New Zealand Initiates Silent Auction for 15 Online Casino Licenses Alongside DIA Technology Compliance Draft

New Zealand has moved into the auction phase for its planned online casino market. The Department of Internal Affairs published a discussion draft of Testing and Monitoring Requirements for Online Casino Gambling Technology under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026. According to Yogonet International the two-week silent auction began Tuesday, September 29 following the Expression of Interest stage with the 15 licenses set for issuance later this year.

Auction Process and Recognized Testing Standards

The licensing process requires applicants to submit a Game and RNG Register before receiving a license. Every game including live dealer titles and every Random Number Generator must be tested by an approved independent laboratory. The DIA draft identifies GLI Australia Quality Assurance Laboratories and BMM Australia as the three approved test labs.

Testing already performed in the United Kingdom and Ontario Canada may be accepted for existing games RNGs live dealer operations or platform systems where it provides sufficient assurance. Prospective licensees must also disclose critical technology providers and the locations of data centers or cloud-hosting infrastructure together with evidence of ISO 27001 certification or equivalent.

Certification Monitoring and Change Controls

Operators must obtain independent game and platform certification within six months of receiving a license and at least annually thereafter. Upon license commencement they must supply an updated Game and RNG Register plus written confirmation from the CEO or Chief Compliance Officer that the technology complies. This confirmation covers third-party technology infrastructure operating systems databases and gaming software.

The framework requires ongoing monitoring of systems and Return to Player performance as well as retention of all testing documentation. Periodic vulnerability scanning and penetration testing form part of the security measures. Any new game or RNG introduced post-launch requires external testing while existing ones must be retested when a change affects or may affect fairness. Changes that do not affect fairness may use internal testing provided operators maintain source-code security version control access controls segregation of duties peer review and separate development testing and production environments.

Reporting: Yogonet International

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