8 July 2026
Kia ora,
We’re pleased to let you know that the final Minimum Standards for online casino gambling technology (OCGT) have now been released and formally gazetted, marking an important milestone in the establishment of New Zealand’s regulatory framework for online casino gambling.
Alongside the standards, we have released a set of supporting documents to help you work through what this means in practice.
We appreciate the time many of you took to engage with us during the consultation process.
Consultation summary
Between 11 March 2026 and 10 April 2026, the Department undertook targeted consultation on the proposed OCGT Minimum Standards. We heard from operators, independent testing laboratories, and harm minimisation providers.
Overall, there was good support for the proposals, although many of you asked for greater clarity about how the standards would be applied in practice, and how they would sit alongside the Regulations.
In response, we’ve made a number of changes to improve clarity and usability. A Consultation Summary document is now available, which sets out:
- the main themes we heard
- how we’ve responded to feedback
- where changes have been made to the standards
To support your understanding, we’ve published the following:
- Final Minimum Standards for Online Casino Gambling Technology
- Consultation summary report (including comparison with the earlier proposals)
- Side-by-side comparison of the Regulations and Minimum Standards
The side-by-side document has been developed in direct response to your feedback. It’s intended to make it easier to see how the Regulations and Minimum Standards fit together.
Regulations and Minimum Standards working together
With the Regulations now released, many of the questions raised during consultation should be clearer.
Together, the Regulations and Minimum Standards set out both:
- the legal framework operators must meet, and
- the technical and operational detail that sits alongside it.
We encourage you to review both documents together to get a full picture of how the requirements will apply to operators who successfully gain a licence.
Q&As update
Our Questions and Answers function is closing soon.
If you have any remaining questions, please continue to submit them now. The last opportunity to ask questions through our website will close at 8.00am NZST on Tuesday 14 July 2026.
From 17 July, when the expression of interest (EOI) process opens, all questions from participants in the three-stage licensing process must be submitted through the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) portal.
We will publish our final ‘Questions and Answers’ website update before 17 July.
What’s coming up
Detailed guidance packs which provide a comprehensive overview of the Legislation, Regulations, and Minimum Standards are expected to be published this month.
Thank you again to everyone who took part in the consultation on Minimum Standards. Your input has been valuable in shaping both the standards and the supporting material.
Ngā mihi nui,
Trina Lowry
Programme Director – Online Gambling Implementation
