Start with the complete active set, then locate, compare or verify without being pushed towards a gambling operator. As of 28 June 2025, online racing and sports betting is prohibited unless it is operated by New Zealand’s domestic provider TAB NZ. Providers who have submitted a licence application will be granted an exemption to continue operating without advertising until the outcome of their application has been determined. At each step, all participants are offered the same price at the same time and choose whether to stay in the auction or withdraw. As the price rises, participants exit once the price is higher than what they are willing to pay.

New Zealand has 5 casinos concentrated under Independent / Other’s operation across 5 cities. That single-operator dominance shapes everything from rule sets to comp programs — players effectively choose between visiting different Independent / Other properties or going elsewhere. A compact note Golisimo online casino review is more useful than several open search tabs.

Access to New Zealand market insights was one of the most requested resources by those interested in gaining a licence to conduct online casino gambling in New Zealand. At this stage, online casino gambling advertising is prohibited in New Zealand. Online casinos must not advertise online casino gambling services to New Zealand customers. During this transition period, regulatory systems, the licensing process, and operational requirements will be progressively introduced. The Problem Gambling Foundation (pgf.nz) provides counselling, harm-reduction programmes, and advocacy.

Establish the current venue

Search by your current location, or type a suburb, city, or venue name. The tool searches all 962 licensed casinos and pokie venues in NZ and returns the closest ones open near you — with directions, addresses, opening hours, operator, and machine count. Pokies are available at all five licensed casinos and at every licensed pokie venue. The six cities with the largest concentrations of pokie venues are Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, and Queenstown.

How Are Gambling Venues Licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs?

Open the underlying source and compare the entity, event and period. Keep the uncertainty visible if the evidence does not resolve it. The correction checklist explains the fields needed for a useful discrepancy record and the guide’s published editorial contact route. For an operational question that affects tonight’s visit, contact the venue directly instead of waiting for an editorial page to change.

A hospitality business can contain gaming machines without being a licensed casino venue. A remote service can use a city name without operating a physical casino there. Creating a new marker simply because a search phrase exists would turn the map into a misleading destination guide.

Our sister site answers “nearest bookmakers to me” for licensed betting shops across Great Britain. New Zealand has 5 casinos in our database, spread across 5 cities. Coverage spans tribal, commercial, and integrated-resort properties depending on the country’s licensing regime.

Example: three people can use the same list differently

Christchurch Casino — the country’s first, opened in 1994 — is well known for its poker tournaments. Independent / Other runs 5 of the 5 casinos in New Zealand. The remainder are operated by smaller chains and independents. The Secretary must not grant a licence unless the provider has demonstrated this suitability.

Role of a Casino Gambling Inspector

Online casino gambling is now regulated by the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026. We have started to implement the new law to ensure a safe, fair and well-controlled online gambling environment for New Zealanders. Every casino offers self-exclusion under its host responsibility programme, and an exclusion can be arranged to cover several venues at once. Ask at the venue or contact it in writing; breaching an exclusion is an offence for the excluded person, and staff are trained to enforce it.

Current Regulations

The day-of-visit clock asks whether the entrance, opening period and facilities work for a particular evening. Older pages and directories continue to count Wharf Casino. Its venue licence was surrendered on 28 March 2024, so it does not belong in the active set. Licensed operators will need to comply with regulations designed to ensure system integrity, player protection, and responsible gambling.

All licensed operators will be held to the same regulatory standards, meaning people who choose to gamble will be better protected. These standards will ensure online casinos are fair and secure and that harm is minimised. To help customers identify which online casinos are licensed and meet New Zealand’s regulatory requirements, we will publish a public register of licensed online casinos. Licensed casinos will also be required to display a unique registration icon on their platforms and in their advertising, making it easier for players to recognise licensed operators. A pokie venue is a pub, club, or similar DIA-licensed site hosting between one and 18 pokies machines under the Gambling Act 2003. Pokie venues are distinct from casinos, which are licensed under a separate casino operator’s licence regime (Part 3 of the Act).

• Sports and racing betting is regulated under the Racing Industry Act 2020 and Gambling Act 2003.
• The auction determined who has won the right to apply for an online casino gambling licence.
• To help customers identify which online casinos are licensed and meet New Zealand’s regulatory requirements, we will publish a public register of licensed online casinos.
• The full register is published by the DIA at dia.govt.nz/Gambling-Class-4.
• All licensed operators will be held to the same regulatory standards, meaning people who choose to gamble will be better protected.
• This guidance provides detailed information on the auction process, principles, and requirements for auction participation.

Questions before choosing a venue

• Use this guide to understand the choice, then use the operator’s current page or direct contact for details that must be true on the day.
• In those cities, the only land-based gambling venues are licensed pokie venue, pubs and clubs that host pokies machine.
• Detailed regulations supporting the Act have now been released and are informing the staged implementation of the regime.
• Pokie venues are distinct from casinos, which are licensed under a separate casino operator’s licence regime (Part 3 of the Act).
• While the successful auction operators are being announced, the brands that may ultimately operate under a licence are not being published at this stage.

If the licence application is declined, the provider will be required to cease all online casino gambling operations in New Zealand and must exit the market. The Department of Internal Affairs administers the licensing regime. Each casino runs under a casino operator’s licence and a casino venue licence granted under Part 3 of the Gambling Act 2003 (sections 124–146), renewed at regulated intervals.

Slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Baccarat appear most often across New Zealand’s casino floors. Specific table mins and rule sets vary by property — see individual casino pages for details. Open the venue’s current contact or visit page shortly before departure. Check the entrance you intend to use, the published opening information, any temporary notice and the accepted photo identification. If a particular table, restaurant or event is the reason for going, ask about that item directly. The editorial clock asks whether a venue is still part of New Zealand’s licensed casino set.

What’s the biggest casino operator in New Zealand?

Online casinos (before and after the 2026 Act) operate entirely separately and are covered in detail on the casino vs pokies guide and the New Zealand gambling law explainer. Up to 15 online casinos will be successful at auction and gain the right to apply for an online casino licence. From 1 December 2026, only these operators will be able to provide online casino gambling to customers in New Zealand. The auction attracted 32 bidders and concluded after 10 rounds, with the final auction price reaching $15 million (NZD) per licence. The auction determined who has won the right to apply for an online casino gambling licence. The gaming floor of every New Zealand casino is restricted to people aged 20 and over, with photo ID required, while the online casino age limit is 18.

No new casino licence can be granted without a parliamentary amendment — the cap is legislative, not administrative. The full list is SkyCity Auckland, SkyCity Hamilton, SkyCity Queenstown, Christchurch Casino, and Grand Casino Dunedin. No new casino licence has been issued in New Zealand since 1996; six venue licences were granted in total, and Queenstown’s Wharf Casino surrendered its licence in March 2024, leaving five. These operators will be permitted to operate under an exemption while their applications undergo a rigorous assessment process. All other online casinos will be legally required to exit the New Zealand market. If a city is absent from the five-venue set, first check what kind of place the search result describes.

The nearest venues are Christchurch Casino, via the Cook Strait ferry and a drive of roughly 340 kilometres, or SkyCity Hamilton, around 520 kilometres by road. New Zealand’s licensed land-based casinos are SkyCity Auckland, SkyCity Hamilton, SkyCity Queenstown and the Wharf Casino in Queenstown, Christchurch Casino and Grand Casino Dunedin. No new casino licences can be issued under the Gambling Act 2003, so the finder above covers the complete list; large parts of the North Island are hours from the nearest venue. This process also keeps commercial material in its proper place. An online offer may provide a route to an advertiser, but it cannot amend a venue’s legal status, establish a licence expiry or guarantee acceptance of a customer. Use the dated online legal-status guide for the separate remote framework and the land-based tracker for physical casino records.