Sports betting and the law in the UK
Find out about the legality of sports betting in the UK.
New Zealand has a history of suppressing sports betting activities as part of its tight regulation of all forms of gambling. Remote gambling in all forms is explicitly prohibited – with the exception of remote gambling offered by providers outside of New Zealand. This loophole effectively legalises all forms of Internet gambling offered by providers based outside the country.
Laws governing betting in New Zealand
The Gambling Act of 2003
All forms of gambling in New Zealand are regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs, which enforces the Gambling Act of 2003. This Act places strong controls on all forms of gambling within New Zealand. It allows the provision of gambling services only in the form of government lotteries and by non-profit casinos operated by charitable foundations.
In addition, the Gambling Act of 2003 explicitly prohibits “remote interactive gambling”. This legislation prohibits companies in New Zealand from offering or advertising gambling services. In addition, New Zealand citizens are prohibited from participating in unauthorised gambling activities.
A quirk of the Gambling Act of 2003 is that it applies only to exchanges between New Zealanders and gambling companies based within the borders of New Zealand. New Zealanders are free to gamble using overseas gambling facilities, including those available on the internet.
In summary, if you live in New Zealand, you can bet 100% legally at any of the online bookmakers listed on betHQ.
Choose an online bookmakerAdditional Resources:
- Gambling Act of 2003 (Legislation.govt.nz)
- Prohibited Gambling (Dia.govt.nz)
Disclaimer: betHQ followed all reasonable steps to ensure that the information on this page was correct at the time it was last modified, in May 2015. However, laws can change over time and it remains your responsibility to ensure that you’re not breaking any laws by betting online.
