam ad.
What the icon will look like, when DIA will notify it and whether it will link to the register are not described in the sources checked. Do not rely on any picture presented as the official icon until DIA has published it.
What does not prove a New Zealand licence?
- A claim or a logo on the site. A statement, a badge or a certificate image is where a check starts. It is not where it ends.
- A licence from another country. The Act recognises licences granted under the Act. A licence issued elsewhere is not a licence under the Act. This guide names no country and rates no foreign regulator.
- A New Zealand look. A .nz address, prices in dollars and local payment methods can all appear on any site. No official source checked for this guide lists them as signs of a licence.
- Being able to open the site. Reaching a site from New Zealand says nothing about its licence.
- Reviews, rankings and recommendations. Opinion on any website is not evidence of a licence. Only the register is.
- A site still running after 1 December 2026. It may be an applicant with an exemption, as set out above, and an exemption is not a licence.
- A list of licensed casinos copied from elsewhere. A list on another website may be out of date. Only the register the Act requires has to be kept up to date.
What DIA actually checks, and what a licence changes for your account
DIA administers the licensing regime, must keep the register and will take complaints about licensed casinos. It does not recommend an operator, and a licence is not a promise that winnings will be paid.
The Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 came into force on 3 July 2026. Their duties fall on operators, meaning licence holders, so no operator carries them yet. Read each point below as a duty a licensed operator will have to meet.
- Complaints. A licensed operator must have a publicly available complaints process and respond within 40 working days of receiving a complaint (section 45). The regulations add written acknowledgement within 24 hours and a duty to tell you that you can complain to the Secretary at any stage (regulation 24). For your account: a complaint has an address and a deadline. For the procedure, read how to complain about an online casino.
- Your money. The operator must hold uncommitted customer funds in a bank account separate from its other accounts (regulation 21). For your account: your uncommitted balance is kept apart from the operator’s other money. Separation is not insurance, and this guide does not read it as a guarantee.
- Age. An operator must take all reasonable steps to ensure that a person who gambles on its platform is at least 18 years old (section 38). For your account: expect age checks.
- Information before play. Before the first play of a game, the operator must make the odds of winning that game readily accessible, together with the long-run share of stakes the game is designed to pay back, where it has a defined rate (regulation 22). For your account: that information is there to read before you play.
- Without a licence. DIA says that a person using an unlicensed platform does not have the same player protections. This guide adds nothing to that sentence.
A licence says who supervises an operator. It does not tell you how much to bet.
Where to report and where to get help
Before the register exists, there is nothing to check an online casino licence against. If a site claims a New Zealand licence, no register entry can support the claim yet. Keep the evidence: emails, screenshots and payment receipts, each with its date. The DIA pages checked for this guide do not say what happens to a player’s balance at an operator that stops operating. Do not assume an outcome. For the wider picture of scams and complaints, read online casino scams and complaints in New Zealand.
If you have paid a site you now doubt, contact your bank as soon as possible. Netsafe gives that advice on its scams page (updated 30 June 2026). Netsafe says it cannot investigate or track scammers. To report a scam to Police, visit your local Police station or phone 105.
To report unlawful online casino advertising, email DIA at onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz.
If gambling is affecting you or someone in your whānau, the Gambling Helpline offers free and anonymous support on 0800 654 655, or you can text 8006. This guide gives general information and is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do you check an online casino licence in NZ today?
As at 8 October 2026 there is nothing to check a licence against, because DIA has issued none and has not published the register. Read DIA’s own pages for the current position, keep dated evidence of any claim a site makes, and repeat the check once the register is published.
Who licenses online casinos in New Zealand?
The Secretary for Internal Affairs grants licences under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, and DIA administers the regime as the regulator. The Act allows up to 15 licences to be held at any time. As at 8 October 2026 none has been issued.
When will the first online casino licences be issued?
DIA says it anticipates issuing licences from early 2027 onwards. That is DIA’s expectation as at 8 October 2026, not a fixed date, and this guide does not predict it. DIA’s timeline has licence applications opening in October 2026, and an applicant’s exemption ends no later than 1 June 2027.
Where is the register of licensed online casinos?
Nowhere yet. Section 74 of the Act requires the Secretary to keep a register on an internet site and keep it up to date, and DIA says it will publish one. Its address and launch date are not published as at 8 October 2026, so look on DIA’s own pages, not at a link on a casino site.
Can a site without a licence show the registration icon?
Not under the Act. Section 41(4) forbids a person who is not permitted to conduct online casino gambling from displaying the icon. A copied image is still easy to place on a page, which is why the register entry, not the icon, tells you whether a licence exists.
Does an overseas licence count in New Zealand?
Section 9(1) ties online casino gambling for people in New Zealand to a licence granted under the Act. A licence from another country is a different thing. This describes the operator’s position under the Act and says nothing about what you may do.
Is an online casino licensed if it is still open after 1 December 2026?
Not necessarily. An operator that applied before 1 December 2026 may continue, without advertising, until DIA decides or until 1 June 2027, whichever comes first (Schedule 1 clause 1(2)). That is an exemption, not a licence. Only a register entry will show a licence.
Can you complain to DIA about an online casino?
About a licensed casino, yes: DIA says you will be able to complain to the casino or to the regulator, and a licensed operator must respond within 40 working days. About a site without a licence, DIA says only that you do not have the same player protections.
Sources
These sources support the dates and provisions in this guide on how to check an online casino licence in NZ.
- Information for online casino customers, DIA. Checked on 8 October 2026.
- Information for online casino providers, DIA (updated 15 September 2026). Checked on 8 October 2026.
- Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, New Zealand Legislation: sections 9, 10, 19, 22, 38, 41, 45 and 74, Schedule 1. Checked on 8 October 2026.
- Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026, New Zealand Legislation: regulations 21, 22 and 24. Checked on 8 October 2026.
- Understanding scams, Netsafe (updated 30 June 2026). Checked on 8 October 2026.
- The Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 655, text 8006.