There are dozens if not hundreds of sportsbooks online. You could probably join any one of them and be moderately happy.
Do you want to be just moderately happy, though? No way!
A better approach is to join a sportsbook specifically for bettors in New Zealand. These sportsbooks will let you deposit (and maybe even bet) in NZD. They’ll also offer action on the nation’s most popular sports, promotions like free bets that you can use to make more money betting, and more.
The point is, joining a bookmaker that caters to New Zealand bettors will likely mean a better experience for you. If that sounds good to you, then we recommend you join any one of the recommended sportsbooks in the list below. We’ve reviewed each one and can confidently say that our readers will have a good time at any one they choose to join.
Just an FYI, but we’ve already vetted each sportsbook so that you don’t have to. You can read our reviews if you need to know more about a sportsbook or if there’s something specific you’re looking for.
You can also read the next section if you want to know more about what we look for in each bookmaker we recommend.
After that, we answer a few commonly-asked questions we get about betting online. Then we talk about the most popular sports in New Zealand and what types of betting opportunities you can expect to find for these sports online.
Finally, we wrap things up with a few tips for sports bettors so that you can make the most of your time and money online.
Let’s get to it.
How We Came up with Our Recommendations
We want to start things off with an explanation of how we came up with our recommendations. We know our readers are often bombarded with ads that say that you should sign up here and reviews that say that you should sign up there.
How are we any different? We’d be surprised if this question didn’t cross your mind.
So we want to show you the things we look for so that you can better understand why we recommend the bookmakers we do.
- Accepting New Zealand Customers
Obvious? Maybe. It’s still important, though, as many sportsbooks are unavailable to players in specific countries (like New Zealand).
This is important so that our readers don’t have to worry about exchange rates or paying exchange rate fees.
- Betting Markets for Popular Sports
These include sports such as cricket, rugby, and netball. We talk more about these sports below. We want to see options such as American football, baseball, basketball, esports, and more.
This is important, as it means that the bookmaker meets the standards of the gaming commission they’re licensed through. The bookmaker likely had to pay a fee, too.
We look for deposit bonuses, free bets, cashback, and more. We give bookmakers brownie points if they offer a VIP program.
We prefer sportsbooks that offer email, live chat, and phone support. Of course, none of that matters if they take forever to respond or aren’t helpful.
We like sportsbooks to offer a variety of banking options for deposits and withdrawals. We also prefer to see reasonable limits and minimal fees.
There are several other things we look for. For example, we look to see if each sportsbook is pro-friendly, the types of betting limits they offer, features you can use, and more. That said, the items above are far and away the most important things when it comes to choosing a sportsbook to recommend.
Commonly-Asked Questions About Our Recommended Bookmakers
Here are a few questions we get about our recommended bookmakers that we didn’t already cover above.
Can I have multiple accounts?
You can have accounts at multiple sportsbooks. In fact, we recommend it. However, sportsbooks usually say in their terms that you can only have one account. Sometimes this is even per household. You’ll have to read the terms of wherever you’re planning to join to know for sure.
How old do I need to be to bet online?
This depends on where you join. If you look at the laws for gambling offline, you’ll need to be 18 to bet sports and 20 years old for everything else. So, 18 is a pretty safe bet.
Can I bet from my phone/tablet?
Yes. The sportsbooks we promote will either have mobile websites, be mobile responsive, and/or have native apps you can download. You should have no issues so long as you’re using a device that’s no more than a few years old.
Do you accept money from sportsbooks for reviews/ratings?
This is a fair question since money can influence which sportsbooks are recommended elsewhere.
What we can tell you is that we do not accept money for preferential treatment. Sportsbooks can’t pay us for fluffy, overly-positive reviews or better ad placement.
In fact, our reviews cover both the good and bad we find in each sportsbook. And we usually find a little bit of both. Then we base our final recommendations/ratings on our overall findings and opinion.
The bottom line – we only recommend sportsbooks that we think are the best fit for bettors in New Zealand.
We only recommend sportsbooks that we’d bet at ourselves.
Which sportsbook is the best?
There’s no way we can answer that for you. If you want a general recommendation, any of the sportsbooks in the list above are a good place to start.
If you want something specific – an offer, sport, market, etc. – your best bet is to read the reviews for each of the sportsbooks above.
What can I bet on?
It varies from bookmaker to bookmaker. Here’s a list we pulled from one sportsbook to give you an idea of what you may find.
- American Football
- Australian Rules
- Badminton
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling - Road
- Darts
- Entertainment
- Football
- Football Specials
- Formula 1
- Futsal
- Gaelic Football
- Golf
- Greyhounds
- Handball
- Horse Racing
- Ice Hockey
- MMA/UFC
- Motor Racing
- Motorcycling
- Netball
- Politics
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Snooker
- Speedway
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Virtual Sports
- Volleyball
What stakes can you bet for?
This varies too much from sportsbook to sportsbook for us to give specifics.
What we can say is that the smallest bet you can usually make is $1. On the upper end, you can bet hundreds to thousands of dollars. Sometimes you can even bet hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Keep in mind that it will also depend on the sport and market you choose to bet on.
Is esports betting an option?
More than likely. Most sportsbooks nowadays offer esports betting. But the extensiveness of their esports section is another thing entirely. Some sportsbooks cover everything, offer betting tips, and have live gaming streams. Other sportsbooks just cover a few leagues/games.
We recommend you read our reviews if there’s something specific you’re looking for.
The 7 Most Popular Sports in New Zealand
You’ll have no problems finding globally popular sports to bet on, such as American football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Any sportsbook worth their salt will offer at least a little coverage on these sports.
And if these are the sports you like to bet on, that’s totally cool.
But one of the things we like most about joining a sportsbook that caters to New Zealand is that there’s a good chance that you’ll find betting opportunities on sports that Kiwis love to play and watch the most.
Here are a few details about what those sports are and a general idea as to what you can expect to find betting-opportunity-wise from bookmakers online.
This is one of the world’s oldest sports. They raced chariots in the Greek Olympics in 648 BC. In New Zealand, the sport dates back to colonial times.
According to Wikipedia, horse racing contributes significantly to New Zealand’s economy. It made up nearly 1.5% of the GDP in 2004 and created (the equivalent to) more than 18,000 full-time jobs. More than 1 million people attended races that year, too.
It goes without saying that horse racing is a staple in New Zealand. It’s a staple at online sportsbooks, too. In fact, many sportsbooks highlight horse racing in their navigation instead of lumping it in with everything else in the sidebar.
Your betting options will depend on the bookmaker, but you can find action on many of the world’s top races. For example, you can bet on events such as the National Hunt, Royal Ascot, Cheltenham Festival, and the Presque Isle Downs. Many sportsbooks offer in-play betting and live streaming, too.
Cricket is another one of those sports that have been around forever. Historians believe it originated in southeast London during the medieval period. The earliest definite reference to cricket was in 1597.
Cricket established itself much later in Australia and New Zealand, sometime in the 19th century. In 1876-77, England competed against Australia, in Australia, which was considered to be the first Test match. This rivalry led to The Ashes, one of Test cricket’s most popular events.
The Ashes is one of several events you can bet on online. You can also bet on the Royal London One Day Cup, Indian Premier League, ICC World Twenty20, and ICC Cricket World Cup. You should have no problems finding live cricket betting or live streaming, either.
Australian Rules Football, or “footy,” dates back to the first half of the 19th century. Some of the earliest organized (school) football games date back to the mid-1850s.
The sport spread to New Zealand in the early 1870s.
Because of all the different sports named “football,” you’ll find betting opportunities listed under Australian or Aussie Rules Football at most sportsbooks. You’ll get to bet on the Australian Football League (AFL), the Grand Final, the VFL, WAFL, and SANFL.
This is another sport that’s almost as old as dirt. Historians date the origins of tennis to 12th-century France. It’s not clear when tennis made its way to New Zealand, though we do know that the Australian Open started in 1905.
The Australian Open is one of several tennis tournaments that you can bet on. You can also bet on events such as the ATP, WTP, ITF, French Open, US Open, and Davis Cup. You’ll have no issues finding live tennis betting opportunities, too, as well as tennis-specific promotions.
Rugby Union is considered New Zealand’s national sport. It originated in England sometime during the first half of the 19th century. It’s not entirely clear when the sport hit Australia or New Zealand, but New Zealand’s first national team, the Natives, started in the late 1880s.
The first World Cup was held in 1987, when New Zealand became the inaugural winners. It was also added to the Olympics in 2016. The international tournament, the Tri Nations, started in 1996 and was between Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
You can bet on those events online, as well as the AVIVA Premiership, Rugby Championship, Rugby World Championship, Lions Tour, and several others.
Rugby League has similar if not identical origins as the Rugby Union. The difference in history comes from when the league split from the Union due to payment issues. The league established itself in Australia and New Zealand in 1907-1908.
You’re going to have similar options for betting other than the obvious fact that the events you’re betting on will be specific to the league. For example, you can bet on Super League matches, the NRL, Challenge Cup, NSW Cup, State of Origin, and more.
This sport began in England in the 1890s. It arrived in New Zealand in the early 1900s. The first governing body for school leagues and domestic competitions started in the mid-1920s.
Netball is a unique game in that it’s primarily played by women. Men play the game, too, but leagues and teams receive less attention, sponsorship opportunities, and so on.
As far as betting opportunities go, you can bet on the ANZ Premiership, Super Netball, Netball World Cup, and ANZ Championship.
And there you have it – those are the most popular sports in New Zealand and the most common betting opportunities that you’ll find for each one.
For most of them, we found an abundance of betting opportunities from different markets to options like in-play betting. Your mileage will be hit or miss depending on where you choose to join, but you should have no issues finding at least a little action for each of these sports regardless of where you bet.
10 Easy Tips Kiwis Can Use to Boost Their Winnings
Betting on sports is fun. When you have a little skin in the game, every play or score is amplified. You feel it that much more.
While merely betting on sports is fun, we’d argue that winning money from betting on sports is significantly better. Who doesn’t want to walk away with more money than they started with?
With that in mind, we thought it’d be helpful to share a few betting tips. We share 10 betting tips below. Use any one of them, and we’d be shocked if you didn’t see an increase in winnings.
1. Take Advantage of the Free Bet
A common promotion from sportsbooks is a free bet. They ought to call them insurance bets considering how they work, though.
With these offers, if you make a bet and win, you’ll receive nothing but your winnings. However, if you make a bet and lose, the sportsbook will reimburse your losing bet up to so many dollars.
Sometimes these bets are for any sport or market. Other times the sportsbook is more specific about what you can bet on.
Even with the playthrough terms, we feel these offers are worth checking out. If anything, they’re a great opportunity to bet on a certain team or event or to use a special feature that you might not otherwise.
You see this tip offered often and for good reason. It’s a relatively easy thing to do that can yield large results depending on how often and how much you’re betting.
We say it’s easy, but it still takes work. You need to have accounts at multiple sportsbooks so that you can compare prices. What you’re looking for is a discrepancy in how one sportsbook prices a given market compared to another sportsbook.
For example, say you want to bet the World Cup. You find New Zealand offered at -150 at Sportsbook A. You can take those odds as is, but wouldn’t you rather win more money? Say you decide to check out Sportsbook B to see if they’re offering better odds, and you find that they’re offering New Zealand at -170.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to take -170 since you’ll win $20 more for every $100 you risk? That’d make more sense to us.
This is why it’s so important to have multiple bookmaker accounts. If you’re going to make a specific bet, it makes sense to find the best odds you can.
The general idea behind successful sports betting is to find a discrepancy between how likely you think an outcome is to happen and what the bookie thinks. This is much easier to accomplish when you have in-depth knowledge of the sport you’re betting on.
Not only do you want to know about the teams, players, events, etc., but you also want to know what typical lines/odds look like. That way, it’s easier to spot opportunities.
Once you have an in-depth knowledge of a sport and how bookmakers handle it, then you can feel free to branch out.
But you may decide not to once you see how much money’s in what you already know.
Here’s what had to say about betting on underdogs.
“There is probably no better bet in sports than playing an underdog at home. Teams play inspired ball at home. Slim underdogs regularly win outright. Big underdogs often find ways to cover the spread and they rarely give up toward the end of a game in front of the home crowd.”
Moseman says he especially likes underdogs at home.
Exotic bets are difficult because you’re not betting on one outcome but several outcomes at the same time. If you’re a beginner, then finding value and making profitable bets on a single outcome is hard enough.
Why make things harder on yourself than they need to be?
Every bettor should have a budget. This is the max amount that you can wager on any one outcome. This is usually referred to as “units.”
Experts recommend wagering no more than 1%-2% of your bankroll. For example, if you have a $100 bankroll, then $1-$2 would be the most you can bet. Each $1-$2 bet would be a “unit.”
Having a budget is important for professionals so that they can absorb losses without busting their entire roll. This is important because they need their bankroll to make money that can be used to feed themselves and pay their bills.
Even if you bet for fun, though, it makes sense to have a budget so that you can absorb losses and have fun for as long as possible. Losing sucks, but it sucks even more when it’s all or a large portion of your bankroll and you need to redeposit.
It sucks even more knowing that that big of a loss could’ve been avoided in the first place.
There’s a good chance that, if you’re reading this, you plan to bet online. However, we never know if someone might read one of our guides before they head to a Las Vegas sportsbook.
Anyway, there are several reasons why you should bet online instead of offline.
- Online sportsbooks offer better odds/lines
- Bookies usually offer promotions such as free bets and cashback
- You can make much smaller bets ($1 or less) compared to offline
- There’s far more variety online
And many more which you can check out by clicking the link above.
The bottom line – there are more ways to boost your winnings online compared to offline.
8. Join the Loyalty Program
Loyalty (VIP) programs for sportsbooks aren’t common, at least not as common as they are for online casinos and poker rooms.
If you can join one, though, you should.
Loyalty programs usually award points for every $1 or $10 you wager. Points are used for several things, the most common of which are cashback and determining your VIP status in multi-level programs.
Multi-level VIP programs can come with all sorts of perks. You can get bonuses, free bets, trips, gifts, expedited cash-outs, one-on-one support, and more.
Even if all you get is cash-back, though, you should take it. Most people lose money betting sports. If you can find an opportunity to reduce your losses or even eek out a small win, you shouldn’t hesitate to jump on it.
9. Bet on the Less Popular Team
Bookmakers are known to add more juice to who they suspect will be the popular team because they know that people prefer to bet on popular teams.
What this means for you is that if you choose to bet on the unpopular team instead, you’re going to pay less juice. This means less risk on your part in a worst-case scenario. It also means more profit in a best-case scenario.
Don’t forget that these lines change, too.
Experts say that it’s much better to bet on underdogs later on after much of the action has been placed on the popular team.
You’ll find the best prices/odds this way.
10. Focus on ROI, Not Winners
This is a harder tip to explain. It might even be a hard tip to wrap your head around. But here we go…
If you want to consistently make profitable bets, then you need to focus on finding opportunities that will make you money instead of betting on who you think will win the match, event, or outcome.
That’s right – you don’t necessarily want to care about who’s more likely to win.
You want to find opportunities where you think the sportsbook did a bad job of setting their odds. For example, if you think something is likely to happen 50% of the time, but the sportsbook prices it thinking it will only happen 25% of the time, that’s an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.
That’s called finding value. If you want to add the biggest boosts to your winnings, this is what your betting strategies should revolve around finding.
Conclusion
Sports and sports betting is a huge pastime for the people of New Zealand. You can see that in our list of most popular sports. Many of those sports date back hundreds of years.
The good news is that in addition to playing and watching them, you can bet on all of them, too – and much more at any of the sportsbooks we recommend.
We don’t know about you, but we can’t think of a better way to enjoy both our love of sports and sports betting simultaneously than to join one of the sportsbooks in our list above and start betting today. Scroll up, choose a bookmaker, and get started now.a h
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