SkyCity Queenstown Casino Venue Licence Renewed for a Further 15 Years

SkyCity has secured a long-term renewal for its casino operation in Queenstown, with the New Zealand Gambling Commission granting a further 15-year casino venue licence term from 7 December 2025. The renewal was disclosed via the New Zealand Stock Exchange

What was approved and when

SkyCity confirmed that the Gambling Commission renewed its Queenstown casino venue licence for 15 years from 7 December 2025. Under the Gambling Act framework, a venue licence renewal is a formal regulatory decision made under the Act’s renewal provisions.

Section 134 of the Gambling Act sets out the renewal requirements, including that applications must be made between one and two years before the existing licence expires and must be accompanied by a casino impact report prepared by an approved independent author.

In GC14/25, the Commission states the venue licence was due to expire at midnight on 6 December 2025, and explains that, once a renewal application is filed, the existing licence continues in force until the Commission issues its decision, regardless of the formal expiry date.

What the Gambling Commission considered

The Gambling Commission’s decision sets out the key steps it followed before renewing the licence. This included checking SkyCity Queenstown and anyone who can significantly influence the business, and getting information from agencies such as Police, DIA, the Insolvency and Trustee Service, and the Companies Office. It also ran the required public consultation process, which involved public notice and the chance for people to make submissions.

In total, the Commission received 77 submissions. There was also a public hearing at the Sudima Five Mile Hotel in Queenstown on 10 November 2025. Two people asked to speak at the hearing, but the Commission declined those requests.

Local context from the council process

A paper from the Queenstown Lakes District Council, written as part of the licence renewal process, explains why Council got involved and what it could do.

The report says

it was mainly there to help Council take part in the Gambling Commission’s renewal process. It also reminds readers that local residents and community groups could make their own submissions during the Commission’s public consultation.

The document outlines different ways Council could respond and notes there was not much public interest in the renewal. The report also suggests there was limited evidence of gambling harm in the district and says Police were satisfied with how SkyCity was operating the casino.