New Zealand’s first online casino licensing round draws interest from around 50 operators for up to 15 licences

New Zealand’s move into a regulated online casino market has attracted around 50 operators for as many as 15 first-round licences. For PSPs, acquirers, and banks, the useful number is not the headline count of interest — it’s the fact that this is a tightly capped market with brand-level licences and a staged approval process.

1. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) opened the expression of interest (EOI) stage on 17 July 2026 and closed submissions on 14 August. The EOI is the first of three stages under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, and the regulator says submissions are now being assessed ahead of the competitive stage expected in September.
2. The licensing round is constrained from the start: the government intends to make up to 15 online casino gambling licences available in the first process. Each licence will apply to a single brand, and an operator will be limited to a maximum of three licences. The initial licence period can run for up to three years, with a further five-year renewal available.
3. Industry reporting has linked Stake, Entain and Dabble to the process. Earlier reports have also named Bet365, evoke, SkyCity, Spin City, SpinBet and Super Group as businesses that have shown interest in the market. The DIA has not published a full applicant register, so these names are not the same thing as an official list of EOI participants.
4. There is at least one clear public filing in the mix: DigiPlus Interactive Corp. disclosed through the Philippine Stock Exchange that its board approved the filing of an EOI to apply for a gaming licence in New Zealand on 4 August 2026. SkyCity has also publicly discussed its participation, saying it is pursuing the opportunity as New Zealand builds out a regulated online casino framework.
5. The important operational point is that an EOI is not a licence. It only gets an operator into the competitive process; it does not authorize online casino gambling under the new regime. The DIA says the first stage is meant to test whether potential operators meet the initial requirements, including information on ownership structures, before the process moves on.

For high-risk payment providers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: this is not a broad open market, but a controlled licensing funnel. That usually means fewer approved operators than hopefuls, more scrutiny at onboarding, and a clear need to separate media reports about interest from confirmed participation.