New Zealand online gambling legalization bill clears first hurdle
A bill that will legalize New Zealand’s currently unregulated online gambling market has cleared its first legislative hurdle, earning its first reading in Parliament.
It will now go forward to the select committee stage where the public are invited to comment.
The bill, which was introduced by Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, has been designed to protect players and to ensure that online gambling providers make a contribution to harm prevention services.
“Currently, New Zealanders can legally access thousands of offshore gambling websites. But the market is unregulated, so there are no player safety standards or oversight of harm minimisation,” van Valden said.
The bill proposes the establishment of a licensing framework for online casinos, with provision for up to 15 licenses. That licensing framework has been praised by industry figures.
Companies that want to claim a license will have to meet strict standards, including demonstrating their harm prevention strategy and being transparent about their compliance history.
Other licence conditions include the implementation of strong age verification systems, mandatory contributions of 1.24% of profits to the Problem Gambling Levy, and strict ad restrictions, particularly for the protection of children.
According to the minister, more detail about advertising rules will be revealed in due course.
The newly legalized industry will be overseen by the Department of Internal Affairs, with the cost of regulation recovered from fees on licensed operators. The legislation also includes penalties of up to $5 million for operators who breach the rules.
Dig deeper
2025/07/02: New Zealand introduces online casino bill to parliament
2025/06/30: New Zealand bans offshore sports betting
2025/06/24: New Zealand opens register of interest for prospective online operators
2025/07/03: New Zealand’s closed licensing regime presents ‘good test case’ for better regulation
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