Who do you complain to when an online casino will not pay out or closes your account? To complain about an online casino in New Zealand, start with one question: does the site hold a New Zealand licence? A licensed operator must run a public complaints process and respond within 40 working days, and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) can take a complaint directly. As at 8 October 2026 no licence has been issued, so that route does not yet exist for any site.

DIA anticipates issuing licences from early 2027. Until then, the working options are the casino’s own complaints process, your bank for payment problems, and Netsafe if the site looks like a scam.

Where to turn, in order

Work down this list and stop at the step that fits your situation. The online casino scams and complaints in New Zealand hub covers the wider topic.

  1. The casino, in writing. Send the complaint by email with dates, amounts and screenshots, and ask for a reference number.
  2. DIA, if the casino holds a New Zealand licence. Once licences exist, a complaint can go to DIA directly, with or without a complaint to the casino first.
  3. Your bank, if a payment was not yours or the site looks like a scam. Contact the bank straight away and keep the reply.
  4. The Gambling Helpline, if the dispute is weighing on you. Support does not depend on how the complaint ends.

If gambling is causing harm to you or someone in your whānau, call the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or text 8006. The service is free and confidential. A dispute over money can prompt a person to add up how much has been spent, and the Helpline can talk that through whatever happens to the complaint.

Does the casino hold a New Zealand licence?

The answer decides where a complaint can go. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 puts its duties on an “operator”, and section 5 defines that word narrowly: “operator means a person who holds a licence to conduct online casino gambling”. Complaint duties therefore attach to licence holders. DIA adds that a player on an unlicensed platform does not have the same player protections.

A licensed operator will have to display a registration icon on its platform (section 41 of the Act), and DIA says it will publish a public register of licensed online casinos. As at 8 October 2026 no register has been published, and none of the pages read for this guide lists the businesses that have applied for a licence. A player cannot yet check which group a site falls into. The guide on how to check whether an online casino is licensed in New Zealand covers what can be checked today.

The Act also has a transition. A business already offering online casino gambling can apply before 1 December 2026 and carry on, without advertising, until DIA decides its application. Under the transitional provisions in Schedule 1, the exemption lasts until the earlier of two dates: the day after DIA tells the business its decision, or 1 June 2027. DIA’s page for providers (updated 15 September 2026) describes the exemption.

A complaint is only as useful as the place it can be sent. Four situations cover most disputes.

Your situationWhere the complaint can goWhat can happen
Licensed operator, once licences existThe operator, then DIAReply within 40 working days; DIA decides whether to investigate
Business carrying on while its application is decidedIts own complaints processThe Act puts complaint duties on licence holders
No licence and no applicationThe site’s own process; DIA about its conductA report on conduct, not a ruling on your win
Payment you did not make, or a fake siteYour bank, Netsafe, Police on 105Depends on the bank and the facts

Step 1: complain about an online casino in writing

For a licensed operator, section 45 of the Act sets three requirements. The operator must keep a publicly available complaints process, investigate each complaint and respond in line with that process, and do so “within 40 working days of being received”.

The Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026 fill in the detail in regulation 24. The process must be easy to find, and a complaint must be acknowledged in writing within 24 hours with a summary and an estimate of how long the reply will take. A customer can complain up to six months after the matter arose or after learning of it. The process must include an internal escalation step, and the operator’s final written decision must say how to complain to DIA.

Section 46 adds a record. Every complaint goes into a complaints register, with the date received, the response and the closing date, and the operator reports the number of complaints to DIA every three months. DIA can also ask for the details of one complaint or the whole register. For you, that means a complaint to a licence holder is a record the regulator can see, not a chat message that can disappear.

Section 45 and regulation 24 describe what a licence holder must offer. They do not tell a player what to write. These steps are general advice:

  1. Write by email, not only through the site’s chat, so that you hold a copy.
  2. Say what happened, when it happened and what outcome you want, such as your winnings paid or an account reopened.
  3. Attach evidence: screenshots, emails, the transaction history and the bonus terms as they appeared when you accepted them.
  4. Note the date and time you sent the complaint.
  5. Ask for a reference number and for the complaints process in writing.
  6. Keep every reply, and confirm any phone call by email.

A site without a New Zealand licence is not bound by the 40 working days. Its own terms decide what happens next, and no time limit or outcome can be promised. A written complaint is still worth sending, because it gives your bank or a later report to DIA something to work from.

Step 2: complain to the Department of Internal Affairs

Section 68 of the Act is the regulator’s complaint provision. A person may complain in writing to the Secretary about:

  • an operator’s conduct of online casino gambling;
  • the outcome of a complaint to an operator;
  • the way an operator handled a complaint; or
  • a civil liability act, or an alleged one, carried out by any person.

The Secretary is the Secretary for Internal Affairs, which in practice means DIA. Two further rules help a complainant. A person may complain to the Secretary “without first complaining to the person to whom the complaint relates” (section 68(2)), and the complaint must state the grounds on which it is made (section 68(3)). Writing to the casino first is still sensible. It is usually quicker and it creates a record, but that is advice, not a requirement of the Act.

Section 68 is already in force, but the first three items above concern operators, and no operator holds a licence yet.

Where to send a complaint is the open question. As at 8 October 2026 DIA has not published a separate complaint form for online casino players. The contact it gives for online casino matters is onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz, which its contact page for the gambling group (modified 6 August 2026) lists for reporting or complaining about an online casino provider that is advertising during the transitional period. The same address appears on the page for players for reporting unlawful advertising. Check both pages for a form before writing, because the position is likely to change once licences are issued.

What does DIA actually check, and what does it decide?

DIA does not have to investigate every complaint. Under section 69(1) it must take into account:

  • the extent of actual or potential harm arising from the alleged conduct;
  • the culpability of the person the complaint relates to;
  • whether the complaint relates to duties of the operator under the Act; and
  • whether investigating will maintain the integrity of the regulatory regime for online casino gambling or otherwise further the purposes of the Act.

A complaint that points to a specific duty in the Act, such as a missed deadline or a refusal to give a customer access to funds, relates more directly to the third item than a general grievance does.

DIA must tell the complainant what it decides (section 69(2)). If it investigates, it gives the person complained about a copy of the complaint, if the complainant agrees, or otherwise a summary. That person can comment in writing, and DIA can require more information from either side (section 69(3) to (5)). Afterwards, section 70 requires DIA to notify both sides in writing of its decision, whether action has been or will be taken, and what that action is. The Act sets the timing as “as soon as is reasonably practicable”. It gives no number of days.

The limit is just as important. The complaint sections describe an investigation and a decision. They do not say that DIA will order a casino to pay a player. One duty does speak to a player’s balance. Under section 31, the expiry, suspension, cancellation or surrender of a licence does not remove the operator’s obligations to reward winners for gambling done earlier and to let customers access their accounts and withdraw funds. For you, that means the end of a licence does not cancel the operator’s duty to let you access your account and withdraw your funds.

If the casino is not licensed in New Zealand

DIA says that from 1 December 2026 only licensed operators will be able to provide online casino gambling to customers in New Zealand, and that a player on an unlicensed platform does not have the same player protections. The complaint routes above are built for licence holders, so an unlicensed site leaves fewer places to go.

DIA still takes some reports. Section 68(1) allows a complaint about a civil liability act by any person, and section 50 lists acts that include conducting online casino gambling in breach of section 9, the prohibition on doing so without a licence, and publishing advertisements in breach of section 10. A report like that is about the site’s conduct, such as operating or advertising. It is not a way to recover a win. None of the sources read describes DIA settling a payout dispute with an unlicensed site.

An offshore operator’s own terms may name a regulator or dispute service in another country, which sits outside New Zealand. This guide describes where complaints can go. It does not say whether anyone may play on a particular site.

The practical steps are modest. Complain to the site in writing, withdraw what it allows and keep records of your balance, tell your bank about any payment you dispute, and report the site’s conduct to DIA if it advertises to New Zealand players.

BonusOut’s page on licensed online casinos explains what a New Zealand licence means for a player.

If the problem is a payment or looks like a scam

A dispute and a scam are different problems. In a dispute the operator exists and answers, but you disagree about what is owed. In a scam, a site pretends to be someone else, or a payment was never yours. The second case belongs with your bank, and how to report a gambling scam and what to tell your bank covers it in full.

The Banking Ombudsman Scheme’s guide to scams (May 2026) says to contact your bank immediately if you suspect you have been scammed. The same guide describes “charging back” a card payment when goods or services were not delivered. It is written about online purchases and does not mention gambling, so whether a chargeback is possible for a casino payment is a question for your bank. No outcome is guaranteed.

The Scheme handles complaints about banks, not about casinos. Its complaint page says it is helpful if you have already tried your bank’s internal complaints team, and gives 0800 805 950 as the number.

Netsafe says it cannot investigate or track scammers, but it offers scam advice and an online reporting form. For a report to Police, call 105 or visit a local station.

Where to complain first, and where to get support

Put the complaint to the casino in writing first and keep every record. If the casino holds a New Zealand licence, DIA is the next stop, and it can be the first if you prefer. If a payment was not yours or the site looks like a scam, go to your bank and Netsafe. The position will change when the first licence is issued and the register opens, so check the date on this guide before relying on it.

If the dispute is affecting your sleep, your finances or your relationships, the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655, or text 8006, offers free and confidential support. This guide gives general information and is not legal advice.

Questions people ask about online casino complaints

How do you complain about an online casino in New Zealand?

Write to the casino first, with dates, amounts and screenshots, and ask for a reference number. If the casino holds a New Zealand licence, a complaint can also go to DIA under section 68. As at 8 October 2026 no licence has been issued, so for most sites the casino’s own process is the only route.

How long does a licensed online casino have to respond to a complaint?

Section 45 says within 40 working days of receiving it, in line with the casino’s own complaints process. Regulation 24 adds a written acknowledgement within 24 hours. These duties bind licence holders. As at 8 October 2026 none exists, so no site is yet bound by that limit.

Can you complain to DIA without complaining to the casino first?

Yes. Section 68(2) says a person may complain to the Secretary for Internal Affairs without first complaining to the person the complaint relates to. Writing to the casino first is still sensible. The complaint must be in writing and state its grounds (section 68(3)).

Can DIA make an online casino pay out your winnings?

The complaint sections describe an investigation and a decision. They do not say that DIA will order a casino to pay a player. Section 31 does require a licence holder to reward winners and let customers withdraw funds, even after its licence ends, and a complaint can point to that duty.

Is there a complaint form for online casino players?

As at 8 October 2026 DIA has not published a separate complaint form for online casino players. The contact it gives for online casino matters is onlinegambling@dia.govt.nz, listed for reporting or complaining about a provider that advertises during the transitional period. Check DIA’s contact page for changes before writing.

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