Why Trust Our NZ Betting Sites Reviews

Bookies.com has one central aim — to give Kiwi sports fans the best betting site offers from around the world.

It’s quite likely that most Kiwis think that the TAB is their only option for having a punt, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

There are dozens of top-notch New Zealand betting sites available to Kiwis, and Bookies.com have spent years analysing all of these online bookmakers to figure out what makes for a good betting experience.

We walk the walk too — we sign up for the accounts, make bets, ask the online bookmakers for support. This lets us give you the best, most independent advice so you can find the best betting site offers.

Contrary to what some might think, there’s no room for cowboys for online bookmakers in New Zealand. While you’re legally allowed to bet with online NZ betting sites, the agencies themselves must adhere to the rules set out by the New Zealand Gambling Commission.

That’s why Bookies.com only reviews sports betting websites that strictly follow NZ gambling laws — we won’t even look at a site that isn’t above board.

We have been around too long, and our good reputation is not worth risking to give you bad advice.

So rest assured, all New Zealand betting sites that we review on Bookies.com are entirely legit, follow every NZ law down to the letter, and we promise to be as unbiased in our reviews as we possibly can.

Bookies.com is in this for the long-haul, and we’d love to be your insider for everything from rugby to the Ryder Cup.

How to Choose the Best New Zealand Betting Sites for you

Like most Kiwis, you’re probably most familiar with the TAB, so having dozens of new NZ betting sites on offer might be a tad overwhelming. While there is a lot to digest, a good NZ betting site’s fundamentals are pretty consistent.

To help you get your head around how to choose the best NZ betting sites for you, let’s take a look at the features and benchmarks to look out for.

Signup process: Registering for a sports betting site shouldn’t mean you have to promise your first-born or read 19 pages of small print. The signup process for a new online bookmaker should be quick, easy, and not require any information that reaches too far. The most detailed information an NZ betting site should ask of you is your photo ID to prove you’re a citizen of New Zealand — but more often than not you only need to provide ID when you cash out.

When we review a new online bookmaker, we go through the signup process ourselves to make sure everything is easy and above board.

Security and support: First of all, an NZ betting site should be completely compliant with the New Zealand Gambling Commission. This ensures everything you do (and the NZ betting site does) is all legal and tickety-boo.

You also want to make sure that the sports betting site has a full support setup that can take care of any problems you might have, whether it be finding something on the site, or following up on a bet. Being in New Zealand, we are on the other side of the world for many of these online bookmakers, so it helps if they have 24/7 support.

Any site reviewed on Bookies.com will be compliant with the New Zealand Gambling Commission, and we will also give you a good idea of the level of that bookie’s support capabilities.

Licensing: To legally comply with New Zealand’s gambling laws, nearly every online bookmaker is licenced with gaming authorities in Europe.

These European gaming authorities are like the pathways to operate in New Zealand — I.e. if they are licenced with the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, they will also be following all of the rules that the New Zealand Gambling Commission sets out.

Every single NZ betting site that Bookies.com reviews will be licenced with one of these European countries.

Odds and percentage payout: Just like you, we want to find the NZ betting sites with the best odds for the players. You’ll also want to consider whether they let you bet in NZD or if you have to bet in another currency. Lastly, what cut do they take off your winnings?

When Bookies.com reviews an NZ betting site, we always let you know your odds, what currency you can bet in, and what margin they’ll take off your winnings.

NZ Betting Markets: There are a ton of sports out there to bet on, but you’ll likely be more interested in the betting markets that Kiwis are familiar with.

In each sports betting site we review, we keep an eye out for the betting markets Kiwis want to see, such as Rugby, Rugby League, Cricket, Football, and Horse Racing.

Live Streaming Options: As they say, it’s better with a bet on, so it’s always more fun if you can watch the game or race you’re betting on.

These days, many online bookmakers will offer live streams of the events, so we’ll make sure to mention it if they do.

Betting Options: Online bookmakers are always looking for new ways to offer a bet, but not every betting option is available in New Zealand.

With that said, there are still plenty of betting options on offer for Kiwis beyond just head-to-head or picking a race winner. For example, a new feature for Kiwis is being able to cash out during an event, whether it be fixed odds or a multi-bet.

Bookies.com makes a big effort to find out all of the different betting options to find the best betting site offers.

In-Play Betting: As punters get hungrier and hungrier for a new thrill, many of the best online betting sites offer you the ability to bet while the event is happening. If one side just scored a try, or that bowler just got a hat-trick, you can take advantage of those changing odds as they happen.

Bookies.com will let you know if an NZ betting site can offer you in-play betting so you can take advantage of shifting tides.

Bonus Offers: Online sports betting is a competitive beast, even amongst the NZ betting sites themselves. This means many online NZ betting sites will offer new members some pretty sweet bonuses to entice them to sign up.

Bookies.com reviews every single bonus offer, and we’ll even go through the small print, so you don’t have to.

Free Bets: Much like bonus offers, many of the best online betting sites will sweeten the pot with a free bet. They’ll usually give you a sum of money to bet — if you lose the bet, no harm no foul.

Again, there is usually some small print to read here, but Bookies.com will do all of that for you so that you know it’s worth your while.

Loyalty Programme: Once an NZ betting site gets your attention, they’ll aim to keep you as a loyal customer. For this to happen, online sports betting sites will often offer loyalty programmes to keep you on board.

Loyalty or VIP programmes can offer you free bets, bonuses, and other goodies to keep you loyal like Dave Dobbyn.

Not all loyalty programmes are created equal of course, so Bookies.com will check out each programme to make sure it offers as much as other sites do or more.

NZ Sports Betting Coverage

User Experience: Using an online NZ betting site shouldn’t be as confusing as reading your Grandad’s racing book when you were eight years old.

An excellent online bookmaker site will be clean, simple to understand, and easy to find your way around.

When we review a site, we spend a fair amount of time looking around to make sure you can find what you need quickly, and without hassle.

Customer Service: If something goes wrong, you want to make sure that the online bookmaker isn’t just available to help, but is also willing to go out of their way to make things right.

In every review Bookies.com does, we look under the hood of the NZ betting site’s customer service to make sure they’ll see you right.

Withdrawal times: It’s no good winning the big bikkies if it takes an age for you to actually get the money in your back pocket.

Bookies.com will let you know how quickly you can expect to see your winnings once you cash out.

NZ Sports Betting Laws

The New Zealand Gambling Act of 2003 basically made sure that sports betting or gambling could not expand beyond what it was at the time. So that means that the TAB is the only sports betting agency legally allowed to operate on New Zealand shores. It also means the TAB can only accept players/betters that are resident in New Zealand, and cannot accept player/betters from overseas.

Traditionally, the TAB only looked after and offered local sports betting and racing, but in recent years, the TAB has started to provide all sports types from around the world.

While this is good news for Kiwi punters, they still don’t offer as much variety as other online bookies from around the world.

Thankfully, as long as an online NZ betting site adheres to the New Zealand Gambling Act, they can offer their services to New Zealand residents.

This means Kiwis are free to bet real money on a huge array of sports from around the world, across many different online sports booking sites.

Please note that you don’t see these overseas betting agencies advertising on the TV because they are not allowed to advertise in New Zealand under section 16 of the 2003 Gambling Act. However, they are allowed to operate in NZ.

Online Betting vs Offline Betting

We get it, the TAB is an institution in New Zealand, and it can be hard to look at a new online bookmaker as a good alternative. We promise you though, if you look beyond the TAB, there is a whole other world of fun for Kiwi punters.

In New Zealand, the TAB has a monopoly on sports betting, so they can be pretty slow to innovate and bring new and fun betting options to Kiwis. Online though, dozens of other online bookmakers have years of experience in the ultra-competitive international market. When there is more competition, there is a priority to innovate to attract customers. That means these online bookmakers outside of NZ have more options, more bonuses, and more fun.

And if we haven’t made it clear enough, any new online bookmaker we review is entirely on the level, and follows the rules set out by the New Zealand Gambling Commission.

In terms of going to the international bookies instead of the TAB, there’s a list of benefits as long as Phar Lap’s legs:

1. Better bonuses
2. More betting options
3. A more comprehensive array of promotions
4. Some online bookies have online streaming
5. Shop around for sharper odds
6. Polished user experience
7. Several bookies to choose from
8. VIP/Loyalty programmes
9. No queues at the TAB store
10. No queues at the race track
11. Plus many more

Signing Up For New Zealand Online Sportsbooks

Okay, so it’s your first time signing up for an online NZ betting site, and you want to know how it’s all done. Each online bookie site is a little bit different, but in general, it’s a quick and easy process.

In our experience, here’s what the signup process looks like:

1. Find an online bookmaker that you like on Bookies.com.
2. Click on our link that gives you your exclusive offer.
3. You’ll be sent to the relevant page on that online bookmaker’s site.
4. Click register/sign up.
5. Enter your details (name, email, date of birth, etc.) You may be required to provide a copy of your photo ID for security. If you are not required to provide ID here, you will be required to provide it when you cash out.
6. Select a username and password. They might also offer you to create a security question for future use.
7. Agree to the terms and conditions.
8. You’re ready to make your deposit and have a punt!

Generally, you’ll be able to complete the signup process in under two minutes and be browsing the odds before you know it.

New Zealand Sports Betting FAQs