Best Betting Sites in New Zealand (2023)

Betting Sites in New Zealand

When you’re a relatively small country that punches above its weight in the sporting arena then you’re bound to find its inhabitants are keen to wager on how the big dogs overseas will go against their international ambassadors.

New Zealand falls in that category of bantamweights, if not flyweights, who take immense pleasure in flooring the heavyweights of the world in the sporting arena. That must be a major contributing factor on why the Kiwis aren’t shy to put a few dollars each way on betting sites to take a risk on their elite teams.

The All Blacks, the South Pacific nation’s most renowned global brand, leads the way with world cups against resource-rich First World nations such as England, France, South Africa, and Australia. The Black Caps becoming test cricket champions and ICC one-day format runners-up is another classic example of beating the bookmakers’ odds when push comes to shove. The Kiwis, as the poorer cousins in the rugby league arena, also have created enough upsets at the world cup or multi-national tournaments to offer their citizens cause to take a risk on them on the best betting sites.

The influx of Britons and other Europeans over the years have boosted the profile of soccer (football) and the country’s national team, the All Whites, because of a less challenging Oceania pathway to the FIFA World Cup in the past two decades. That, combined with the interest in the English Premier League (EPL), has piqued the Kiwis’ desire to seek a flutter on online overseas betting sites.

Throw in the Silver Ferns netballers and the odd New Zealand-bred or trained horse at the Melbourne Cup in Australia each year and you start getting a clearer picture of why best betting sites have a magnetic effect on Kiwis.

Hootsuite, a social media management system, reveals 94 per cent of Kiwis use the internet. That makes New Zealand among the top 25 countries in the world which use the internet. On average, a Kiwi aged between 16 to 64, spends 6 hours 39 minutes a day on the internet. Now, 77.8 per cent of New Zealand internet users in that same age range play video games. Racing and sport are most popular among 25 to 44-year-olds of the 40 per cent of Kiwis who engage on betting sites.

Put another way, it can become quite congested for all those Kiwis itching to take on bookmakers when their government only authorises one legal platform, the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB), within the country to cater to them. Not surprisingly, many punters are scanning the horizon, via the internet, for trustworthy sports betting sites to give them their daily or weekly fix.

Consequently, this post strives to point you in the right direction with a complete guide to the best betting sites in New Zealand. It’ll offer compact reviews of the top 10 platforms for online sports wagering.

How We Choose the Best Betting Sites in NZ

When Aotearoa New Zealand laws deem it illegal to establish any betting sites within its shores without licences but opens itself to the global online sports betting industry, then it’s always going to lead to a lolly scramble. Cowboys from every nook and corner of the world will invade our Kiwi Cyberspace to cash in on what is more than $NZ2.5 billion industry here. According to the Department of Internal Affairs’ survey in 2017-18, TAB horse racing and sports betting sites yielded $NZ350 million (up 3.6 per cent).

Our comprehensive analyses of the online sports bookmakers entering the New Zealand playground intend to eliminate confusion and chaos, considering the number of best betting sites reviewers Kiwis can find on the internet. It can be quite unsettling to stumble on several betting sites reviews championing different bookmakers but having ranking lists that contradict each other. It doesn’t help when Kiwis wake up every other week to find there’s a new online bookmaker dazzling them with snazzy website landing pages.

To a certain extent, the mishmash of reviews is understandable. What some players may consider being a priority for them may not necessarily be that for others. For example, some New Zealand newcomers to online sports betting sites may consider a bumper welcome a good beginning while others simply want the freedom of mobility with a humming app as their biggest point of difference. That’s where we come in to remove the chaff from the grains in the bid to make it easier for Kiwi bettors to select what best betting sites are tailor-made for their personal requirements, rather than herd them in like sheep for culling.

Primarily, some facets of online sports betting sites become the foundation for all gamers to build on. Consequently, we have done the hard yards for Kiwis here to save them valuable time and to help them conserve energy for alert minds where they matter — making educated punts on where they wish to place their hard-earned cash to multiply their returns from bookmakers.  

It’s Always a Matter of Trust

No matter what the engagement in life, trust is the most expensive and yet equally fragile commodity. Online sports betting sites are no different when it comes to New Zealanders trying to establish which bookmakers’ platform to wager on. If the Kiwi players have a bad experience, they’ll not just leave the tainted betting sites but, understandably, question the legitimacy of the entire industry and, in doing so, punish the honest bookmakers.

That means the starting point for any online sports betting bookmaker is to tick a set number of boxes that puts the welfare of its New Zealand customers first. We come in from that stage to check their betting site credentials. It’s impossible to consider every single bookmaker in an open market but we believe a good cross-section of the industry’s movers and shakers will offer the punters a transparent snapshot of the best betting sites to play on.

Safety & Security

 The bookmakers must wear their licences on their websites like a badge of honour. Their relevant certificates of compliance and security (eCOGRA), as well as adherence to the international standards, such as Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) verification, to protect New Zealand players against scammers, is non-negotiable. Regular and independent testing of gaming software for fairness is essential in determining the best betting sites.

Kiwis must, without blinking, click out of any bookmakers’ website that doesn’t come with reputable endorsements of the variety stated above. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology used to protect players’ personal data from identity fraud should be displayed with icons on betting sites. The latest software and the more grunt it packs go a long way to ensuring airtight security from bookmakers for New Zealand players’ transactions and accounts.

Bang For Your Buck

New Zealanders will be mindful that entering any business to eke out profits entails an element of risk and reward. However, starting out in a business means doing your homework to ensure you are taking calculated risks that won’t leave you high and dry, should things turn pear-shaped. Identifying online sports bookmakers who are offering you the most competitive prices becomes crucial in identifying the best bettings sites.

Evaluating the odds bookmakers dangle across the sports betting sites for a fair return to player (RTP) percentage is paramount. We’ve tried to ensure the bookmakers aren’t just window dressing their odds on their betting sites but are maintaining an acceptable threshold week in, week out to earn our tick of approval.

Picking the Pitch

Surf the internet for sports’ best betting sites and you’ll find some of them are more soothing to the eye than others. Just as driving into Las Vegas to find neon lights can dazzle you from every casino dotting both sides of the main street, so can bookmakers’ flashing promotional windows on the landing page make Kiwis punters’ eyes light up when they spot massive dollar signs and funky images. These digital carrots deliver. Not only do they lure fresh New Zealand players to their online sites but also beckon them day in, day out. No doubt, it doesn’t take many bettors to work out the novelty wears off the in-your-face promotions not long after.

Consequently, Kiwis can rely on us to strip the promotions of their visual thrills and frills for a stark-naked display of what the bare bones mean to them as punters. We read the six-point terms and conditions tagged at the end of each drop page to ensure where bettors may trip. Do online sports betting site bookmakers offer clarity when making bold offers? Do they regurgitate their promotional material or prepare fresh fare at the start of each week? 

Bells & Whistles  

Many online bookmakers subscribe to renowned software providers to supply quality products that will guarantee New Zealand players will have as authentic an experience as possible on their betting sites. However, some simply use it like tasteless car accessories to draw attention to themselves but have little substance to offer to bettors. Features such as accumulative betting, cash-out options, live betting, in-play betting, and live streaming of marquee matches all enhance the experience as well as make life easier for Kiwi punters. More importantly, do the cumulative bets come with an Acca insurance policy to ensure New Zealanders don’t lose 100 per cent when their stakes are assessed? Do they receive something back in the form of free bets, bonuses, or even a percentage of the cash? With mobile apps usage constantly keeping a tab on the pulse of the market, it pays for Kiwis to know online bookmakers have a service that isn’t sticking and buffering its way to kill the joy of wagering in the 21st Century.

Roots-and-All Reputation

New Zealand is a country where a tried-and-trodden track record makes a difference to generations of people. For instance, buying a Holden vehicle is still revered over a flood of modern car imports. Many Kiwis still prefer uncorking a wine bottle to twisting a metal screw top. Traditions die hard.

That holds true for Kiwis seeking online sports bookmakers, too. If the best betting sites have roots that can be traced to a decades-old foundation — if not more than a century-old one — they’re more likely to bank on their custom. Sure, it must be pointed out that those bookmakers must prove they are keeping up with the latest trends to ensure convenience isn’t lost along the way.

Some online best betting sites have built their custom on reputations that have stood the test of time, so we have done the research to trace those roots to ensure not only that they’re authentic but also well maintained.     

Range of Sports Codes

It’s all good for online best betting sites to display countless numbers of sporting codes. What matters to most sports-mad New Zealand players is whether the bookmakers have what they seek. Hey, politics and beauty pageants will make them chuckle, but will they be able to find markets that will make their wagering juices flow? The global popularity of the beautiful game (soccer) is fine and dandy but it’s of no use to Kiwis if the betting sites don't offer any traction with rugby and horse racing. That’s because the two codes are an integral part of the country’s religion.

When the All Blacks lose in the Rugby World Cup, staged every four years, the local economy shudders. No doubt, the eagle-eyed Kiwi bettors also want to know if the online bookmakers are offering the most competitive odds across the board for them to survive the tremors of the stock exchange, with their own individual windfall. We check to ensure bookmakers consider not just horse racing but also its derivatives in greyhound and harness racing. That isn’t just confined to meetings in New Zealand but the nuts and bolts of the marquee Melbourne Cup in the neighbouring continent of Australia. Best betting sites that offer annual international and grassroots competitions in preferred codes also will appeal to New Zealand and Australian players. The IPL cricket in India is just as important as the Big Bash in Australia and the Super Smash T20 in New Zealand.

Welcome, Deposit, and Other Bonuses

You’ve got to love them, right? I mean how often do Kiwis get something for nothing … or do you? We try to identify the conditions that online bettors may not pick up on in diving headfirst into what may appear to be a lucrative and/or “free” offer. Are they just for newbies or do existing players also qualify?

We point out where, for example, a sign-up bonus of $NZ10 deposit for a $NZ30 in free bets is the safer route to recovering your money. Note, that raises the question of whether they are free bets at all. Some bookmakers split up the bonuses and confine them to be used in specific markets.

But wait, that’s not the only thing to look out for. What’s the wagering requirement? Some bookies give you a breathing space of up to 30 days to use your bonus offer while others stifle you to almost 24 hours. How many times do online bettors have to wager before they qualify for a cash payout from bonuses? Some best betting sites demand multi-bets before players can claim their winnings.

Yes, all of that can feel like stepping on a field of landmines but that’s why we do some digging for you to clear your path of self-destruction, especially if you’re new on any given betting site.

Kiwi-friendly Banking Methods

Does the countless sea of online best betting sites welcome New Zealand players? If so, do the bookmakers accept kiwi dollars?

We make it abundantly clear which desirable sites roll out the red carpet to Kiwis and accept transactions in their currency. In a murky world of identity theft and scammers, it is understandable that many punters are weary of sharing their credit and debit card details. If so, does a bookmaker offer alternatives such as e-Wallets, including PayPal? How about bookmakers who offer cryptocurrencies in a country where it isn’t recognised as a currency? Some will accept cheques although many banks in New Zealand have phased out the yesteryear practice with the onset of the electronic age.

We note, where applicable, online sports betting sites that may want foreign currency which may have hidden fees and levies that will add to Kiwis’ losses on top of the rate of currency exchanges. Wiring bank transfers directly seems to be an attractive option for Kiwis, often with no fees, but beware some bookmakers will clear them in a few hours while others may take up to 5 to 10 working days.

Some Kiwi players will share the frustrations of finding out bookmakers offer a smooth transition when it comes to making deposits but will insist on some other form of photo ID registration, on top of the sign-up one, to make withdrawals. Some bookmakers are swift at payouts — between 1 to 3 days — while others can drag them out to more than a week.

24/7 Customer Support Service

No matter whether you’re a rookie player or a seasoned campaigner, the pressures of wagering away your precious money on betting sites can take its toll on anyone in between clicks or scrolls of any online device. Trustworthy best betting sites dangle a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) at the end of their landing, or other significant, pages to allay any fears Kiwi bettors may have.

However, all the bookmakers tend to take a giant stride in providing an around-the-clock service via live chat, email, phone, social media, and even snail mail service to address any concerns. Some aren’t so diligent, so we endeavour to point out how many days they take to respond. The caring sites offer the service in several different languages and even invite queries if New Zealanders may not have signed up on their betting sites.

Mobile Apps On The Run  

Charge it up, have a decent internet connection and away you go as Kiwis who find scrolling through their mobile apps is more purposeful than to be confined to a desktop device at some venue or while negotiating busy traffic to make it in time to a racetrack or stadium in your locality. It’s as easy as ducking out of your office on a Cyber break, even if the venue is in another part of the country or offshore.

The real-time statistics or major twists and turns to a match/race with in-play benefits will keep Kiwis on their toes at the best betting sites. While some may still find the mobile apps quite intimidating, others are game to employ iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Androids, and a swag of smartphones and tablets to enable them to download applications.

The online sports betting bookmakers who are up with the play have commissioned software wizards to provide applications that minimise the use of complex graphics that may chew up internet data and hit the unsuspecting hard in the pocket. Some bookmakers offer free downloads from app stores while others prefer New Zealand bettors to take it directly from their website landing pages.

The touchscreen mobile apps have been designed to make the exercise swift and painless on the betting sites. The markets, prices, and odds are right at your fingertips.

Watch That Space On eSports

The International Olympic Committee had given eSports a decent plugin 2017 on declaring it an “actual sport”. That has fanned the flames of gamers to ignite growth in the number of online betting sites catering to eSports punters in New Zealand.

In fact, eSports is growing so fast that Aotearoa New Zealand is among a cluster of countries that has established a national body, the New Zealand eSports Federation, to help regulate the code and its affiliated mega-rich tournaments. In New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs has ushered eSports into the online sports betting sites muster because of its global popularity. Bookmakers are tapping into the code and punters are scrambling to claim a slice of tournament prize money in the vicinity of millions of greenbacks.

Kiwi bettors must become familiar with the games that offer wagering opportunities in their country and the best odds. Knowledge of Kiwi eSports in any given team also is vital to boost one’s chances of winning big in the team code.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) is popular alongside League of Legends, FIFA, and Overwatch, to name a few. Online sports bookmakers tend to offer higher odds on CSGO because it demands more skills compared with, say for argument’s sake, Hearthstone, which relies on pure luck. Renowned best betting sites, such as Betway, Bet365, and Pinnacle, offer online betting on eSports results.

Best Betting Sites for Popular NZ Sports

With rugby union as the national sport in New Zealand, online sports betting sites will struggle to find love with Kiwi punters unless they cater to their nitty-gritty needs. Horse racing, including trots and greyhounds, follow. If bookmakers include basketball, cricket, rugby league, soccer, and tennis, they’ll have no problems vying for the best online sports betting sites honours in New Zealand.

Here are our picks (according to the popularity of each code):

1. Rugby Union

“Rugby’s a ball, pass it on,” is the running cliché for New Zealand’s official No. 1 sport. Instead, we’d like to pass on the vital information on which online sports betting sites Kiwis should gravitate to for their premium experience. It’s hands down betway, bet365, and LeoVegas. How New Zealand players shuffle these three front runners is entirely their choice because the trio of bookmakers offers premium variables that will mean different things to different people.

When it comes to betway, it reigns supreme in the free bets department. To spice up things, betway factors in daily odds boosts, multi-builder prospects, and cash-out incentives. The bookmaker covers a wide range of New Zealand and international markets. It isn’t allergic to kiwi dollars but it can be a challenge for bettors to contact the bookmaker for support.

Now bet365 comes with some fanfare as the bookmaker that offers the best rugby union odds in New Zealand. Consequently, it doesn’t come as a surprise that bet365 is the country’s favourite international bookmaker, too. Like betway, bet365 accepts kiwi currency for deposits but doesn’t payout with PayPal. It is the king of live betting and streaming. To round it off, bet365 offers a slick mobile experience on its betting site. 

LeoVegas shores up the rugby union scrum for Kiwi bettors as the premium betting app, offering a wicked, user-friendly, downloadable software to eclipse the website. And, yes, it accepts kiwi dollars as deposits. The bookmaker’s betting odds are competitive and embrace a global range of sporting codes, too.

If having to make a deposit in a foreign currency doesn’t bother you then 888sport will appeal to New Zealand bettors with its live streaming and live betting, although its odds on minor rugby union fixtures may be sketchy. For all online bookmakers, it’s imperative to cover the Rugby Championship, the Six Nations, the (men and women) Rugby World Cup every four years, and even the annual World Rugby 7s Series for both genders.

2. Rugby League   

When compared to the All Blacks status in the rugby union domain, the rugby league code is the poorer cousin in Aotearoa New Zealand. However, the online sports best betting sites offer rugby league fans a treatment that is second to none when it comes to wagering. In this part of the world, the New Zealand and Australian rugby league faithful are devoted to the outcome of the annual National Rugby League (NRL) staged in the Southern Hemisphere winter months. The New Zealand Warriors team, based at its headquarters in Auckland, is playing most of its games based in the host country of Australia nowadays due to the pandemic imposing restrictions on travelling. Kiwi punters are also left twitching when the Four Nations and Rugby League World Cup is staged during its cycle. The purists will find the best betting sites will include the annual Super League from England and the Elite One Championship in France.

Our top-ranked rugby union online sports bookmakers also provide an excellent service to rugby league punters. Kiwi bettors will need to make choices on what suits their individual requirements on betting sites.

3. Horse Racing

Singling out one betting site as the best, when it boils down to equine racing in New Zealand, isn’t an easy exercise because of all the variables many bookmakers offer to Kiwi punters. Here, New Zealand bettors can rest assured the best betting sites we’re recommending have complied with the highest levels of security to protect everyone and puts customers first. No doubt, for those seeking a flutter from horses, the betting odds is paramount. LeoVegas, ComeOn!, Betvictor, bet365, and Mr. Green are our choices of bookmakers putting their best foot forward when it comes to horse racing in New Zealand.

Again, New Zealand punters must be up to scratch in reading the terms and conditions before diving into any sign-up offers on betting sites. Most reputable bookmakers cover international race meetings, including those from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Ireland, South Africa, and the United States, to name a few. If New Zealand and Australian bookmakers are your primary focus, then Ladbrokes is the best betting site for you.

4. Soccer

The beautiful game isn’t the main official game of Aotearoa New Zealand, the second, third or, arguably, even the fourth. However, there’s no disputing the fact that soccer (football) has a grassroots following from youngsters through to adults competing in school, club, provincial, district leagues, and the national championship (ISPS Handa Premiership) around the country. Raise the stakes and you’ll find the national (knockout) Chatham Cup has a cult following, just as much as the Yellow Fever getting behind the Wellington Phoenix men’s and, as of late, women’s teams in the annual Hyundai A-League in Australia.

The All Whites, with some pedigree players in the EPL, as well as other European and American leagues, find traction with Kiwi online sports punters. An influx of Britons, as well as Europeans, has reinforced the following of the EPL, UEFA Champions League and the Europa League, among Kiwis. It’s common for workplaces in New Zealand — as it is with the Melbourne Cup horse racing— to organise sweepstakes for the FIFA World Cup, to be staged in Qatar from November 2022. As the biggest team competition on the planet, just about any online sportsbook worth it's salt is offering a dazzling service to soccer punters.

LeoVegas, Spin Sports, betway, bet365, Mr. Green, Mr. Play, and 10Bet Sport are our top seven bookmakers. Just as it was applicable to horseracing, identifying online soccer best betting sites is a mind-boggling task when you start considering all the variables bookmakers are offering to Kiwi punters. That’s why we’re trying to take the hair-pulling elements out of them to make your life easier.

The seven best betting sites claiming pole position above have a broad spectrum of games in the vicinity of more than 180 to more than 225, each. The bookmakers’ payout hovers above the 98 per cent mark and they offer a variety of bets to wager on, including the straightforward money-line bets, the number of goals scored, halftime/fulltime results, refund of stakes if it’s a stalemate, goal scorers, and such. Play-in betting also is among other key features on those betting sites.

5. Cricket

It’s no secret that betting in cricket is the domain of frantic followers from the subcontinent countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The fans’ insatiable appetite for the summer sport has rubbed off on other powerhouse countries such as Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and the West Indies. In New Zealand, domestic and international players are often briefed on the consequences of sharing information with bookmakers’ agents. Data can include something as simple as the texture of the wicket, the coin toss, or which star player may be out with injuries. Some players have been prosecuted and banned from playing the sport because of divulging such information to bookmakers, agreeing to bowl no-balls or dropping catches to influence the outcome of a match.

The boom in the lucrative hit-and-giggle format of cricket, Twenty20, has contributed towards its growth on betting sites. It’s not unusual to find random websites offering odds even on the New Zealand women’s domestic T20 competition, the Super Smash, in the past few summers. It’ll help punters to have some knowledge of the game, especially regarding what constitutes a no-ball delivery from a bowler, what a free hit is, why a maiden over can put pressure on batsmen, and the denomination of runs from singles to boundaries and lusty sixes. Understanding such passages of play will open new avenues for punters to place bets, thus increasing their chances of boosting their returns from wagering on the best betting sites.

However, cricket fanatics armed with mobile devices are keen to wager on a wider variety of global betting sites. That is a key factor we have considered in naming our elite online cricket bookmakers. Whether it’s pre-match or live bets, these online bookmakers are on their game. Compact betting sites tend to offer punters solid tips.

On that drift, here are our picks for bookmakers who provide the best betting sites in cricket: 888sport because of its app and free bets; William Hill because of its reputation in the code; Betvictor because of its handsome sign-up bonus; LeoVegas because of its around-the-clock support for Kiwi bettors as well as a free bet with deposit; Mr. Play for its multi-bet odds; and Royal Panda for its cash out on live betting.

6. Basketball, F1 Racing, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Sailing & Tennis

New Zealanders love tennis, especially the Grand Slam tournaments of the Australian Open, French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon (England). Kiwi Michael Venus and his doubles partner, Tim Pütz, are creating enough interest in the major arena as they improve their global seeding. Add to that the simplicity of low odds bookmakers offer on the favourites — such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal — winning and you see the appeal it has on the broader New Zealand betting population who may want to risk little for smaller returns. Djokovic’s stance on not vaccinating and countries preventing him from playing on their turf will throw the field wide open for more unlikely winners and better odds. The men’s ATP and women’s WTA tour tournaments provide similar favouritism.

Basketball — whether the NZ NBA or the high-profile NBA in the United States — is in a similar boat to perennial EPL soccer winners. In New Zealand, punters know that the Wellington Saints are the odds-on favourites because the franchise owners aren’t shy to open their wallets to bolster their playing roster with pedigree players. In the NBA, the Brooklyn Nets and the Golden State Warriors are the front runners in the eyes of many bookmakers while the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns are seen as outside chances. The EuroLeague is no better with Anadolu Efes tipped to retain its crown from last season. The FIBA World Championship perhaps provides a little bit more challenge for the fans on betting sites.

Despite his controversial world title loss to Max Verstappen, the dominance of English driver Lewis Hamilton in Formula One motor racing also makes it a predictable affair. Netball, on the other hand as New Zealand’s No. 1 female sport, is looking more like a three-way horse race between the Diamonds (Australia), the Roses (England) and the Silver Ferns (NZ).

LPGA highflier Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, is setting the pace in the professional golfing arena alongside PGA campaigners Ryan Fox and Danny Lee. However, female and male dominance isn’t so prevalent so the payout can be more generous.

Field hockey has a popular following in New Zealand with the men and women’s elite teams competing as the Black Sticks. It is a sport that The Netherlands have dominated in the World Cup, albeit the women eight times and men only three. Belgium men are the current world champions, but the Black Sticks women have a better chance of claiming the title than their men, so such odds from bookmakers keep Kiwi punters on their toes on the best betting sites.

New Zealand are the reigning America’s Cup holders and Team New Zealand is the bookmakers’ favourites to retain the Auld Mug. The payout will be small but if the hosting venue changes due to the Kiwi Government’s stringent pandemic restrictions, then punters into sailing will be rubbing their hands with glee on betting sites.

All our rated online sports bookmakers offer decent odds on their betting sites, as well as coverage of most of these codes and their events.

Online Betting Laws in NZ

In a nutshell, it’s illegal for anyone intending to own or operate a new betting shop within Aotearoa New Zealand since the legislators had passed the NZ Gambling Act in 2003. Put another way, only the Lotto NZ and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) — coming under the jurisdiction of the New Zealand Racing Board — hold a monopoly to operate online gambling within the country.

However, the New Zealand Government permits its inhabitants to knock themselves out when seeking a flutter on the internet of online sports betting sites around the globe. The government refers to this as “interactive remote gambling” and it comes under the umbrella of the Department of Internal Affairs. In many respects, the Kiwi blueprint is modelled on its biggest Pacific neighbours, Australia.

Because of the legal loophole, overseas-based bookmakers can step into what is, effectively, an unregulated cowboy internet territory to woo Kiwi punters. It’s not surprising to wake up after a few weeks to find new online bookmakers from abroad have mushroomed to embrace Kiwi players with open arms. New Zealanders will note that British and European bookmakers are prominent while Americans are conspicuous in their absence, perhaps due to laws that deemed sports betting sites illegal in the US, until a few years ago.

With foreign bookmakers not required to apply for a licence to beckon Kiwi bettors, the players must recognise that in the advent of a dispute with the overseas betting sites they won’t enjoy any legal protection and will be at the mercy of whichever country or regulatory body the bookmakers are licensed with or subscribe to.

Nevertheless, the passing of the Racing Act 2020 has paved the way for the government to impose a taxation policy that makes it obligatory for the offshore online bookmakers to pay a levy on the profits from wagering based on sports and racing events staged in New Zealand. It expects the foreign bookmakers to obtain data from relevant national sporting bodies and racing authorities in New Zealand before using it on their best betting sites. That basically ushers the overseas bookmakers towards subscribing to a betting information-use charter that abides by the terms and conditions of the Racing Act 2020, subject to certain fees, and any amendments and supplementary laws attached to it.

From a New Zealand perspective, scores of sportsbooks operating from foreign soils accept Kiwi players. However, the discerning Kiwi bettors must be the sole judges of what they consider to be excellence in online sports betting sites tailored to their specific requirements. They do have the option of engaging with the New Zealand betting site of TAB but will find the foreign bookmakers — such as Bet365, Betway, LeoVegas, 888sport, William Hill, and Ladbrokes — tick many boxes with transparency before accepting them.

The winnings from online sports betting sites are exempt from taxes in New Zealand. However, the country doesn’t recognise cryptocurrencies as legal tender, but residents are expected to pay taxes on any earnings from Bitcoin.

We have set out to provide as comprehensive pointers as possible to identify legitimate bookmakers, so you can enjoy the thrills of secure, responsible, and premium wagering experiences on the best betting sites.