Country guide · New Zealand
Curaçao casinos accepting New Zealand players, checked
New Zealand is licensing online casinos for the first time. None of the casinos on file turned our New Zealand visit away, and none is in line for a licence. Here is what each one did when we visited from New Zealand, what the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 changes on 1 December, and what you give up by playing offshore.
By Laura Stovall · Checked by Martin Khubert
Checked 21 October 2026
- Blocked our NZ visit0 of 5Checked on 21 October 2026; Velobet stopped at a security check.
- On DIA’s auction list0 of 5No brand or named operator won the right to apply for a licence.
- Exclude NZ in the terms0 of 5Ours is a reading of the terms, not a licence.
- NZD as an account currency0 of 5Cosmobet and Rolletto offered Australian dollars, not New Zealand ones.
- Must stop serving NZ1 Dec 2026Unless the operator applied for a licence, which only auction winners can.
- Tax on winningsNoneFor recreational players; winnings from a business are taxable.
The short answer
Is online casino gambling legal in New Zealand?
New Zealand rewrote its online casino rules in 2026. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, in force since 1 May 2026, sets up a capped licence system run by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), with up to 15 licences (Online Casino Gambling Act 2026). No licence has been issued yet. The Curaçao casinos accepting New Zealand players on this page are outside that system: neither they nor the operators their terms name are among the companies that won the right to apply.
The Act is aimed at the companies. It already bans advertising an unlicensed online casino to people in New Zealand, and from 1 December it bans running one for them without a licence or a pending application, with civil penalties of up to $5 million for a company. Playing isn’t an offence: as the law firm Simpson Grierson puts it, consumers who gamble on unlicensed sites “will not commit an offence” (Simpson Grierson). DIA’s warning to players is about protection: “If you decide to use an unlicensed platform, you won’t have the same player protections” (DIA).
Not an offence is not the same as protected. The rest of this page sets out what each casino’s terms say about New Zealand, what changes on 1 December, and what you give up offshore. Players elsewhere can start from our country guides.
From that date, online casinos that haven’t applied for a New Zealand licence must stop offering online casino gambling to people in New Zealand. Only auction winners can apply, and none of the casinos on this page, or the operators their terms name, is on DIA’s list of winners. Expect this page, and the casinos’ doors, to change.
The new law
The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026: what changes on 1 December
New Zealand has gone from a market it couldn’t regulate to a capped licence system. This is the timetable as DIA has published it.
- 1 May 2026: the Act came into force, and with it a ban on advertising online casinos to people in New Zealand unless under a licence.
- 29 September to 12 October 2026: the auction for the right to apply. It drew 32 bidders and ended after 10 rounds at $15 million per licence.
- 13 October 2026: DIA named 11 winners holding rights to 15 licences, among them SkyCity, TAB New Zealand and Stake New Zealand.
- 1 December 2026: online casinos that haven’t applied must stop serving people in New Zealand. Applicants may carry on, without advertising, until DIA decides, and no later than 1 June 2027.
- 1 January 2027: the duty online casino operators pay rises from 12% to 16%.
Each licence covers one brand for up to three years, renewable for five more, and no one can hold more than three (DIA). DIA hasn’t yet said which brands the winners will run, so the licensed casinos’ names will only be known once licences are granted.
The casino files
Curaçao casinos that accept New Zealand players: what our checks found
Every casino on file, visited from a New Zealand connection on 21 October 2026, next to what its own terms say. None holds a New Zealand licence, none of the operators below is on DIA’s auction list, and New Zealand bans advertising for unlicensed online casinos, so this page carries no sign-up links.
| Casino | Licence | Our New Zealand visit | New Zealand in the terms | NZD | Operator in the terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zizobet | Curaçao | Not restricted; terms opened at an Australian (/au/) address | Not excluded; players accepted only where gambling is legal for them | Named in one bonus rule, not in the currency list; prices shown in euros and US dollars | Santeda International B.V. |
| Cosmobet | Curaçao | Not restricted (the phone page was still loading after 45 seconds) | Not excluded | Not offered: the currency menu had Australian dollars, not NZD | Santeda International B.V. |
| Velobet | Curaçao | Unconfirmed: stopped at a Cloudflare security check, on a second try too | Not excluded (read from Canada earlier that day) | Not in the currency list | Santeda International B.V. |
| Rolletto | Curaçao | Not restricted; sent to its rolletto.win address | Not excluded | Not offered: the currency menu had Australian dollars, not NZD | Santeda International B.V. |
| Betmac | Curaçao | Not restricted | Not on the restricted list | Not published | Sefiarray B.V. |
On 21 October 2026 we opened each casino through a New Zealand endpoint of a VPN, on desktop and on a phone-sized screen, logged out, and read its general terms. The connection’s address placed us in Auckland. Velobet showed only a Cloudflare security check, on a second try in an ordinary browser window too, so its row uses the terms we read from Canada earlier that day. We are not based in New Zealand; the VPN showed us what a New Zealand visitor sees. We compared the operators the terms name with DIA’s list of the 11 auction winners. We didn’t register or deposit, so payment logos are what the casinos advertise, not methods we tested.
How to read the table
- Nothing kept us out. Four of the five opened normally from New Zealand, Velobet stopped at a security check, and none lists New Zealand as a restricted country. That is what an open door looks like today, not a licence, and it is the part most likely to change when the deadline arrives.
- Some casinos change address for New Zealand. Rolletto sent us to rolletto.win, whose terms name the same operator, and Zizobet’s terms opened at its Australian address. Check the licence details on whatever address you land on.
- The auction list is the test from December. None of the operators named above won the right to apply, and none of the brands is on the list either.
- NZ dollars are missing. None of the five lists NZD as an account currency, and Cosmobet and Rolletto offered Australian dollars but not New Zealand ones. You would play in euros or US dollars and pay the conversion both ways.
- Each country gets different answers. Cosmobet, Velobet and Rolletto blocked our UK visit but let our Canadian visit in. See the UK and Canada guides.
Casino access changes without notice, and for New Zealand it should change on 1 December 2026. Treat this table as a dated snapshot.
What you give up
Are offshore casinos safe for New Zealanders?
Safety means what protects you when something goes wrong. New Zealand is writing those protections into its licences, and none of them reaches an offshore casino.
- Age checks and exclusion are duties for licensed sites. The Act requires licensed operators to take all reasonable steps to make sure players are at least 18, to exclude people who ask, and to run a complaints process. An offshore casino follows its own rules instead.
- A national exclusion register is coming, for licensed sites. The Act provides for a register where you can exclude yourself from online casino gambling. It will bind licensed operators, not offshore ones.
- No gambling on credit. The Act bars online casinos from offering credit for gambling, and the government plans to ban credit cards and buy-now-pay-later as payment methods at licensed sites. An offshore cashier sets its own rules.
- A regulator to complain to. Once licences are granted, DIA will take complaints about licensed casinos. With an offshore casino you are relying on the operator and its foreign licence.
- Bonus terms are set offshore. Welcome offers at these casinos often ask for 30 times the deposit plus the bonus, within days. Our guide to how casino bonuses really work shows what that means.
Licensed casinos will show DIA’s registration icon on their sites and adverts. No online casino can show one yet, and none of the casinos on this page is in line for one.
NZ dollars
Paying in NZ dollars at a Curaçao casino
None of the five casinos on file lists New Zealand dollars as an account currency, and Cosmobet and Rolletto offered us Australian dollars instead. Without an NZD account, every deposit and withdrawal is converted and you pay the spread both ways. Bonus terms are usually set in euros or US dollars, so a “€10 minimum” is not ten New Zealand dollars.
Internet banking, Apple Pay and Prezzy cards
New Zealanders often look for casinos that take internet banking, Apple Pay or a Prezzy card, NZ Post’s prepaid Visa card. Seen from New Zealand, Zizobet mentions Apple Pay on its homepage, and Betmac lists “Online Banking” for deposits and withdrawals; Betmac’s terms pay card and Apple Pay deposits back only by bank transfer. None showed POLi or Prezzy. These are adverts, not methods we tested. Whatever the cashier shows, find out how the casino would pay you before you deposit: the way out often differs from the way in, and with a prepaid gift card it may have to.
Crypto
Most of these casinos take Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether and others. Crypto withdrawals are usually the quickest once approved, but there is no chargeback, and a payment sent to the wrong address or network is simply gone.
The fine print
Tax, age and complaints
Tax on winnings
Recreational gambling winnings generally aren’t taxed in New Zealand. Inland Revenue’s guidance is that winnings from Lotto, raffles, prize draws and TAB race bets are generally not taxable, while prize money won as part of a taxable activity generally is (Inland Revenue). The online gambling duty (first called the offshore gambling duty), 12% since 1 July 2024, is paid by the operators, not by players.
Minimum age
The new Act requires licensed operators to make sure every player is at least 18. Offshore casinos set their own minimum, usually 18, and check it their own way.
When something goes wrong
DIA’s complaints route will cover licensed casinos only. With a Curaçao-licensed casino, Curaçao law lets you complain to the licence holder free of charge within six months; it must acknowledge you in writing within a week and decide within four weeks, extendable once by four more. If that fails, ask which independent dispute service handles its complaints. Keep every reference, date and reply.
Sportsbooks
Offshore betting sites and New Zealand bettors
Sports betting has its own rule. Since 28 June 2025, no one other than TAB NZ may offer racing or sports betting to a person in New Zealand, wherever the company is based (section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020). Several casinos on file run a sportsbook in the same account as the casino. A sportsbook that takes bets from New Zealand without being TAB NZ is acting against that rule, and TAB NZ is the only legal option for bettors in New Zealand.
Support
Free, confidential help in New Zealand
- Gambling Helpline: 0800 654 655, or text 8006. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day.
- Safer Gambling Aotearoa: safergambling.org.nz, the site DIA points players to for information and support.
Blocking software works on offshore sites too, which the coming exclusion register won’t, and your bank may be able to block gambling payments. Our safer gambling page covers the warning signs.
Questions
Common questions
Is online casino gambling legal in New Zealand?
Since 1 May 2026 it is governed by the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, which will license up to 15 operators. Playing on an unlicensed site isn’t an offence. Advertising an unlicensed online casino to New Zealanders is already banned, and from 1 December 2026 so is running one for them without a licence or a pending application, with penalties of up to $5 million for a company.
Which Curaçao casinos accept New Zealand players?
On 21 October 2026, four of the five casinos on file opened normally from a New Zealand connection (Velobet stopped at a security check), and none lists New Zealand as a restricted country in its terms. All five are Curaçao-licensed (Zizobet, Cosmobet, Velobet, Rolletto and Betmac). None holds a New Zealand licence, and neither the brands nor the operators their terms name won the right to apply for one.
What happens on 1 December 2026?
Online casinos that haven’t applied for a New Zealand licence must stop offering online casino gambling to people in New Zealand. Only the 11 auction winners can apply. Those that have applied may keep operating, without advertising, until DIA decides, and no later than 1 June 2027.
Who won New Zealand’s online casino licences?
No licences have been issued yet. On 13 October 2026 DIA named 11 auction winners with rights to apply for 15 licences, among them SkyCity, TAB New Zealand and Stake New Zealand. DIA expects the licensed market to be in place in 2027.
Is it illegal for New Zealanders to play at offshore casinos?
No. The Act’s bans apply to running and advertising unlicensed casinos, not to playing. You do give up the protections licensed sites must offer, which is what DIA warns about.
Do you pay tax on casino winnings in New Zealand?
Not as a recreational player: Inland Revenue treats gambling winnings as generally not taxable. Prize money won as part of a taxable activity is the exception. The 12% online gambling duty is paid by operators, not players.
Can New Zealanders bet on sports with an offshore site?
Since 28 June 2025, only TAB NZ may offer racing and sports betting to people in New Zealand. Offshore bookmakers that take bets from New Zealand are acting against the Racing Industry Act, so TAB NZ is the only legal option.
Where can I get help with gambling in New Zealand?
Call the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655 or text 8006, free and confidential, 24 hours a day. Safer Gambling Aotearoa (safergambling.org.nz) lists other support services.