New Zealand is becoming the latest country to regulate online casino gaming, although there’s still a bit to go before consumers within the country will be able to access online gambling platforms, slots and other games and services operating within the country’s iGaming framework. While the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 is now live, the market is still under construction. However, with licenses expected to be issued from early 2027, this upcoming framework makes for an interesting comparison with Ontario.
Canadian-facing platforms such as tooniebet illustrate the kind of online casino offering already available elsewhere in the country. The site offers over 5,000 casino games and supports deposits and withdrawals using a range of e-wallets and banking methods. At the same time, Ontario provides a more useful regulatory case study for New Zealand’s forthcoming framework.
As some might know, Ontario launched its regulated iGaming market in April 2022, and it quickly became one of North America’s most competitive online gambling markets. The first few years of evolution in that market could provide useful lessons for New Zealand, especially when it comes to regulation, player protection and market competition. Plus, how Ontario transitioned from an offshore gaming environment to a regulated alternative will provide some handy suggestions for New Zealand regulators.
Ontario’s Market Started With a Clear Framework
Following the establishment of iGaming Ontario in 2021, Ontario’s regulated iGaming market first went live a year later in 2022. It allowed operators to apply for an official licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), sign an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario and launch their gambling platforms in the province.
It wasn’t as simple as these sites suddenly having the ability to offer their games to Ontarians, however. They also had to abide by a host of game integrity, operator standards, player protection, responsible gambling and anti-money laundering requirements as part of their licensing conditions.
That is particularly relevant to New Zealand now that its Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 is in force and the country is beginning to lay the foundations of its own regulatory framework.
Competition Can Grow Quickly
If New Zealand were to take one lesson from Ontario, it could be how quickly a regulated market can expand once operators understand and adopt its requirements. According to iGaming Ontario’s annual report for its first fiscal year (April 2022–March 2023), operators brought in more than C$35.5 billion in total wagers and C$1.26 billion in gaming revenue. By the end of that first year, 46 operators had received licensing, running 76 online gambling websites between them.
New Zealand’s challenge won’t just be building a compliant framework, but making regulated platforms genuinely competitive with the offshore sites players are used to. That means positioning licensed operators as a natural, trusted part of the country’s existing leisure landscape, rather than a separate or unfamiliar product. Local entertainment hubs such as Whangamata, where sports, tourism and community activities already draw regular engagement, illustrate the kind of established leisure environment regulated operators will need to integrate with if they want to win players away from unlicensed platforms.
While lessons can be learned, there are early signs that New Zealand will take a more restrictive approach with its licensing. Unlike Ontario, the country will limit licenses to up to 15, with each licence valid for up to three years and renewable for a further period of up to five years. Therefore, while New Zealand could take some pointers from Ontario, it is also clear they have their own ideas with regard to creating a market that suits its population and regulatory expectations.
Other Lessons Ontario Could Provide
Ontario’s experience offers lessons beyond just how to create a regulated market. New Zealand will also look to pick up pointers on how to convince players to move away from offshore accounts and play on its regulated platforms instead, and put in safeguards to protect them if they do. In some areas, its approach closely resembles Ontario’s, while in others, it has chosen a noticeably stricter path.
- Channelisation: One of the main reasons New Zealand is introducing online gambling regulation is to combat residents using offshore casino sites. However, as Ontario did, the country has to make its regulated market sufficiently identifiable and credible that consumers understand the difference between licensed and unlicensed providers, and also choose to gamble at New Zealand-based platforms.
- Regulation: New Zealand’s minimum standards already address areas such as cybersecurity, payment security, customer authentication, location verification and live-dealer operations. They also place restrictions around game design, such as requiring a minimum time between game rounds and forbidding features such as automated spins.
- Player Protection: Like Ontario, New Zealand has made player protection a priority. The country’s new minimum standards require licensed platforms to provide users with easy-to-access deposit, spending and time limits, breaks in play, time-outs and self-exclusion facilities. Furthermore, all sites must provide live chat support and make game rules and odds easily available.
- Advertising: New Zealand is taking a considerably stricter approach to gambling advertising than Ontario. Advertising is prohibited before the regulated market launches, while the future framework is also expected to place further restrictions on promotional activity.
What New Zealand Can Take From Ontario
Ontario’s first few years as a regulated iGaming market provide plenty of clues to New Zealand about what it can expect once its very own market goes live in 2027. However, while the country will certainly have learned a few lessons from Ontario, it’s clear it also has its very own ideas about the approach it wants to take, which in many areas is stricter and more limited.
For New Zealand, the priority right now is to ensure its framework delivers a balance between its highly regulated approach and ensuring it is attractive enough to convince players at offshore sites to spend their time at NZ-based platforms instead.
