The number of offshore gambling brands exiting New Zealand has claimed yet another victim, with SuperPartners confirming it has now ceased operating its affiliate program in the country – with immediate effect.
In a notice sent to affiliates, the company cited recent regulatory developments as the reason for the decision, and confirmed that New Zealand has now been added to the list of “Restricted Territories” under its programme’s terms and conditions.
SuperPartner’s “Core Global Brands” that exited New Zealand include:
And their legacy Microgaming casinos also exited, including:
The move means that affiliates now working with SuperPartners can no longer promote any of its merchant brands to New Zealand residents – and the company has instructed partners to immediately stop all marketing and promotion aimed at Kiwis – including customer correspondence, banner advertising, offline advertising and direct marketing.
Affiliates are also required to “take all possible technical and operational steps to prevent any further marketing reaching New Zealand-based players.”
The timing makes perfect sense given that New Zealand’s new online casino licensing regime is officially starting to take shape, with the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 having come into effect earlier this year. Some of the accompanying regulations were brought in at the beginning of this month, and offshore operators now have a hard deadline:
From December 1st, 2026, only those who have applied for a license can legally continue to serve New Zealand customers. New offshore entrants have already been banned since May 1st, 2026.
For operators weighing up whether to bid for one of the country’s 15 available licences, being seen to comply with New Zealand law now matters more than ever, and non-compliance is also something other jurisdictions may well take into account with license applications, so there really is more incentive than ever to cleanly enter the market rather than risk operating in a grey area.
Already, New Zealand’s new advertising rules are the strictest in the region, with a full and total ban on affiliate marketing for licensed operators – so the affiliate websites that once drove significant traffic to offshore sites from New Zealand are being changed from multiple directions at the same time.
For affiliates, the message is familiar in 2026. It looks like the New Zealand era of affiliate iGaming marketing is over, at least until the regulated market opens. We’re expecting to see more brands send similar notices in the coming weeks and months as the industry starts bracing for the December cut-off period.
The clock is ticking, and that’s because expressions of interest for New Zealand’s online casino licences close at 11.59pm on the 14th of August 2026, ending the first stage of the country’s move from an unregulated offshore market to a licensed regime. Up to 15 licences are available under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, […]
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Alex Smith