New Zealand: Online casinos to be legalised

It is over 18,000 kilometres from the German capital Berlin to New Zealand. The average flight time on the most popular routes is around 32 hours. Despite the enormous distance, New Zealand enjoys great popularity, especially among young Germans. Until now, online casinos in New Zealand have been illegal here, but this could change in the next few years.

Back in December 2020, an article published on GambleJoe reported on the exploding slot machine turnover in New Zealand. Now the New Zealand government also wants to legalise online casinos in the country under strict conditions. To this end, gambling licences similar to those in Germany are to be issued in the coming years.

New Zealand wants to legalise online casinos from the start of 2026

Just under a fortnight ago, the plan to legalise online casinos was announced by the New Zealand Ministry of the Interior. Accordingly, online gambling is to be legalised in the country from the beginning of 2026 under strict conditions.

Specifically, Home Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden announced that operators will only receive a licence if only online casino games are offered. Sports betting and lotteries for private operators will still not be eligible for a licence and will therefore remain illegal. The current situation is that players can only access the New Zealand Racing Board's (TAB) official online offering. Back in April 2019, an article on our platform discussed the fact that New Zealand has a problem with international gambling sites.

Of course, licence holders must also ensure that only persons aged 18 and over can participate in the game. Strict regulations are also to apply with regard to gambling advertising, whereby advertising for online casinos is to be permitted in principle. The New Zealand government is also planning to limit the number of licences. If there are more applicants than licences, an auction process will decide on the awarding of licences. Those who manage to obtain a licence will then be allowed to offer online casino games in New Zealand for a period of three years.

More and more countries are deciding to legalise online casinos under strict conditions. For example, we reported at the end of May this year that Uzbekistan is also legalising online casinos.

The advantages for politicians are clear: if an attractive legal online offering is created, the state can benefit from online gambling, in particular through tax revenue, and also protect players from the dangers of gambling in the best possible way. However, if the legal offer is not attractive enough, there is a risk that gamblers will switch to the illegal black market, where they are not protected and no tax revenue is generated.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/auckland-skytower-neuseeland-2160551/