DIA Tells Unlicensed Online Casinos to Prepare to Leave New Zealand by 1 December

^{The Beehive in Wellington. New Zealand’s Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 takes full effect for unlicensed providers on 1 December. (Photo: GeeCee75 / Wikimedia Commons)}

New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has published guidance for online casino providers that will not hold a licence, telling them to prepare to leave the market by 1 December 2026. After that date it will be unlawful to enable people in New Zealand to take part in online casino gambling unless the provider has applied for a licence.

The guidance appeared on the DIA website this week. It is aimed at providers that lost out at either stage of the licensing process or never took part in it.

Who the Guidance Covers

The DIA said the guidance applies to providers that were unsuccessful at stage 1 (expression of interest) or stage 2 (the competitive process or auction) of the three-stage licensing process, and to those that did not participate at all. Providers operating in the New Zealand market on 1 May 2026 may continue for now, but should prepare to comply with the prohibition in section 9 of the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026.

The licensing round itself has been moving for months. The regulator has already named the winners of the licence auction, including Entain and Stake, and TAB New Zealand won the right to apply as well.

What Providers Are Expected to Do

The DIA said it expects an orderly exit. That means returning all money owed to customers, including balances and winnings, processing withdrawals of uncommitted funds, and handling dormant accounts and unclaimed balances for people in New Zealand. Providers should also stop any gambling-related credit offered to New Zealanders.

The Department recommends that providers begin by working out the extent of their New Zealand operations and identifying affected customers. It also wants clear and timely communication, and suggests encouraging customers to withdraw funds well before the exit date.

Administrative messages to existing customers are not treated as prohibited advertising, the DIA said, provided they do not promote online casino gambling. Notifying customers of an exit and the steps they can take is allowed.

Blocking and Advertising Rules

By 1 December, providers should have access controls in place to stop people in New Zealand from taking part in online casino gambling, including visitors, and to prevent new accounts being created. The DIA gave IP address and GPS location as examples of how providers might do this.

Advertising stays restricted under section 10 of the Act. The guidance says that includes affiliate arrangements, social media campaigns, sponsorships and digital advertising placements. Providers are told to remove New Zealand targeting from campaigns and to use geo-targeting or geo-blocking controls. The rules on advertising were already under scrutiny as licences neared.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

The prohibitions apply whether a provider is based in New Zealand or anywhere else. Serious breaches can lead to pecuniary penalties of up to NZ$5 million, for example for running online casino gambling in a way that lets a person in New Zealand take part, or for publishing an advertisement that reaches someone there. Those NZ$5 million fines were signalled when the legislation was first set out.

The DIA also said it has a stronger set of formal and informal tools, including cooperation with overseas regulators and licensing bodies, which will play a key role in compliance and enforcement.