After months of speculation, the New Zealand government has declared it will develop a licensing framework for the online casino market.

The minister of internal affairs said that a new regulatory system “should be in place from early 2026.”

Currently, plans are only afoot for online casino games, not sports or lottery products. The minimum age for gambling will be set at 18.

SkyCity Entertainment Group was among those praising the government for its “high-level approach to regulating online casinos.”

“Regulation of the online casino market in New Zealand is something we have been looking forward to, and we are pleased to see the Government taking steps towards this,” said SkyCity CEO Jason Walbridge.

“We are supportive of an online regulatory system that is designed to minimise harm, support tax collection, and provide consumer protections to New Zealanders. Strict limitations on advertising, banning sponsorship, separating online casinos and sports betting and having probity checks for operators are all good ways of ensuring a market that looks after Kiwis.

“There have been adverse social outcomes in countries where there are no limitations on the number of providers, so the decision by the Government to limit the number of online casino operators, especially for a country the size of New Zealand, is a sensible one.”