Under the current gaming laws, not a single online casino has been licensed in New Zealand. Since the introduction of the Gambling Act 2003, however, no new casino licences have been issued. Additionally, it introduced a new way for betting through Lotto NZ.Īt the time of writing, there are six land-based casinos in New Zealand: In 2020, the Racing Industry Act was passed, which not only overhauled the powers of the racing industry but also brought about significant updates to the TAB. However, customers are still allowed to bet online using offshore sites. Online casinos and poker sites can’t operate out of New Zealand. The online gambling landscape changed in New Zealand when the Gambling Act 2003 was passed. Without land-based casinos until the early '90s, most pokies were found in hotels and pubs. Pokie machines (“pokies”, otherwise known as slot machines) came much later during the mid-1980s.