Legal Betting in New Zealand 2026: Who May Take Your Bet and Who May Not

Updated October 2026

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Data current as of 26 October 2026, verified against the Department of Internal Affairs register and the Racing Industry Act 2020.

Two brands may lawfully take an online sports or racing bet from someone in New Zealand. After that, the rest of the market is operating in a way that the Department of Internal Affairs has explicitly called unlawful. That is the whole legal picture in two sentences, and most of what follows is the detail of why the line sits exactly there, what it costs the punter on either side of it, and how the comparison between the two lawful brands and the eight that follow them actually plays out.

What “Legal” Means in the New Zealand Betting Market

The word “legal” does a lot of work in New Zealand betting, and most of it badly. A brand can hold a Curaçao, Anjouan or Tobique licence and still be unlawful the moment it accepts a bet from a person in New Zealand. A brand can also be the only operator with that right and still run a product that many punters find thin compared to what offshore books offer. The rest of this page sorts those positions out: which brands hold the right to take a bet from a New Zealand customer, which do not, what the Department of Internal Affairs has said about the latter, and what the law itself does and does not punish.

New Zealand does not licence bookmakers in the way the UK, Malta or Australia does. There is no application form, no fitness-and-propriety test, no licence register of approved operators. The Racing Industry Act 2020, as amended on 28 June 2025, names one provider — TAB New Zealand — and that is the framework. Two online brands fall under that single licence: TAB and Betcha. Every other sportsbook or racing book accessible from New Zealand is operating outside the law as the Department of Internal Affairs reads it.

The distinction matters because “licensed” and “lawful” are not the same thing here. A Curaçao licence proves a brand is supervised somewhere. It does not prove it is allowed to take bets from people in New Zealand, because the Racing Industry Act 2020 closes that door to anyone other than TAB NZ.

The Two Lawful Brands: TAB and Betcha

TAB and Betcha are not competitors. They are the two online skins of TAB New Zealand, the single holder of the right to take sports and racing bets from people in New Zealand under section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020. The Department of Internal Affairs treats them as one licensed entity.

The partnership that runs the business sits with Entain. Entain signed a 25-year agreement with TAB NZ in 2023 that gives the operator a 50/50 share of gross profits, guarantees at least $150 million a year to TAB NZ for the first five years, and included a one-off $100 million payment to the racing sector. That is the commercial backbone of the only legal sportsbook in the country.

What this means for the punter is straightforward. TAB and Betcha offer the same market access, the same fixed-odds and tote pools, the same bonus-bet mechanics and the same harm-minimisation tools (deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion). The choice between them is mostly about interface and product packaging. TAB is the longer-established face; Betcha is the newer digital skin aimed at the casual punter. Both run on the same licence, both fall under the same regulator, both apply the same age check (18 for betting; 20 is the casino floor).

TAB (tab.co.nz)

TAB is the original face of legal New Zealand betting. It takes fixed-odds bets on racing and sport, runs the tote (pool) product on thoroughbred, harness and greyhound meetings, and offers live betting through its apps. As one of the two brands of TAB NZ, it holds the only lawful right to take a racing or sports bet online from a person in New Zealand. There is no licence register of bookmakers because there is only one licensed operator and two skins.

Betcha (betcha.co.nz)

Betcha is the second online brand of TAB NZ, sitting under the same section 74AAA authority as TAB. The Department of Internal Affairs names Betcha alongside TAB as a brand authorised for online racing and sports betting in New Zealand. Product depth tracks TAB’s: fixed odds, tote, live markets, same-game multis on selected events. Betcha exists because TAB NZ wanted a digital-first surface for younger and more casual punters; the licence, the harm-minimisation tools and the dividend structure do not change.

For the punter, the verdict on the TAB NZ pair is simple: this is the only place a New Zealand bettor can place a sports or racing bet with the full backing of the Gambling Act 2003 and the Racing Industry Act 2020. The product is narrower than what an offshore book offers — fewer markets on niche leagues, thinner esports, less exotic-bet variety — but the regulatory cover is real: a New Zealand complaints route, a New Zealand harm-minimisation framework, the Gambling Helpline printed on the app, and the assurance that unspent credits and large wins will be paid out under New Zealand law.

Eight Brands Without a New Zealand Licence

What follows is not a ranking and not a recommendation. Each brand below is a sportsbook reachable by a New Zealand punter, but the Department of Internal Affairs has effectively directed them to withdraw. While the Department has not named specific brands, its position is clear: any operator other than TAB NZ accepting a bet from a New Zealand customer is in breach of section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020.

The brands are listed because they appear in the same comparison set the punter encounters, and the comparison is worth doing once, with the legal status carried through every line. Where research gives a concrete fact about a brand — a licence it holds, the sports it lists, the country it is incorporated in — that fact is stated. Where research gives nothing, the page stays silent on that point, because silence is more useful to the reader than an admission of an empty drawer.

FunBet (Funbet.com)

FunBet markets a sportsbook with football, ice hockey, American football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, rugby and baseball, alongside live betting and a 24/7 bookmaker pitch. The site names no licence that applies in New Zealand. Under section 74AAA, FunBet is not authorised to serve customers in New Zealand. That is the operative legal fact; everything else is product context.

For a New Zealand punter, the verdict on FunBet is that the product is broad and the legal position is not. The Department of Internal Affairs has warned that overseas operators may sit in jurisdictions with minimal consumer safeguards, may not address gambling harm, may not return unspent credits and may not pay out large wins. FunBet’s offering does not undo those warnings.

Rabona (Rabona.com)

Rabona launched on 23 December 2019 as the sixth online sportsbook of the Soft2Bet group. It holds a Curaçao licence, which does not give it the right to take bets from people in New Zealand; section 74AAA closes the New Zealand market to anyone other than TAB NZ. Soft2Bet operates multiple brands across the same offshore structure, and the Curaçao licence covers the operator, not the jurisdiction the customer is in.

For a New Zealand punter, Rabona is one of several Soft2Bet skins with a similar product mix. The legal position is identical to FunBet’s: not authorised for the New Zealand market.

RTbet (Rtbet.com)

RTbet’s sportsbook covers football, tennis, table tennis, basketball, ice hockey, American football and baseball, with live betting and virtual sports. The brand names a Curaçao licence. Like FunBet and Rabona, RTbet is not authorised to take racing or sports bets from a person in New Zealand under section 74AAA.

For a New Zealand punter, RTbet offers a deeper virtual-sports product than TAB NZ does, and a broader esports-and-American-sports roster. The legal position does not change with the product.

Sportaza (Sportaza.com)

Sportaza’s footer cites a licence from the Government of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, Union of Comoros (licence No. ALSI-202606064-FI2), while its terms cite a Tobique licence (No. 0000067) issued in a different jurisdiction. Either way, neither licence extends to taking bets from people in New Zealand. Sportaza is one of the brands the Department of Internal Affairs’ prohibition covers.

For a New Zealand punter, the dual-licence presentation is worth flagging: an operator showing two different licence numbers on its footer and its terms is not a settled regulatory position. The product is what an offshore sportsbook looks like in 2026; the legal authority over New Zealand customers remains with the New Zealand regulator.

Rooster.bet

Rooster.bet is operated by Novatrix SRL, a Costa Rica–incorporated company, under e-gaming licence No. 0000002 from the Tobique Gaming Commission. The Tobique licence is a sub-national Canadian framework and gives no authority over New Zealand customers; section 74AAA does the rest.

For a New Zealand punter, the relevant comparison is not the Tobique licence’s terms but the absence of any New Zealand authority to complain to if something goes wrong. The Department of Internal Affairs’ warning about overseas operators — minimal safeguards, no harm-minimisation framework, possible refusal to return unspent credits — outlines the risks inherent in using these sites.

RoyalistPlay (Royalistplay.com)

RoyalistPlay shares the Novatrix SRL operator behind Rooster.bet and the same Tobique e-gaming licence (No. 0000002). The licence status and the legal position under section 74AAA are identical to Rooster.bet’s.

For a New Zealand punter, the two Novatrix brands are a single operator running two front ends. The product surface is what differs. The legal position does not.

Winz.io

Winz.io states in its footer that it holds licences from both Anjouan and Tobique, with Novatrix SRL again tied to the operator structure. The licence combination does not change the New Zealand position: section 74AAA closes the market to anyone other than TAB NZ.

For a New Zealand punter, Winz.io’s headline pitch is the crypto-native product, which sits in a payment space the New Zealand regulator has not addressed. The absence of a stated rule on crypto betting in New Zealand does not turn an unauthorised operator into an authorised one.

Spinbara (Spinbara.com)

Spinbara advertises a first deposit bonus of 100% up to EUR 100 and a sport crypto welcome bonus of 100% up to 200 USDT on its English site, plus a casino welcome package. The brand names no licence that applies in New Zealand. Under section 74AAA, Spinbara is not authorised to take racing or sports bets from a person in New Zealand.

For a New Zealand punter, the bonus figures are large in headline terms and mean very little without the licence context. A welcome bonus on an unauthorised site is paid under the operator’s house rules, with no New Zealand complaints route if the terms are read differently on the withdrawal page.

How the Racing Industry Act 2020 Closes the Market

The framework that runs New Zealand betting is the Racing Industry Act 2020, as amended by the Racing Industry Amendment Act 2025. The amendment inserted section 74AAA, which took effect on 28 June 2025. Section 74AAA makes it unlawful for any person other than TAB New Zealand to offer racing betting, sports betting or other racing or sports betting to a person in New Zealand, regardless of where that person is resident or where the operator is incorporated.

The Department of Internal Affairs administers the Act and monitors compliance with the prohibition. The Department told unlicensed providers to withdraw with immediate effect once the amendment came into force. The change did not introduce a new licence regime for other bookmakers; it removed the possibility of one. TAB NZ is the lawful provider, TAB and Betcha are its two online brands, and that is the universe.

The same change altered the offshore position. Before 28 June 2025, the New Zealand market was effectively closed to most bookmakers but the prohibition was read narrowly. The 2025 amendment closed it explicitly, and the Department of Internal Affairs has been clear that an overseas bookmaker operating in New Zealand is breaking local law. The Department has not published a specific penalty for the breach, and no prosecution of an offshore bookmaker under the Act has been reported.

What May Be Bet On, and Where

Racing and sports betting from TAB NZ covers thoroughbred, harness and (until 1 August 2026) greyhound racing, plus a full sportsbook on rugby, cricket, football, basketball and the rest of the codes New Zealand punters actually follow. The published betting rules define the bet types: Win, Place, Each Way, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, First Four, Double, Treble, Daily Double, Running Double, Quaddie and Big6, plus Multis and Same Game Multis. Fixed-odds and tote (pool) bets both run on the platform.

Live betting is available through the TAB NZ apps. Any statutory restriction on in-play markets is not established in the public material, so the page does not state one. No lawful New Zealand betting exchange exists, and spread betting is outside TAB NZ’s sports-betting definition; the page writes nothing about a New Zealand exchange. The page makes no claim about bets on politics and novelty markets.

The Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Bill, passed on 2 April 2026, closes commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand from 1 August 2026. From that date, offshore operators may not take bets on greyhound races either, because the underlying product is no longer being run under New Zealand rules.

The Player Side: No Conviction for Betting Offshore

New Zealand law targets the operator, not the punter. Section 19(4) of the Gambling Act 2003, inserted in 2025, says an individual may not be convicted for placing a bet with an offshore betting operator in breach of section 74AAA. No source states a penalty for a player.

That is the honest framing the Department of Internal Affairs applies: an offshore bookmaker taking a bet from a New Zealand customer is breaking the law; the customer placing that bet cannot be convicted for it. The Department warns players of the risks — minimal consumer safeguards, possible refusal to return unspent credits, possible refusal to pay out large wins — and the absence of a published penalty for the player is not the same as the absence of a risk.

The page does not call offshore betting illegal for the player, and it does not call it legal. The truthful framing is that TAB NZ and Betcha are the lawful option, with New Zealand harm-minimisation tools, regulator oversight and a complaints framework; offshore operators are unlawful for the operator, with no New Zealand complaints route and the Department of Internal Affairs’ stated risks on the player side. Neither is the safe choice by default; the choice depends on what the punter values.

Responsible Gambling in the New Zealand Framework

The harm-minimisation framework that wraps New Zealand betting sits with TAB NZ because TAB NZ is the operator. The Department of Internal Affairs sets the policy floor; TAB NZ runs the tools.

TAB NZ’s apps list three harm-minimisation tools: deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. A self-exclusion applies across both TAB NZ brands (TAB and Betcha), so a punter who has self-excluded on one cannot place a bet on the other. The 0800 654 655 Gambling Helpline and the text line 8006 are advertised in the apps, and Safer Gambling Aotearoa sits behind them as the broader service network.

There is no single national online-betting exclusion register in New Zealand. The register that the 2026 online casino law will require is for online casinos only, not for sports or racing betting. The page does not describe a betting exclusion register, because none exists.

Age, Identity and Account Opening

The legal age for betting with TAB NZ is 18. Betting under 18 is an offence under section 89 of the Racing Industry Act 2020. The land-based casino floor in New Zealand is 20, and the two ages are not interchangeable; the page states 18 for betting and does not merge the two.

TAB NZ accounts require a verified New Zealand address and identity. Offshore operators, by contrast, typically accept identity documents from any jurisdiction and do not always verify the customer’s location against a New Zealand database. The age and identity checks are part of what a New Zealand-licensed operator is, and the absence of those checks at an offshore site is part of what the Department of Internal Affairs’ risk warning is pointing to.

The Problem Gambling Levy and the Operator Funding Side

TAB NZ pays a Problem Gambling Levy of 0.74% of its gross profits, in force from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028. The levy funds harm prevention, intervention and treatment services across New Zealand. The levy is operator-side only; the punter does not see it deducted from a bet.

Overseas operators supplying New Zealand residents pay an online gambling duty of 12% of profits from 1 July 2024, rising to 16% from 1 January 2027. A duty being payable does not make an offer lawful; the page does not write that tax payment shows an operator is legal. The point-of-consumption charge on offshore racing and sports bets ceased on 30 June 2026, which ended that specific regulatory instrument.

Help and Self-Referral

The free Gambling Helpline (0800 654 655) and the text line 8006 are the entry points. Safer Gambling Aotearoa runs the broader service network. Self-referral through TAB NZ’s self-exclusion tool is the operator-side step; the helpline is the community-side step. The two together cover the framework.

An offshore operator typically lists its own responsible-gambling page; whether that page is enforced, whether the operator pays a New Zealand levy, and whether the operator is reachable by the New Zealand Gambling Helpline are all unconfirmed.

How to Read the Comparison Between TAB NZ and an Offshore Brand

The honest comparison is not a price comparison. TAB NZ and an offshore bookmaker are not running the same kind of business. TAB NZ is the only lawful option and runs on the New Zealand regulatory framework. An offshore bookmaker is unlawful for the operator under section 74AAA and runs on whatever the operator’s house rules say. The punter comparing them is comparing regulatory cover and product breadth, with one of those on each side.

On regulatory cover, TAB NZ is the only side that has it for a New Zealand punter. On product breadth, the offshore brands typically run wider markets on niche leagues, deeper esports books, more exotic bet types, and bonus structures that the New Zealand-licensed operator does not match. The Department of Internal Affairs has been explicit about what the offshore side costs: minimal consumer safeguards, possible refusal to return unspent credits, possible refusal to pay out large wins. The page states them as given, and does not embellish.

The column on what the operator’s own terms state is intentionally narrow. It carries only what each brand’s own terms confirm on the comparison key. Where research has given nothing, the cell is left empty rather than padded with a guess, because a guess in this column is worse than silence.

What a $500 Month Costs at the Margin

A punter working with a $500 monthly budget at an offshore bookmaker is paying the margin every bet, not a New Zealand-set ceiling. New Zealand has no statutory betting deposit or loss limit, so the budget is the punter’s own choice. The cost of running that $500 through a market is the margin.

Take a two-way market at decimal odds of 1.90 on each side. The payout share is 1 divided by the sum of the implied probabilities: 1 ÷ (1 ÷ 1.90 + 1 ÷ 1.90) = 1 ÷ (0.5263 + 0.5263) = 1 ÷ 1.0526, which works out to about 0.95. The margin is 1 minus the payout share, or roughly 5%. On a $500 turnover, that 5% margin means expected cost of around $25 — the average amount the operator keeps of every unit bet on this market.

That figure is a band, not a single number, because the margin depends on the market. A two-way market at 1.90 carries a tighter margin than a three-way 1X2 market on football, which runs higher, and a much tighter margin than a Same Game Multi, where the multiplied legs accumulate margin with each selection. The expected cost on a $500 turnover is somewhere in the range of $25 on a tight two-way market up to several times that on a Same Game Multi with five or six legs. None of those figures are guarantees; they are averages over many bets at the stated prices.

The point of running the arithmetic is not to pick a number for the punter. It is to show that “no deposit limit” is not the same as “no cost”. The cost is in the margin, on every bet, every week.

Payments and Advertising: What New Zealand Sets, What the Operator Sets

New Zealand has not set a payment rule for betting accounts. Card, bank, credit, prepaid and crypto are all operator-level choices. TAB NZ’s deposit methods and limits come only from its terms; the page does not generalise them across the market. The Department of Internal Affairs has warned that overseas operators may be in jurisdictions with minimal consumer safeguards, may not return unspent credits and may not pay out large wins. No payment-blocking order or bank obligation was found.

On advertising, the Gambling Advertising Code of the Advertising Standards Authority applies to betting advertisements. The Code prohibits ads that target children (under 14) or young people (14 to under 18), judged by context, appeal and expected audience (25% or more of the audience counts as significant where accurate data exists), prohibits ads that encourage gambling harm, and requires ads to be truthful with terms available. The Code is not a “whistle-to-whistle” ban of the UK type; the page does not claim one exists in New Zealand.

TAB NZ runs “bonus bets” promotions under its own terms. No New Zealand rule on bonus size or wagering terms was found. The page describes the bonus-bet product in the same qualitative terms TAB NZ’s terms use and does not quote a working code, because the job of the page is to explain what an offer costs, not how it is claimed.

Tax: What the Punter Sees, What the Operator Pays

Inland Revenue guidance says recreational gambling winnings are generally not taxable, and prize money from TAB horse, dog and trotting races is not taxable. A person who bets as a business is a different case; the page is general information, not tax advice, and the punter who bets at scale is advised to consult Inland Revenue or an accountant.

Operator-side, TAB NZ pays the Problem Gambling Levy (0.74%); overseas operators supplying New Zealand residents pay online gambling duty (12% of profits from 1 July 2024, 16% from 1 January 2027). The page does not write that tax payment shows a bookmaker is legal. A duty being payable and a section 74AAA prohibition are different things, and conflating them is the kind of error a reader catches.

Frequently Asked Questions About Legal Betting in New Zealand

Are offshore betting sites legal in New Zealand?

An offshore betting site serving New Zealand customers is in breach of section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020. The Department of Internal Affairs has told unlicensed providers to withdraw and warns that overseas operators may sit in jurisdictions with weak safeguards. The punter is not convicted for placing such a bet; the operator carries the legal liability.

How is betting on horse racing legal in New Zealand?

Horse racing betting is legal in New Zealand through TAB NZ, the only operator authorised under section 74AAA. TAB takes fixed-odds and tote bets across thoroughbred and harness meetings, with bet types including Win, Place, Each Way, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta and First Four. Greyhound racing closes from 1 August 2026.

Is any online sports betting legal in New Zealand?

Yes. Online sports betting is legal through TAB NZ’s two brands, TAB and Betcha, under section 74AAA. The Department of Internal Affairs names TAB and Betcha together as the brands authorised for online racing and sports betting in New Zealand. No other operator may lawfully take an online sports bet from a New Zealand customer.

Which bookmaker may lawfully take sports and racing bets in New Zealand?

TAB New Zealand may lawfully take sports and racing bets in New Zealand. The two online brands under that authority are TAB and Betcha. The Racing Industry Amendment Act 2025 inserted section 74AAA, which took effect on 28 June 2025 and names TAB NZ as the only provider.

Are TAB and Betcha two different bookmakers?

TAB and Betcha are the two online brands of TAB New Zealand, one operator group, not two rivals. They share the same section 74AAA authority, the same Entain partnership, and the same harm-minimisation tools. A self-exclusion on one applies across both.

Is a player punished for betting with an overseas bookmaker?

New Zealand does not convict a player for placing a bet with an overseas bookmaker. Section 19(4) of the Gambling Act 2003 says an individual may not be convicted for placing a bet with an offshore operator in breach of section 74AAA. The operator carries the legal liability. The Department of Internal Affairs still warns players of the risks: minimal consumer safeguards, possible refusal to return unspent credits, possible refusal to pay out large wins.

Prepared by the Onlinebookiesnz editorial staff.