Pokie venues are distinct from casinos, which are licensed under a separate casino operator’s licence regime (Part 3 of the Act). They run at much lower per-spin stake caps and are embedded in ordinary hospitality venues rather than standalone gambling buildings. The casino spans 16,000 square feet and offers 339 gaming machines and 23 table games including blackjack, roulette, midi baccarat and Caribbean stud poker.
Casinos & Pokie Venues in New Zealand
At each step, all participants are offered the same price at the same time and choose whether to stay in the auction or withdraw. As the price rises, participants exit once the price is higher than what they are willing to pay. The auction continues until demand matches what is available. Following completion of the auction process, we can confirm that 11 entities have been successful at winning the right to apply for the 15 licenses available.
New Zealand Land-Based Casino Operators
Three restaurants and two bars sit within the complex, including the Monza sports bar and the Chi Kitchen Cantonese restaurant. Christchurch Casino also hosts the New Zealand Poker Championships annually and operates 24 hours a day. All licensed operators will be held to the same regulatory standards, meaning people who choose to gamble will be better protected. These standards will ensure online casinos are fair and secure and that harm is minimised.
- The auction attracted 32 bidders and concluded after 10 rounds, with the final auction price reaching $15 million (NZD) per licence.
- Save the route to accommodation, allow for the last local leg and keep enough money outside any gambling budget to complete it.
- Where to play in each of those cities is covered below by region.
- A casino can earn a 5-star rating from us if it offers Evolution, Pragmatic Play, or Ezugi software, as these popular game providers bring the best streaming quality.
- The CasinoList editorial team has covered some of the most common hands you will find when you play blackjack online.
- New Zealand’s five active casinos range considerably in scale and character, from the vast SkyCity Auckland complex at the foot of the Sky Tower to the intimate alpine setting of SkyCity Queenstown.
As well as significant experience as a writer in the iGaming and gambling industries as an expert reviewer and journalist, Lynsey is one half of the popular Las Vegas YouTube Channel and Podcast ‘Begas Vaby’. When she is not in Las Vegas or wishing she was in Las Vegas, Lynsey can usually be found pursuing her other two main interests of sports and theatre. SkyCity Hamilton opened in 2002 in the heart of Hamilton’s CBD, housed within the city’s former Chief Post Office building on the banks of the Waikato River.
Two islands.Five points on the map.
Bitcoin gambling is changing the online gambling industry, with many operators competing for players’ attention. New Zealand’s six licensed casino venues are split between three operators. SkyCity Entertainment Group holds four licences and is the dominant player in the market. Christchurch Casino is operated by Skyline Enterprises, a New Zealand-owned leisure and tourism company.
Continue the national research
The Department of Internal Affairs administers the licensing regime. Each casino runs under a casino operator’s licence and a casino venue licence granted under Part 3 of the Gambling Act 2003 (sections 124–146), renewed at regulated intervals. No new casino licence can be granted without a parliamentary amendment — the cap is legislative, not administrative. The full list is SkyCity Auckland, SkyCity Hamilton, SkyCity Queenstown, Christchurch Casino, and Grand Casino Dunedin.
Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua
Sports and racing betting is regulated under the Racing Industry Act 2020 and Gambling Act 2003. The proposed changes to online casino gambling will not change this. No new casino licences have been issued in New Zealand since a Golisimo online casino review 2001 moratorium, and Queenstown’s Wharf Casino surrendered its licence in 2024 — leaving the five venues above as the country’s full set. Someone asking about a local machine venue needs the appropriate non-casino category, not a fabricated casino record.
Specific document acceptance belongs to the venue’s current guidance, and any uncertain case should be asked directly before departure. The national guide helps identify the requirement; it is not an identity-verification service. Keep accommodation, food, transport and emergency money separate. Treat gambling spend as paid entertainment, not as money that should return. Do not plan a meal, fuel purchase or onward booking around a possible win.
It is the only casino on the North Island outside of Auckland and serves as a regional entertainment hub offering gaming, dining, live music and a bowling alley alongside the casino floor. SkyCity Auckland is New Zealand’s largest casino and the country’s flagship gaming destination, located at the base of the 328-metre Sky Tower in the heart of Auckland’s CBD. New Zealand’s five active casinos range considerably in scale and character, from the vast SkyCity Auckland complex at the foot of the Sky Tower to the intimate alpine setting of SkyCity Queenstown. Four are operated by SkyCity, with Christchurch Casino and Dunedin Casino operating independently. The Gambling Act 2003 permanently caps the number of licensed properties, meaning no new casinos can open in New Zealand.
- For a favourable rating, according to our process, an NZ online casino also needs to have roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and game shows to have a well-rounded collection, and at least 50 titles.
- Further information and guidance will be provided as each stage of implementation progresses.
- The Ministry of Health funds host-responsibility training for venue operators and publishes problem-gambling prevalence research.
- Guidance on how to submit a licence application will be provided before this stage of the licensing process begins.
- The answer can therefore be “not in the active casino set” followed by the correct category, rather than an invented nearest-casino promise.
- A casino needs both a venue licence and an operator’s licence.
Legal Disclaimer
The NZ cities people search for most when looking for a casino or pokie venue. Our sister site answers “nearest bookmakers to me” for licensed betting shops across Great Britain. Our engagement approach is built on transparency and fairness.
Our editors spend hours using bonus codes and claiming promotions from online casinos in NZ, using them to their fullest extent, and reading bonus policies. We use our editorial expertise in this industry and write full bonus guides, breaking down every finding for you to understand better. We always analyze the bonus terms first, and we check if they are fair and transparent. Then, for our investigation to be as accurate as possible, we read the terms of several promos in full. We take into consideration things like wagering requirements, the number of free spins, bonus value amounts, and the maximum cashout allowed. In the end, the thing that impacts the rating the most is the availability of different bonus types.
Identify the disputed field before deciding that an entire source is wrong. An operator may publish the trading name while a licence instrument uses a legal company name. A historical article may describe the correct older venue set.
SkyCity properties also operate mandatory player registration, which allows patrons to set spending limits, time limits and cooling-off periods directly through their membership account. If you think a licensed online casino has not met the required standards, you will be able to complain either directly to the online casino or to us as the regulator of online casino gambling in New Zealand. A traveller whose existing itinerary includes Christchurch and Dunedin has a different task.
A dedicated poker room hosts cash games and weekly tournaments. The property operates Sunday to Wednesday until 3am and Thursday to Saturday until 5am. The legal gambling age in New Zealand is 20 for casinos and 18 for pokie venue, lotteries, and the TAB. All five licensed casinos enforce the 20-year minimum age at entry and require photo identification. Pokie venues enforce the 18-year minimum age at the gaming room rather than the venue entrance. The pub or club itself remains accessible to anyone of legal drinking age for ordinary hospitality.
