New Zealand Names 11 Companies Eligible to Apply for Online Casino Licences

New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has published the list of 11 entities that won the right to apply for one or more online casino licences. The move matters for PSPs and other payment providers because the country is now turning a grey-market segment into a licensed one, with a hard cutoff for operators that do not enter the process.

1. The licensing framework is the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, which allows a maximum of 15 licences in New Zealand. The 11 selected companies can now submit applications after an auction that drew 32 bidders and ended after ten rounds.
2. The official list includes SkyCity Entertainment Group, Entain, Stake, Betway, Rush Entertainment and Skill On Net. The named entities are: Baytree Interactive Limited (Betway) with 3 application rights; Playvia Gaming (NZ) Limited (Entain) with 2 rights; Rock Swift Group Limited with 2 rights; Christchurch Online NZ Limited; One Casino Limited; Rush Entertainment Limited; Skill On Net Limited; SkyCity NZ Online NO1 Limited; SkyCity NZ Online NO2 Limited; Stake New Zealand Limited; and TAB New Zealand.
3. Some companies have more than one application right, which means they can apply for more than one licence. But the auction result is only step one: final approval will still depend on the regulatory assessment.
4. The final auction price was NZ$15 million per licence, about US$8.4 million. Winners must pay that amount and complete the full assessment process before they can receive authorisation.
5. DIA said winning the auction does not guarantee a licence. Each applicant must submit a business plan and detailed strategies in five areas: advertising and marketing, consumer protection, harm prevention and reduction, and compliance. The regulator can also request additional information at this stage.

From 1 December 2026, providers that have not applied for a licence must stop offering online casino services in New Zealand. Operators that do apply get a temporary exemption to keep operating until the outcome is known, but they cannot advertise during that period. In practice, that is the sort of detail PSPs care about: who is staying in market, who is being pushed out, and when the licensed perimeter starts to matter.