Legal Sports Betting NZ

Featured above are five of our favourite legal sports betting sites in New Zealand.

However, you should know that ALL of the betting sites and online casinos that you find on My Betting Sites NZ are legal and safe for Kiwis to use. We've just included the word 'legal' because if you're on this page you were probably interested in legal betting sites 😉

Not only are all of the betting sites on here legal in the eyes of NZ gambling laws and NZ betting laws but these sites all have licences in the countries they are located.

The online gambling companies on this website have licences in the UK, Australia, Malta, Gibraltar and other countries.

This should provide you with an extra layer of assurance because you know that somewhere in the world these sites are being watched and monitored and therefore they can be trusted.

The reason that the best online betting sites and gambling sites don't have licences in NZ is that the NZ government doesn't give gambling licences and betting licences to offshore bookmakers.

Only a few betting and gambling operations have NZ licences and these include, the TAB NZ, Lotto NZ, Instant Kiwi and SkyCity Casinos.

Gambling in New Zealand is regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The Gambling Act 2003 is the NZ law that governs betting and gambling in NZ and explains what is legal, and what is illegal. As the name suggests, this law was passed in 2003.

The key to the NZ Gambling Act is that it does not restrict online gambling and betting when the website originates outside of New Zealand.

The NZ Gambling Act only regulates betting and gambling companies that operate from within New Zealand.

This means that online sports betting and online gambling are completely legal in New Zealand.

Because all of the best betting sites are based in other countries, it is legal for New Zealanders to use them.

NZ players are safe from the law

It's also important to understand that the Gambling Act 2003 is only directed toward betting and gambling companies. In other words, the NZ law doesn't care about players but instead, it cares about commercial entities.

Therefore, players are not at risk of getting in trouble for their betting and gambling. Only the operator that is facilitating this gambling or betting can be prosecuted.

Be aware that this also means that NZ players are not protected from dodgy betting sites under NZ law. This means that you will want to choose only safe, reputable sports betting websites and gambling sites like the ones listed on My Betting Sites NZ.

NZ Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission is an independent decision-making body that was formed as a result of the Gambling Act 2003.

List of Legal Betting Sites in New Zealand

1. Bet365 - NZ's fav Intl betting site
2. Betway - Great for free bets & multis
3. 888sport - Generous promos
4. LeoVegas - Great betting app
5. TonyBet - All popular NZ sports
6. 22bet - Most payment methods
7. Rabona - New, innovative site
8. FansBet - Honest betting site
9. BetVictor - Great bet builder
10. Guts - Particularly good for soccer
11. 20BET - 2000+ bets for some games
12. Mr Play - Good sign up bonus
13. PlayUp - Great fixed odds
14. Conquestador - Detailed stats
15. Karamba - Top customer support
16. Betiton - Fast markets & cash out
17. Rizk - Unique & fun option
18. Draftstars - Biggest fantasy prizes

Just as betting online and gambling online is legal, using NZ betting apps is also legal and safe for Kiwis.

All of the betting apps below are available on the NZ App Store and can be used on iPhones and iPads.

These betting apps are also available on Android devices but the Google Play store does not have any betting or gambling apps so you will have to download them directly from the companies' website.

There are many factors that should go into your choice of betting app.

Do they also have a casino app? Is there live-streaming available? How easy is the app to use? What is the betting sign-up bonus like?

Below you'll find all the best legal betting apps that are available for NZ players. They are all free to download and use.

New Zealand's physical casino offerings are limited to the pokie machines you might find at your local RSA or the following six casinos:

• Dunedin Casino
• Christchurch Casino
• SkyCity Auckland
• SkyCity Hamilton
• SkyCity Queenstown
• Skycity Wharf Casino

Despite this, online casino sites, like the ones listed below, are available, legal and safe for New Zealand players. Again, the Gambling Act does not restrict NZ players from signing up and playing at offshore online casinos.

With legal online casinos, you have the opportunity to play a variety of table games from poker and blackjack to roulette and baccarat.

Live casino games are also legal and give you the chance to play against people from around the world, or sometimes even against your friends.

Online casinos also have much bigger jackpots then NZ casinos with some online slot jackpots being worth upwards of $15 million NZD.

1877

The Otago Art Society operated the first New Zealand "Art Union" which was originally a lottery that was used to help raise funds for the organisation.

1920

Bookmaking was declared illegal in NZ and betting on racing was only available at race-tracks or with illegal private bookmakers.

1933

The first national lotteries were founded. These "Art Unions" had small prizes and in the early days were alluvial gold.

1950's

"Art Unions" had low returns so many Kiwis chose to illegally purchase tickets in overseas Australian lotteries. A government review of lotteries was conducted in the latter part of 1950's.

1961

The Totalizator Agency Board (TAB) and the national Golden Kiwi lottery were introduced.

1987

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission was established and Lotto tickets became available for Kiwis for the first time. Slot machines, or pokies, were also introduced and were originally operated by charitable foundations in hotels and bars.

1989

The Golden Kiwi lottery was replaced with Instant Kiwi scratchies.

1993

Lotto Strike began.

1994

New Zealand's first Casino, Christchurch Casino opened its doors. Keno tickets also became available for the first time. The TAB privatised.

2001

Powerball first became available.

2003

The NZ Gambling Act came into effect. The New Zealand TAB was replaced with the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB). The betting arm of the racing board retained the TAB branding.

2005

Big Wednesday started (ended in 2015).

2014

Play 3 began (ended in 2019).

2017

Instant Play became available.

2019

The New Zealand Racing Board became the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA).

2020

TAB NZ took control of RITA following the passing of the Racing Act 2020.