New Zealand Names Three Test Labs for Online Casinos. GLI Is One.

Signal Spotlight · New Zealand online casino regulation and testing

What happened

On 9 October, GGRAsia and Asgam reported that Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has been approved to provide independent testing services for New Zealand's newly regulated online casino gambling market. GLI's Asia-Pacific managing director, Richard Howarth, said New Zealand "represents an important development for regulated iGaming in the APAC region", and that GLI's teams are "ready to help them understand and efficiently navigate the technical requirements." The coverage we found does not name the body that granted the approval. It comes from GLI's own announcement.

What was already known

On 28 September, CDC Gaming reported that New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs had published a discussion draft of its Testing and Monitoring Requirements for Online Casino Gambling Technology, under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026. The draft names three approved test labs: GLI Australia, Quality Assurance Laboratories and BMM Australia. It also says every applicant must provide a Game and RNG Register before obtaining a license, showing that every intended game, including live dealer games, and every random number generator has been tested by one of those labs.

So GLI is one of three labs named, not the first or only one. Gambling.com reports the Act took effect on 1 May and regulations followed in June. Licenses are being allocated through a competitive process, and the application stage is scheduled to begin in October 2026. The coverage we found does not give the number of licenses or the full application dates.

Why it matters

The signal is that New Zealand is moving from rule-making to the practical steps of getting a license. Testing is a hard requirement in the draft, and it now has a lab ready to take work. That makes the technical side of an application easier to plan.

The limits are worth keeping in view. The testing requirements are still a discussion draft, so details could change before they are final. GLI's approval does not by itself open the market, because licenses depend on a competitive allocation process. It also does not tell us whether certifications GLI has issued elsewhere would be accepted in New Zealand. We found nothing that confirms that, so operators and suppliers should ask the regulator and the lab directly.

For Philippine readers, there is one connection. GGRAsia notes that earlier in 2026 GLI was accredited by PAGCOR to test and certify iGaming platforms, and describes it as the first such accredited lab in the Philippines. That is GGRAsia's description, and we have not verified it independently.