New Zealand

TAB NZ holds an exclusive statutory monopoly over online sports and racing betting under the Racing Industry Act 2020, with the Department of Internal Affairs as interim regulator. Amendments effective 28 June 2025 made it illegal for offshore bookmakers to accept bets from New Zealanders, to retain an estimated NZ$180-200m wagered offshore annually.

Separately, the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 (now in force) creates a distinct licensing regime for online casino — distinct from betting — with implementation phased in and not expected to be fully operational until 2027. Prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi were declared illegal by the DIA in February 2026 as they fall under the Gambling Act 2003 and Racing Industry Act 2020 definitions of gambling/bookmaking; Kalshi geoblocked NZ.

The minimum age for all TAB betting is 18 (20 applies only to physical casinos).

Unlike many of the laws we cover here, the gambling laws of New Zealand are well-written and easy to understand. A comprehensive set of laws clearly explains what is allowed and expected from players, operators and everyone in between. The long story short is this: both brick-and-mortar casinos and New Zealand betting sites are legal provided they follow certain regulations.

The laws on the books strictly regulate who may operate a casino but they place few restrictions on players. Most importantly, individual players are not prosecuted for gambling at overseas sites, although since 28 June 2025 it is illegal for any operator other than TAB NZ to take racing or sports bets from New Zealand customers.

What that means in practice is that online racing and sports betting runs through one operator, TAB New Zealand, while online casino gambling is covered by a separate piece of legislation, the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026.

New Zealand Betting Sites

New Zealand does license online operators of its own: racing and sports betting may lawfully be offered to New Zealand customers only by TAB NZ, and online casino gambling has its own licensing regime. The Department of Internal Affairs states that it is not illegal for someone in New Zealand to gamble at an overseas website, with the exception of betting on racing and sporting events, which only TAB NZ may offer here.

In 2014, New Zealand formed a group with the intention of stopping all betting at offshore bookmakers; the outcome arrived with the Racing Industry Amendment Act 2025, which took effect on 28 June 2025 and reserved racing and sports betting to TAB NZ.

The vast majority of the laws on the books address operators and not individual players.

Where you should exercise some caution is in choosing which site to play at. For racing and sports betting there is only one lawful option. Since the 28 June 2025 amendments took effect, no operator other than TAB NZ may provide racing or sports betting to New Zealand customers, so offshore bookmakers — including the big UK names — may no longer accept those bets. Licensed online casino play is a separate matter, still being phased in under its own Act.

New Zealand Gambling Laws

Current New Zealand gambling laws derive from two major pieces of legislation: the Gambling Act 2003 and the Racing Industry Act 2020, which replaced the Racing Act 2003. Older pieces of legislation such as the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1977 and the Casino Control Act 1990 were phased out and replaced with these newer laws in 2003.

New Zealand Gambling Act of 2003

The Gambling Act 2003 plays the largest role in New Zealand gambling today. It was put forth with the goals of controlling the growth of gambling, limiting the harm caused by gambling, authorizing certain forms of gambling, outlawing others, ensuring fair games and ensuring that some percentage of the money earned from gambling benefits the community.

The Act is quite extensive and covers everything from minimum gambling ages to which forms of gambling may be advertised and more. The law does not stop New Zealanders gambling online, but it controls who may offer it from here. The Gambling Act’s main restriction on offshore internet gambling is a prohibition of advertising in NZ media; separately, the Racing Industry Act 2020 bars any operator other than TAB NZ from taking racing and sports bets from New Zealanders. Anyone who displays advertisements for a foreign casino may be subject to a fine of up to 10,000 NZD.

Gambling in New Zealand is classified under six different classes, with each class subject to a different set of standards and restrictions. Class I at the lower end of the spectrum may be hosted by anyone without a license.

• Class I: No license required. Prize and turnover do not exceed $500.

• Class II: No license required. Prizes and turnover exceed $500 but do not exceed $5,000.

• Class III: License required from the Department of Internal Affairs. Prizes in the gambling activity or in one session of play exceed $5,000.

• Class IV: Operator’s and venue licenses required. Only corporate societies may operate these machines for an authorized, non-commercial purpose.

• Casino Gambling: Casino operator’s license and venue license required. This class covers all forms of gambling inside an actual brick-and-mortar casino.

• Gambling Conducted by the Lotteries Commission: Regulated by New Zealand law – not applicable to private citizens / entities.

Classes I through III cover games such as housie, raffles, games of chance and instant win games. These are primarily social games and can be run by anyone if the prizes are small enough. As the prizes and potential profits increase, a license from the Department of Internal Affairs may be needed.

Only certain organizations may host these games legally and the money earned from these machines must have an authorized purpose that somehow benefits the public good.

Brick-and-mortar casinos are treated as a separate class of their own, not Class 4 (which covers gaming machines), and have a whole different set of licensing standards and procedures.

The government-run New Zealand Lotteries Commission runs by its own rules but is subject to the laws laid forth by the Gambling Act 2003. Profits from the lottery are passed to the Lottery Grants Board, which then allocates the money for the improvement of the public good. Sports, arts and other community projects frequently receive money from the lottery.

New Zealand Racing Act of 2003 (Replaced by the Racing Industry Act 2020)

The Racing Act 2003 was passed with three stated purposes:

• Provide the effective governance arrangements for the racing industry

• To facilitate betting on galloping, harness and greyhound races and other sporting events

• To promote the long-term viability of New Zealand racing

That act covered the rules of racing across the nation, established the New Zealand Racing Board (formerly the Totalisator Agency Board) and laid down the rules that accompanied racing and sports betting inside the country. The Racing Industry Act 2020 then replaced it and finalised the post-transition governance structure of the racing industry, establishing TAB NZ in its place.

TAB NZ — established in 2020 under the Racing Industry Act 2020 as successor to the Totalisator Agency Board — is the only legal provider of racing and sports betting to customers in New Zealand. The website accepts wagers on a wide variety of international sporting events, horse races, greyhound races and even in-play betting. You can find the TAB betting website here.

Who Regulates Gambling in New Zealand?

Three departments of government are responsible for regulating different forms of gambling outlined in the Gambling Act 2003. Here’s a quick look at each one and a link to read more.

Department of Internal Affairs: Issues gambling legislation, licenses non-casino gambling activities, ensures compliance with legislation and provides public information and education. Website.

Ministry of Health: Funds and coordinates problem gambling services. Website.

Gambling Commission: Responsible for issuing casino licenses, deals with disputes between operators and the Department of Internal Affairs in regards to Class IV gaming and provides a general oversight of land-based casino gambling in New Zealand. Website.

Only TAB NZ May Offer Sports Betting Here

New Zealand does not license private sports betting operators, and this is not a gap in its framework — it is the framework. Section 74AAA of the Racing Industry Act 2020 states:

"No person other than TAB NZ may offer racing betting, sports betting, or other racing or sports betting (or any combination of those forms of betting) to a person in New Zealand."

The next subsection closes the offshore route: it "applies to a person (other than TAB NZ) regardless of where the person is resident or incorporated". So an operator licensed in Malta, Curaçao or anywhere else is covered by the prohibition when it offers betting to someone in New Zealand.

That is why TAB NZ is the only operator listed on this page. There is no register to check and no licence for another operator to hold: one organisation may lawfully take the bet.

A separate regime now exists for online casino, which is a different product and a different Act — the Department of Internal Affairs is implementing it following the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, and it does not change the position on sports betting.