Gamblers in New Zealand will soon be allowed to legally participate in online gambling games following the approval of a gambling expansion bill in Parliament. Prospective licensees have already received the green light to enlist in a competitive bidding process for license acquisition.
New Zealand, through its Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), has opened its doors for prospective online gambling operators to formally register their interest in securing a license ahead of next year’s market launch.
The island nation in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean is currently drafting a regulatory framework for the iGaming industry, planned for a 2026 debut. As things stand, NZ is looking to offer a maximum of 15 licenses via a competitive bidding process after legislators pass the nation’s Online Gambling Bill into law. Renowned iGaming juggernauts such as, Betway, and 888 have already expressed interest in the country’s soon-to-launch internet gambling market.
Trina Lowry, the Program Director of NZ’s Online Gambling Implementation (OGI) Program, recently underscored the importance of prospective license holders to throw their heart in the ring early. According to the OGI, early engagement is the key to building a ‘clear, efficient and supportive’ system that will seamlessly facilitate the entry of potential operators into New Zealand’s regulated market.
License applicants will be required to abide by stringent player safety and responsible gambling regulations to ensure that citizens are well protected whenever they engage in the activity online. At the moment, however, Lowry noted that while online casinos aren’t legal within state lines, thousands of NZ players already play gambling games at unlicensed offshore platforms. She added that such operators typically don’t have player protection measures that assist with gambling harm prevention among their internet patrons.
Last month, Matt Doocey, the Minister for Mental Health, announced a boost in investment for the support of NZ’s updated strategy for minimizing gambling harm to the tune of NZ$81 million (~$48 million). The services of the said program will receive funding from a selection of regulated gaming entities as per the new measures listed in the Problem Gambling Levy Regulations. Besides licensed online operators, Lotto NZ, the state lottery monopoly, TAB, land-based casinos, and non-casino gaming machine operators will be contributing to the strategy.
From the look of things, there is a high likelihood for New Zealand to ease its strict advertising regulations. As we speak, the nation’s Gambling Act 2003 outlawed the advertisement or promotion of internet gambling in any form whatsoever. Thankfully, the new online gambling legislation currently being mulled over by lawmakers has a proposal to allow licensed internet gambling operators to advertise their services.
The transition to more liberal gambling advertising regulations is crucial for industry success when NZ opens its doors to a regulated iGaming market next year. That’s because players will need to know the difference between licensed and illegal iGaming operators, and that is only possible if some form of advertising is at least okayed.
As we edge closer to the launch date of New Zealand’s regulated internet gambling market, players across the nation are plenty excited. In a couple of months, they will no longer need to use back channels just to engage in their favorite gambling games online, and they will be playing in safe, licensed environments.
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