How betting actually works in New Zealand this year — and which path each punter should take

Updated October 2026

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Online betting in New Zealand is not a marketplace of equals. Since 28 June 2025, the only operators allowed to take online sports and racing bets from people in New Zealand are TAB NZ and its online sister brand Betcha. Eight other well-known brands a New Zealand punter meets on a search page are not licensed in New Zealand, and the law sits on the operator that serves the customer, not on the player who clicks the link. The choice a New Zealand punter faces is consequently narrower than it looks, and the price of a bet is not the same thing as the cost of using a brand.

The pages below walk through what the law does, what harm-minimisation looks like, where the apps sit, how forecasts and tips fit in, what sports and tournaments TAB NZ actually covers, then the ten brands a reader meets — TAB, Betcha and eight offshore names — judged against the same criteria. A calculation on a standard two-way market sits inside the comparison, and five questions close the page.

Current as of 31 October 2026, checked against the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) register and TAB NZ’s own published terms.

The statute that makes TAB NZ a monopoly, not a market leader

Section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020, inserted by the Racing Industry Amendment Act 2025 and in force since 28 June 2025, says no person other than TAB NZ may 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 incorporated. There is no licence route for another bookmaker and no bookmaker licence register, because there is only one lawful provider. The change did not require TAB NZ to apply for anything; it removed the option of applying.

DIA told providers serving New Zealand to withdraw with immediate effect. New Zealand does not geo-block offshore websites, so a brand hosted in Curaçao or Anjouan still loads in a browser here. The law puts the liability on the offshore operator. 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, so no published penalty for a player was found. DIA warns players of the risks of using overseas operators: minimal consumer safeguards, unspent credits that may not be returned, large wins that may not be paid out.

TAB NZ and Betcha are two brands of one operator group, never rivals. TAB NZ is the holder; Betcha is the newer digital-only brand. The TAB business is run by Entain New Zealand under a 25-year agreement signed in 2023, which gives Entain a 50/50 share of gross profits with at least $150m a year going to TAB NZ for the first five years; Entain also pledged a one-off $100m payment to the racing sector. A reader picking between the two is picking an interface, not a different house.

The point of this section is not to declare offshore betting illegal. It is to make the frame plain: the choice on this page is between TAB NZ and Betcha (both lawful, both under the same New Zealand harm-minimisation rules) and eight offshore names (all unlawful for the operator to serve New Zealand, none of them covered by a New Zealand complaints route, all of them operating under their own house rules). The Gambling Act 2003 still sets the wider gambling policy, and the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 licenses online casino gambling only. A casino licence from 2026 does not extend the betting monopoly.

Betting under 18 is an offence under section 89 of the Racing Industry Act 2020. Land-based casinos are 20. Those numbers must not be merged. TAB NZ accounts need a verified New Zealand address and ID; offshore brands rarely check a New Zealand address at all.

Greyhound racing and the tournament calendar that is shrinking

Greyhound racing in New Zealand is closing in stages from 1 August 2026. From that date, offshore operators may not take bets on greyhound races either — the prohibition covers the event, not only the channel. A punter who built a greyhound-only betting slip needs to check what is still running on the page they use, and the three racing codes that will still exist after that date are thoroughbred and harness (the trots). Melbourne Cup Day remains a heavy betting day in New Zealand, and TAB NZ publishes its Spring Carnival markets in the weeks before.

Safer gambling tools, age checks and the register that does not yet exist

TAB NZ lists deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion in its apps, and an exclusion applies across both TAB and Betcha. A punter who has self-excluded on TAB cannot open a Betcha account throughout the exclusion period. The safer-gambling tooling is the same; the brands are not two escape hatches from each other. TAB NZ also lists the free Gambling Helpline (0800 654 655) and the text line 8006, plus Safer Gambling Aotearoa as the referral point for face-to-face counselling.

There is no single national online-betting exclusion register. The register the 2026 casino law will require is for online casinos only and does not cover betting. A punter who self-excludes with TAB is excluded from TAB; an offshore book cannot honour a TAB exclusion and does not see it. The reader who wants a single kill-switch does not have one on this side of the Tasman.

TAB NZ must keep the risks of problem and underage gambling minimised, and pays a Problem Gambling Levy of 0.74%, in force from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028. The levy is paid by the operator, not the player, and shows up in TAB’s accounts rather than on the betting slip. Offshore brands pay online gambling duty (12% of profits since 1 July 2024, 16% from 1 January 2027), but a duty being payable does not make an offer lawful in New Zealand. The point-of-consumption charge on offshore racing and sports bets ceased on 30 June 2026.

Inland Revenue guidance says recreational gambling winnings are generally not taxable in New Zealand, 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 treats this as general information, not as tax advice — for a specific situation, the right move is Inland Revenue or an accountant. Operator-side tax is paid by the house; the player-side line above is what a punter needs to know on a Tuesday afternoon.

The two apps a New Zealand punter actually has

Two apps sit on a New Zealand punter’s home screen if they bet online: TAB and Betcha. They are the same operator with different interfaces, and the safer-gambling tooling carries across both.

TAB’s “Racing & Sports Betting” app

TAB NZ publishes “TAB – Racing & Sports Betting” on the New Zealand App Store under the seller name New Zealand Racing Board, with the app first released on 8 September 2014. The app carries a 17+ App Store age rating and states that customers must be 18 or over to bet. The age rating and the age limit are not the same number and must not be merged. The 17+ rating is Apple’s gate; the 18 rule is the law.

The app covers horse and harness racing, rugby union and rugby league, and other sports, both pre-match and live. Trackside live race streaming sits inside the app with in-app betting, and the racing tab carries form, Blackbook and Jockey Challenge tools. A simplified wallet handles deposits and withdrawals. Safer-gambling controls — deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion — live in the same account, so a punter who raises a deposit limit on TAB sees it on Betcha too.

Betcha’s “Sports Betting” app

Betcha is published on the New Zealand App Store by Entain New Zealand Limited, first released on 6 August 2024. The brand positions itself as a sports-first interface on the same account structure as TAB. Betcha covers horse, greyhound and harness racing plus rugby, NRL, MMA/UFC, NBA, NFL, tennis, cricket, football, motorsports and esports. Greyhound markets remain available while greyhound racing still runs in New Zealand; from 1 August 2026 the greyhound tab narrows or empties as the racing code winds down.

The point of comparing the two is to show they are not separate products. A punter who downloads Betcha gets the same TAB NZ account, the same exclusions, the same harm-minimisation rules and the same odds feed as TAB. The only thing that changes is the screen the punter looks at.

Predictions, tips and forecast pages — what they are, what they cost

The search “top bet tips” returns pages that promise winners. Most do not deliver. A prediction page is editorial content written by someone whose income depends on the page being read, not on the bets winning. A punter who treats a tip as a recommendation rather than one opinion is paying retail for something the writer had a margin to publish.

TAB NZ’s apps include a Forecasts section. That section is a market-listing page, not a tipster sheet — it shows which events are coming up and which way the early money has moved. Reading it is closer to watching an odds board than to reading a tip. Betcha’s interface exposes Boosted Odds and Copy Bets, which are operator features: a boosted price is a one-off margin cut the house pays for, a Copy Bet is a stake mirroring a pattern another punter made. Neither is a tip from an expert; both are mechanics the operator offers to move money through the site.

Offshore brands carry similar features. Forecasts, boosted odds, copy bets and predictions sections all appear in the ten brands the table below covers. The features differ by name and by depth; the underlying economics are the same: every price has a margin in it, and a feature that surfaces as “free” is paid for by somebody on the other side.

Forecast pages earn a reader one thing: a sense of which way the line is moving. They do not earn a win. A reader who treats them as a starting point for their own reading of the race card or fixture list is using them as designed. A reader who treats them as instruction is reading them wrong.

Sports and tournaments a New Zealand punter actually bets on

TAB NZ’s published menu covers horse and harness racing, rugby union and rugby league (Super Rugby Pacific, NRL), the All Blacks in test windows, the Black Caps in summer, the Warriors in NRL, cricket internationals, football (the A-League and the European leagues when the time zones fit), NBA, NFL, tennis (the four majors plus the ATP/WTA swing), UFC/MMA, motorsports, and the Melbourne Cup field on Cup Day. Greyhound racing runs until it closes on 1 August 2026, and the markets on it close with it.

Offshore brands carry a similar menu and a wider one. Rooster.bet lists Live, Sports Promotions, Results, Schedule, E-sports and Predictions sections. Roobet covers soccer, basketball, tennis, Counter-Strike, FIFA, baseball, ice hockey, MMA and table tennis. Ivibet lists Sports Betting, Live Betting, Racing, Forecasts, Boosted Odds and Copy Bets. SpinBetter lists football, basketball, esports, badminton, tennis, volleyball, boxing, motorsport, table tennis and cricket among its top sports, plus Live, Multi-LIVE, long-term bets, bets on UFC and bets on politics. Thunderpick is esports-first, covering CS2, League of Legends, Dota 2 and Valorant, with a sportsbook on the Champions League to the NFL.

A wider menu is not a better menu. A bookmaker with twenty sports at the top of the page and three markets per event is shallower than a bookmaker with eight sports and thirty markets per event. The way to read a menu is at the match level — for the fixture a punter actually wants, how deep does the market go and how thin are the limits? The first number is the visible width; the second is the depth.

Premier League top scorer, NRL top 8, Melbourne Cup and Super Bowl prop bets are all markets TAB NZ offers. Whether a specific market is available on a specific day depends on TAB NZ’s card; TAB NZ does not run a market that lacks liquidity, so some niche markets come and go.

The ten brands a New Zealand punter meets

The table that follows compares the ten brands a New Zealand search surfaces. TAB and Betcha sit at the top because they are the only lawful option for people in New Zealand; the eight brands underneath are all marked not licensed in New Zealand and are listed because New Zealand players meet them in search results, on affiliate pages and in app-store ads. The table is a comparison, not a recommendation. Offshore brands do not satisfy the provincial test for the subject of this page, and a reader who uses one is using an unlawful-for-the-operator service, with no New Zealand complaints route and no New Zealand harm-minimisation framework reaching it.

The column on the operator’s own terms is deliberately narrow. It says what each operator publishes about its own product, not what the operator promises the player. Offshore brands typically list an age rule (Roobet names 18; Megapari’s English footer names 21+; LunuBet names 18), and the rule on the operator’s site is the rule the operator applies if a dispute arises. A New Zealand punter on an offshore site is governed by that site’s terms, and the New Zealand regulator has no jurisdiction over the dispute.

What the spread looks like and why

Eight of the ten names on the list are not licensed in New Zealand, which is a spread that says something about New Zealand’s internet search market rather than about the brands. The brands offshore players recognise do not operate under a New Zealand licence because there is no New Zealand licence to operate under. A brand naming a Curaçao, Anjouan or Tobique licence gives its customers in Curaçao, Anjouan or Tobique a complaint route. None of those licences cover a New Zealand customer; the route ends at the regulator that does not have jurisdiction over the customer’s situation.

Reading the spread this way also reads the wagering side. TAB NZ pays a Problem Gambling Levy of 0.74% and offers deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion in-app. Offshore brands tend to publish deposit limits and self-exclusion, and they do not pay the Problem Gambling Levy, and the helpline number on the page is typically a generic one rather than 0800 654 655. The product is shaped like a TAB account; the back office is not. The punter sees the same kind of menu and a similar app; the regulator behind the menu is not the same one.

The margin in a standard two-way market

A punter who wants to see the bookmaker’s edge in the odds can run the arithmetic on any market. Take a two-way market at decimal odds of 1.90 and 1.90, used here as an illustrative example rather than a quoted price. The payout share — what a one-unit stake on either outcome returns on a winning bet — works out as 1 ÷ (1 ÷ 1.90 + 1 ÷ 1.90), which gives a payout share of about 95.0% and a margin of about 5.0%. That is what the bookmaker keeps, on average, of every dollar bet on this market. Move one price to 1.85 and the other to 1.95 and the margin shifts but does not vanish; the bookmaker’s edge is the difference between the two implied probabilities and 100%. A punter who reads 1.90 / 1.90 as “fair” is reading the wrong line — a fair two-way market with no margin might price both sides at 2.00.

The 5.0% margin is a ballpark for many two-way markets on TAB NZ and on offshore brands alike; tight markets on major sports sit a touch below it and exotic markets sit well above it. The bookmaker’s margin sits inside every line TAB NZ prints and inside every line an offshore book prints, and the line a punter sees has already given the house its cut. The point is not to defeat the margin but to know it is there: a market at 1.90 / 1.90 is not the same price as the same outcome on a different day on a different book.

Stated as a band rather than a single number: a typical two-way market sits in roughly the 4% to 8% margin range, with the most efficient markets on top-flight football and the NBA at the low end and niche or in-play markets at the high end. The 1.90 / 1.90 example above lands at 5.0%, which sits inside that band.

The operators, in order

The reviews below are written in the order set by the comparison table. Each block describes what the operator offers and where it stands under New Zealand law, then closes with a verdict that takes a position on who the operator suits.

TAB (tab.co.nz) — the lawful default

TAB is one of two online brands of TAB NZ, the only provider lawfully offering racing and sports betting to people in New Zealand under section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020 in force since 28 June 2025. There is no licence register for bookmakers because there is only this one lawful provider. The app carries horse and harness racing, rugby union and rugby league, football, NBA, NFL, tennis, cricket, motorsports and the Melbourne Cup field on Cup Day, with Trackside live race streaming and in-app betting, racing form, Blackbook and Jockey Challenge tools. Safer-gambling tooling — deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion — sits in the app, and an exclusion applies across both TAB and Betcha.

TAB NZ’s terms need a verified New Zealand address and ID to open an account. The minimum age is 18. The 17+ App Store age rating is Apple’s gate, not the betting age. The Problem Gambling Levy is paid by TAB, not the player.

The verdict: TAB is the right starting point for a New Zealand punter. The catalogue covers the sports a New Zealand punter actually bets on, the safer-gambling tools are real and cross-brand, the regulator behind the brand is the New Zealand one. The interface carries the older New Zealand bookmaker feel; the depth and the racing form are the strength.

Betcha (betcha.co.nz) — the same house in a newer skin

Betcha is one of two online brands of TAB NZ, the same operator group as TAB and the only provider lawfully offering racing and sports betting to people in New Zealand since 28 June 2025. The app covers horse, greyhound and harness racing plus rugby, NRL, MMA/UFC, NBA, NFL, tennis, cricket, football, motorsports and esports. Greyhound markets narrow as greyhound racing closes in stages from 1 August 2026. The brand was first released on the New Zealand App Store on 6 August 2024 and is positioned as a sports-first interface on the same TAB NZ account.

Betcha’s tools carry across from TAB. The safer-gambling framework, the exclusions, the deposit limits and the account verification are the same. A punter who excludes on TAB is excluded on Betcha, and the wallet is shared.

The verdict: Betcha is the right choice for a punter who wants the TAB catalogue in a sports-first layout. The depth on the major codes is good; the older racing-only products sit on TAB. New Zealand readers who bet mostly on racing are better suited to TAB; readers who bet mostly on NRL, NBA, NFL, UFC and football are better suited to Betcha.

Alawin (Alawin.com) — not licensed in New Zealand

Alawin’s sportsbook covers football, tennis, table tennis, basketball, ice hockey, American football and baseball, with Live Betting, Virtual Sports and esports also offered. The brand names no licence that applies in New Zealand. No New Zealand complaints route or harm-minimisation framework reaches it, and the Department of Internal Affairs told providers serving New Zealand to withdraw with immediate effect.

A New Zealand punter who lands on Alawin is on an unlawful-for-the-operator service. The product is fine for jurisdictions that allow it; the New Zealand test fails on the licence line. The risk DIA names — minimal consumer safeguards, unspent credits that may not be returned, large wins that may not be paid out — sits on the punter’s side of the bet.

The verdict: Alawin offers a wide catalogue, but it lacks any licence recognisable to a New Zealand punter. It relies on its own safer-gambling protocols rather than those enforced by our national regulator.

Rooster.bet — not licensed in New Zealand

Rooster.bet’s sportsbook has Live, Sports Promotions, Results, Schedule, E-sports and Predictions sections, with odds in six formats. The brand names a Tobique Gaming Commission e-gaming licence (No. 0000002), holder Novatrix SRL, which gives no right to take bets from people in New Zealand. No New Zealand complaints route or harm-minimisation framework reaches it.

The product is a full sportsbook with a deep e-sports tab and a wide range of odds formats. The licence is the kind the offshore market knows how to issue. None of that changes what it does for a New Zealand punter, which is exactly nothing about that punter’s standing under New Zealand law.

The verdict: Rooster.bet stands out for e-sports depth and odds formatting, but its stated licence offers no coverage for New Zealand residents. It is an option for players aware of the risks, but it is not a locally backed service.

Winz.io — not licensed in New Zealand

Winz.io runs a sports betting promotion, with separate Sportsbook T&C, Sports Rules and Bonus Terms and Conditions pages. The brand names Anjouan and Tobique licences, holder Novatrix SRL, which gives no right to take bets from people in New Zealand. No New Zealand complaints route or harm-minimisation framework reaches it.

Winz.io’s structure is a crypto-oriented sportsbook with bonus pages and term pages in the format offshore books use. The depth and the catalogue are offshore-shaped; the standing on a New Zealand bet is offshore-shaped too.

The verdict: Winz.io does not offer a legitimate path for a New Zealand punter. It belongs to the same group behind Rooster.bet, and it similarly lacks a New Zealand licence. Users of this platform effectively bypass the safeguards our regulator mandates.

BillyBets (Billybets.com) — not licensed in New Zealand

BillyBets runs a casino and a sportsbook under one account. The sportsbook covers football, tennis, table tennis, basketball, ice hockey, American football, baseball, combat sports, esports, virtual sports and live betting. The brand names no licence that applies in New Zealand. The brand also lists cashback and reload bonuses on sports and a coin shop where coins collected by depositing, betting, tournaments and challenges can be exchanged for free bets and free spins, with a five-level VIP programme.

The combined casino-and-sports shape is the offshore default. New Zealand readers betting on TAB NZ bet on racing and sports only; a TAB account is not a casino. Offshore brands blur the line, and a punter who wants the line kept clean is on TAB.

The verdict: BillyBets combines casino and sports in one wallet, yet it falls short for a New Zealand punter seeking the security of our national regulator’s framework.

Glorion (Glorion.com) — not licensed in New Zealand

Glorion offers pre-match and live betting, virtual sports, horse racing and esports, with markets grouped into popular, niche, indoor and outdoor sports plus entertainment events such as award shows and elections. The brand names no licence that applies in New Zealand.

The novelty-event angle is the marker. Award shows and elections are not markets TAB NZ offers to a New Zealand punter. A punter who wants novelty markets has no lawful New Zealand outlet, and the offshore books that list those markets are doing so under their own house rules, not under a New Zealand licence.

The verdict: Glorion misses the mark for a New Zealand punter. While it offers novelty markets, it provides no locally recognised licence. Betting here means engaging with an offshore service that falls outside the scope of our national framework.

Roobet (Roobet.com) — not licensed in New Zealand

Roobet’s sportsbook covers soccer, basketball, tennis, Counter-Strike, FIFA, baseball, ice hockey, MMA and table tennis, and its terms require players to be 18 or older. The brand names a Curaçao licence (OGL/2024/687/0427), holder Raw Entertainment B.V., which gives no right to take bets from people in New Zealand.

Roobet’s age rule matches TAB NZ’s. The age rule on the operator’s page is the rule the operator enforces; the New Zealand law sets the rule the New Zealand regulator enforces. The two coincide here at 18, but the regulator behind the rule is not the same on a Curaçao-licensed site as it is on TAB.

The verdict: Roobet lacks the authorisation required for New Zealand. Its Curaçao licence holds no weight here, and New Zealand complaints channels are unavailable. A punter prioritising local protection is advised to look elsewhere.

Rabona (Rabona.com) — not licensed in New Zealand

Rabona launched on 23 December 2019 as the sixth online sportsbook of the Soft2Bet group. The brand names a Curaçao licence, which gives no right to take bets from people in New Zealand.

The group behind Rabona has launched multiple sportsbooks. The pattern offshore readers know is the same one New Zealand readers see when they find one of these sites on a search page: a Curaçao-licensed sportsbook, a casino tab, a bonus page and a terms page in the offshore format.

The verdict: Rabona shares the same Curaçao licensing structure as other offshore sites, meaning it lacks a New Zealand licence. Those hoping for a locally sanctioned version of the Soft2Bet catalogue will not find it here.

Millioner (Millioner.com) — not licensed in New Zealand

Millioner’s sportsbook offers pre-match and live events on football, tennis, table tennis, basketball, ice hockey, American football and baseball, with separate Live Betting and Virtual Sports sections.

The catalogue is a standard offshore set. The licence line is the same gap as the others on this part of the list: offshore-shaped product, no New Zealand standing, no New Zealand regulator reach.

The verdict: Millioner mimics the TAB NZ menu layout but fails to provide equivalent regulatory backing. The licensing here does not align with local standards, leaving the New Zealand punter without our national consumer guarantees.

Frequently asked questions

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

Since 28 June 2025, TAB NZ and its online sister brand Betcha are the only operators allowed to take online sports and racing bets from people in New Zealand under section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020. There is no licence route for another bookmaker and no licence register for bookmakers. The Offshore brands on the table above do not satisfy that test.

How is the return on a bet worked out from the stake and the odds?

Return equals stake multiplied by the decimal odds. Net profit is stake multiplied by (odds minus 1). A $10 bet at decimal odds of 2.50 returns $25 in total and $15 in profit; a combination bet’s price is the product of its legs. The numbers that go in are the ones the betting slip shows.

What is the bookmaker’s margin and how can it be seen in the odds?

The margin is what the bookmaker keeps, on average, of every unit bet on a market. On a two-way market at 1.90 and 1.90, the implied probabilities add to more than 100%, the payout share is roughly 95% and the margin is roughly 5%. A fair market with no margin prices both sides at 2.00. The margin is the gap between what the punter pays and what a fair price charges.

What does a player lose by betting with a bookmaker that has no New Zealand licence?

The player loses the New Zealand harm-minimisation framework (deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion under TAB NZ’s terms), the New Zealand complaints route and the New Zealand regulator’s reach. DIA warns that overseas operators may not return unspent credits and may not pay out large wins. The law targets the operator, not the player; the risk DIA names sits on the player’s side of the bet.

From what age can bets be placed with TAB NZ, and what is checked when opening an account?

Betting with TAB NZ is for people aged 18 and over. Section 89 of the Racing Industry Act 2020 makes betting under 18 an offence. TAB NZ accounts need a verified New Zealand address and ID. The 17+ App Store age rating is Apple’s gate and not the betting age; land-based casinos in New Zealand are 20.

Are betting winnings taxed in New Zealand?

Recreational gambling winnings are generally not taxable in New Zealand, and prize money from TAB horse, dog and trotting races is not taxable. A person who bets as a business is a different case. For a specific situation, the right move is Inland Revenue or an accountant; this is general information, not tax advice.

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