11 Entities Win Right to Apply in NZ Licence Auction

^{The Beehive and New Zealand Parliament Buildings in Wellington, home to the government overseeing the country's new online casino gambling regime. (Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons)}

32 bidders, 10 rounds and a closing price of $15 million per licence. Now comes the hard part.

New Zealand's online casino licence auction has concluded, with 11 entities winning the right to apply for one of the 15 licences on offer. The auction drew 32 bidders, ran for 10 rounds and closed at $15m per licence.

Who Won the Right to Apply

Baytree Interactive Limited secured three rights to apply, while Playvia Gaming and Rock Swift Group took two each. The remaining eight entities hold one right apiece: Christchurch, One Casino, Rush Entertainment, Skill On Net, SkyCity NZ Online NO1 & NO2, Stake and TAB.

The DIA is not naming the brands that may operate under a licence and applicants can change details during the process. The approved brands will appear on a public DIA register once licensed.

What Happens Next

Winning the auction gets an entity in the door, but not necessarily a licence. Each one now has to pay the $15m and put together a full application, including a business plan and strategies for advertising, as well as consumer protection, harm prevention and compliance.

The DIA then assesses all of it, covering all operational integrity and ongoing compliance before anyone is licensed, which is expected to happen next year, as long as the applications hold up.

1 December Deadline for Everyone Else

There's no wiggle room for online casinos in New Zealand outside the process. If you don't have a pathway to a licence, you must stop serving players in New Zealand by the 1st of December 2026. Gambling sites that have applied can keep running without advertising until the DIA decides, but a declined application means shutting down operations in New Zealand altogether.