The Online Casino Gambling Bill in New Zealand has passed its first reading in Parliament by 83 votes to 39, enabling it to advance to the Governance and Administration Committee.
The bill, introduced by Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden in April, would allow up to 15 operators to be licensed in the regulated iGaming market, with licences running for three years. Licensed operators are expected to go live by July 2026.
Opposing voice
During Tuesday’s session, Labour Party politician Lemauga Lydia Sosene spoke against the bill, arguing it opened New Zealand up to international operators without providing a strong enough plan for gambling harm reduction.
Sosene said: “It is important that the government is serious about supporting the reduction of online harm and, specifically, consumer protection, because the bill in its current form does not address those particular actions wholeheartedly. They are listed vaguely.”
Jamie Arbuckle, MP for the New Zealand First Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, supported the bill, noting it would curb the currently thriving unregulated market the country currently faces.
“This bill is to stop the unregulated situation that we find ourselves in at the moment. [It] will create a robust framework to regulate online casino gambling and protect consumers and minimise harm,” Arbuckle said.
“We want to make sure that only trustworthy operators are allowed to operate in the online gambling market.”
Rules and regulations
The bill sets out plans for operators to pay a goods and services tax and an offshore gambling duty of 12%, as well as a mandatory levy of 1.24% of profits to fund services for gambling harm.
Licensees would be allowed to advertise gambling activities with limitations, such as no advertising to children. A suitable age verification tool will be required.
The 15 available licences would be awarded by auction. A number of operators have previously expressed an interest in being awarded a licence, including SkyCity, 888, Bet365, Super Group (owner of Betway) and TAB NZ, the monopoly operator of sports betting in New Zealand.
However, van Velden has previously stated TAB NZ will not be able to apply for an online casino licence, according to RNZ. TAB was recently granted the online monopoly for sports betting, meaning no other operators can legally offer betting in the online market.
The bill calls for the vetting and auction process to start in February 2026 before licensed operators can commence trading.
What’s next for New Zealand iGaming bill?
The bill will now advance to the Governance and Administration Committee. The following stage would be a second reading in Parliament, before being sent to the Committee of the Whole House.
Van Velden has motioned for this to happen by 17 November. This would then lead to a third reading before the bill could be signed into law. This could mean the bill is voted into law before the end of the year.
MPs voted 83 to 39 in favour of the New Zealand iGaming bill, which will allow for up to 15 licensees.