First things first, what does GETS stand for, you ask? It stands for: Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS). New Zealand has moved another step forward in building its...
New Zealand opens licensing process for online casinos
New Zealand has officially launched the first phase of the country’s regulated online casino market, opening the license application window for operators seeking to receive approval until August 14, 2026.
The Department of Internal Affairs is set to receive and review submissions from interested operators, who are required to send the applications through the Government Electronic Tender Service and pay an $11,000 fee. After analyzing the requests, selected operators will move forward to an auction that’s set to take place in September, after which the successful companies will be invited to send full applications from October.
15 applications will be selected to launch regulated online casinos in New Zealand, with the market scheduled to go live in early 2027.
A spokesperson from the Department of Internal Affairs had previously shared:
“A 2027 launch provides the necessary lead time to complete this work in a robust and considered manner, consistent with the requirements of the Act.”
According to the new legislation, licensed operators will be permitted to offer their services for 3 years, with the option to extend the license for 5 more years.
The launch of the licensing process comes after New Zealand approved the Online Casino Gambling Act, which came into effect on May 1, 2026. Since then, multiple major operators have expressed interest in entering the regulated market, including operators such as Entain, Super Group, evoke, SkyCity, and bet365.
New Zealand's online casino sector is entering a key regulatory phase as operators prepare for the Expression of Interest process expected to open in the second half of July...
