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The Act’s Schedule 1 transition applies to providers operating at commencement. A qualifying provider that applies under section 17 before 1 December 2026 may continue only until the earlier of the day after the Secretary notifies it of grant or refusal, or 1 June 2027. Otherwise the section 9 prohibition applies from 1 December; advertising remains prohibited.

The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 generally commenced on 1 May 2026, subject to the specific later commencements in section 2. A forecast for the licensed regime to operate in 2027 does not mean the Act is still a Bill, and commencement of the framework is not a licence grant to an operator.

The checked DIA provider page names eleven successful auction entities and still describes approved brands and the public licence register as future licensing outputs. The checked public bodies do not establish an individual granted online-casino licence or an approved consumer brand. A right to apply must not be used as positive licence evidence.

DIA’s provider page, updated 13 October, records an auction held from 29 September to 12 October. Eleven entities secured 15 rights to apply; the auction had 32 bidders and ten rounds, with a final NZD15 million price per licence. Successful bidding does not guarantee a licence, and no operating brand is certified by this entity list.

Section 5 expressly includes casino table gambling such as poker in the definition of online casino gambling. The same licensing framework and qualifying-provider transition therefore apply to covered online poker. This does not certify a poker brand, platform or individual licence, or turn an auction right into permission to operate.