BMM Testlabs Approved To Test Online Casinos In New Zealand
BMM Testlabs says it has been approved to provide online gaming testing and certification services in New Zealand, under the new online casino framework overseen by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), according to a report of the company announcement on October 19, 2026.
The approval matters because every game offered in the country's new online casino market will need to pass independent testing.
What BMM Announced
BMM said the approval builds on its existing work in New Zealand's regulated land-based gaming market and extends its testing and certification services to online casino gaming.
Kirk White, president of land-based gaming and inspections at BMM, said the company has a long history of supporting New Zealand's land-based industry and wants to build on those relationships. BMM also pointed to its combination with eCOGRA, which it says broadens its technical and regulatory reach across global markets.
According to BMM, its role will be to provide independent testing and certification services that support compliance with New Zealand's technical and regulatory requirements. The company positioned the work as part of measures intended to support fair play, consumer protection and confidence in the regulated market.
BMM is one of several labs competing for that work, so operators preparing applications will have a choice of approved testers.
What The DIA Framework Says
The DIA's discussion draft of its testing and monitoring requirements, dated September 2026, lists the independent test laboratories approved to carry out external testing.
They are test houses approved by the UK Gambling Commission, labs registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, and the three facilities that already test land-based gambling in New Zealand: Gaming Laboratories International Australia, Quality Assurance Laboratories and BMM Australia.
Gaming Laboratories International announced its own approval earlier this month.
What Operators Must Prove
Under the draft, a licence applicant must submit a Game and RNG Register confirming that every game, including live dealer games, and every random number generator it plans to offer has been tested by an approved lab. Testing can be against New Zealand's own regulations and minimum standards, the Ontario standards for internet gaming or the UK Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards.
Applicants must also list their critical technology providers and the data centre and cloud hosting locations they use. On the day a licence starts, the operator's chief executive and chief compliance officer must sign a letter confirming the platform and its supporting technology comply with the rules.
After launch, new games and any update that could affect fairness must be tested externally, while minor changes can be checked internally if the operator meets the draft's control requirements.
Where The Market Stands
The regulator's online gambling resources page lists an update on the auction outcome dated October 13, and our earlier report on the licence auction explains how the process was set up. The testing requirements are still a discussion draft, with the effective date left blank in the published version, so the final list of approved labs could change.
