SkyCity targets New Zealand online casino license in preparation for ‘Day 1 launch’
New Zealand’s SkyCity Entertainment Group has listed securing a New Zealand online gaming license as a key priority in 2025 as the nation prepares to legalize and regulate the industry.
The company’s online platform, SkyCity Online Casino, is currently licensed through Malta. However, that is set to change after the Department of Internal Affairs announced in November that it would offer up to 15 licenses to local operators in a bid to minimize the proliferation of illegal offshore gambling across the country.
In its H1 2025 results presentation on Thursday, SkyCity confirmed that it aims to secure one of those 15 licenses and would work to define and execute strategies for a regulated New Zealand market.
The company said it sees “significant growth potential in a regulated online market” and wants to use its land-based presence to become the “online local hero”.
SkyCity is New Zealand’s largest land-based casino operator thanks to its flagship property SkyCity Auckland and the smaller SkyCity Hamilton and SkyCity Queenstown.
With domestic online regulation anticipated to take effect from early 2026, the company explained that it plans to achieve “full operational readiness for Day one launch to accelerate market growth” and would focus on a “localized marketing, host responsibility, single customer view, VIP management and utilization of land-based assets and brand for customer education, and acquisition and retention.”
When plans to regulate online casino gaming were announced late last year, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said the goal was “not to increase the amount of gambling that is happening online, but to enable New Zealanders who wish to play casino games online to do so more safely than they can today.
“Currently, New Zealanders can and do gamble on thousands of offshore gambling websites. By introducing a regulatory system my intention is to channel customers towards up to 15 licensed operators,” she explained.
Verticals:
Sectors:
Topics:
