New Zealand to ban credit card payments for online casinos under new bill

New Zealand’s Government has confirmed that licensed online casinos will be barred from accepting deposits made with credit cards, a move Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden describes as a “key safeguard” in the country’s forthcoming Online Casino Gambling Bill.

New Zealand has taken a firm stance against gambling on borrowed money as it finalises its Online Casino Gambling Bill. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden has confirmed that licensed online casinos will not be allowed to accept funds from credit cards, including indirect routes such as e-wallets topped up via credit, arguing that players should not be able to gamble with money they do not have.

The credit card ban slots into a wider reform package that will, for the first time, create a fully regulated online casino market. The Online Casino Gambling Bill, introduced by van Velden and passed at first reading in July 2025, would allow up to 15 licensed operators to serve New Zealand players under strict conditions, including mandatory age verification, detailed harm-prevention strategies and fines of up to NZD 5m for serious breaches. A recent report from Parliament’s Governance and Administration Committee broadly backed the bill and endorsed Cabinet decisions that prioritise harm reduction and the protection of community funding.

Under Cabinet papers released this month, the new licensing regime is expected to start on 1 December 2026, giving operators time to adapt their payment systems and responsible gambling tools. Alongside the credit card ban, the framework will impose advertising limits, require robust player data and introduce a 4% levy on gross gaming revenue to support community and problem-gambling services.

Advocacy groups focused on gambling harm have long pushed for a credit card prohibition and broadly welcome the decision, seeing it as a basic safeguard against players rapidly accumulating high-interest debt online.However, they continue to argue for additional measures such as mandatory pre-commitment on time and spend, while sports bodies and community organisations remain concerned that a shift from pokie machines to online casinos could reduce funding streams for local projects.

For prospective licensees, the message is clear: New Zealand’s future online casino market will be tightly controlled on payments as well as licensing. Operators will need to emphasise debit cards, bank transfers and non-credit e-wallets, while building compliance systems that can demonstrate they are actively preventing players from gambling beyond their financial means.