Eleven companies have won the right to apply for New Zealand's first online casino gambling licences after an auction that closed at NZ$15 million per licence, the Department of Internal Affairs said on 13 October. SkyCity, Entain's Playvia Gaming, Super Group's Baytree Interactive and Stake are among the successful bidders, according to the department and NEXT.io, though none yet holds a licence.
The department stressed that winning at auction does not guarantee a licence. Every successful entity must now go through a detailed application and assessment process before any licensing decision is made, and the market is not expected to be fully regulated until 2027.
Auction closes after 10 rounds with 32 bidders
The auction ran from 29 September to 12 October 2026. It attracted 32 bidders and concluded after 10 rounds, with the final price reaching NZ$15 million per licence, according to the department. Asia Gaming Brief put that figure at about US$8.4 million.
The department used an ascending clock auction. Under that format the price rises in steps, every participant is offered the same price at the same time, and each decides whether to stay in or withdraw. Bidders drop out once the price passes what they are willing to pay, and the auction ends when demand matches the number of licences available. The department said it chose the method because the final price clearly reflects what the remaining participants are willing to pay.
The auction was the second of three stages. An expression of interest stage closed on 14 August 2026, and the third stage, the full licence application, is due to open in October.
Eleven entities share 15 rights to apply
The department's list gives Baytree Interactive Limited three rights to apply, the most any single provider can hold. Playvia Gaming (NZ) Limited and Rock Swift Group Limited each won two. SkyCity won two through separate vehicles, SkyCity NZ Online NO1 Limited and SkyCity NZ Online NO2 Limited. Christchurch Online NZ Limited, One Casino Limited, Rush Entertainment Limited, Skill On Net Limited, Stake New Zealand Limited and TAB New Zealand each won one.
Together those allocations cover the 15 licences on offer. The department said it is naming the successful entities but not the brands they may trade under, because operators may make changes during the application process. Approved brands will go on a public register once a licence is granted.
NEXT.io identified Baytree Interactive as the vehicle of Betway owner Super Group and One Casino as a company of LCKY, formerly Glitnor Group. It described SkillOnNet and LCKY as Malta-based, said Rock Swift Group was previously licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and reported that Christchurch Online NZ is a Malta-registered business rather than an arm of Christchurch Casino.
SkyCity confirms it will apply for two licences
SkyCity told the NZX in an Online Casino Licence Update that it was a successful participant for the right to apply for two licences, with a licence fee of NZ$15 million, excluding GST, payable per licence. It said it will now proceed with the application process ahead of next year's market opening.
"We are excited to have been successful in the auction to apply for two licences and to be taking the next step towards entering the online casino gambling market in New Zealand," chief executive Jason Walbridge said. "We know New Zealanders trust the SkyCity brand, and we will combine that trust with our deep knowledge of the New Zealand market to build a successful online business here."
NEXT.io described SkyCity as a local behemoth on the land-based front and said the two rights could allow it to leverage its unique omni-channel position in the market.
Entain and Stake add to their footprints
Entain holds two rights through its Playvia Gaming (NZ) subsidiary and a further one through TAB NZ, which the group operates under a 25-year sports betting partnership, NEXT.io reported. The outlet said Entain has previously highlighted the opportunity because it will be the only business cleared to use cross-sell, given its sports betting monopoly in the country. It named Blackrush Casino and FoxySpins as the two brands Entain has launched there so far. The New Zealand rights come weeks after Entain cut its FY26 online revenue guidance after Brazil's ban.
Stake, which NEXT.io described as a crypto-first casino group that has acquired various regulated market licences in recent years, also won a right to apply. "We're really excited about the opportunity in New Zealand as the market moves towards regulation," a Stake spokesperson told NEXT.io, adding that it followed the group's expansion into Alberta, Argentina and Mexico this year.
What each licence will allow
Up to 15 licences will be available, each valid for up to three years with the possibility of renewal for a further five years, according to the department. Each one covers a single brand and the platforms players use to reach that brand. No provider can be granted more than three.
To apply, a successful bidder must pay the auction price and file a comprehensive application. It must include a business plan and detailed strategies for advertising and marketing, consumer protection, harm prevention and minimisation, and compliance. The Secretary must not grant an online casino licence unless the provider has shown it is suitable to hold one and is willing and able to meet every applicable requirement.
Operators that do win a licence will work under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 and the Online Casino Gambling Regulations 2026. The department said the regulations set rules on harm prevention and minimisation, consumer protection and record-keeping, advertising and marketing, and fees, levies and charges.
1 December deadline for providers without an application
From 1 December 2026, providers that have not applied for a licence must stop offering online casino gambling in New Zealand. Those with an application under consideration may keep operating, without advertising, until a decision is made. If an application is declined, the provider must cease all online casino gambling in the country and leave the market.
NEXT.io said business-to-consumer operators that failed at the auction stage must cease operations by that date. Until the licensing regime is in place, online casino advertising to New Zealand customers is banned, and no new providers may enter the market; only providers already operating there may continue under the Act's transitional provisions. More stories on the market are collected on our New Zealand page.
Price draws comparison with Brazil
Industry sources told NEXT.io the NZ$15 million fee appears expensive, noting that it is higher than the cost of a licence in Brazil's regulated market, which the outlet put at €5.2 million against about €7.5 million for New Zealand.
If all 15 rights turn into licences at the auction price, the fees would total NZ$225 million before GST. That is a calculation from the department's figures, not a sum the department has published. To help bidders size the market, the department has released market insight reports covering online casino gambling, online sports and race betting and overseas lotteries from October 2023 to September 2025. They are based on card transactions from one bank, scaled up to estimate total spending, and exclude the statutory providers Lotto NZ and the TAB.
The department said guidance on how to submit an online casino licence application will be published before the application stage begins.
