Separately, the DIA has released a September discussion draft covering testing and monitoring requirements. Both the final standards and the draft document are available through the department’s official online gambling resources page.
Unlike the minimum standards, the testing and monitoring document is not yet a final regulatory instrument. Its provisions should therefore be described as proposed requirements rather than settled obligations.
The draft outlines independent testing expectations for games, random number generators, live dealer operations and critical platform systems. It also covers source-code controls, change management, security assurance, return-to-player monitoring and periodic platform certification.
Applicants may need to maintain registers identifying games, RNGs, technology suppliers, software versions, hosting locations and test certificates. Operators would remain responsible for compliance even when technology is supplied by third parties.
Independent technical assessment is becoming a more formal component of market entry across regulated jurisdictions. Ace Alliance’s coverage of GLI’s accreditation as an iGaming testing laboratory illustrates how regulators increasingly rely on approved laboratories to verify system integrity without transferring the final approval decision.
For New Zealand bidders, the operational message is clear. Auction preparation cannot be separated from technical readiness. Operators must build an evidence base showing that their platforms, suppliers and internal controls satisfy the final minimum standards while remaining adaptable to testing proposals that may still change.
