How to Bet on Sports in New Zealand: A Beginner's Guide

This guide explains, step by step, how to register with a bookmaker, make a deposit, bet on a match, withdraw your winnings and submit your identity documents.

It also covers a few ways to get more enjoyment out of sports betting.

What You Will Learn

• Getting started with a bookmaker follows four steps: register, deposit, bet and withdraw.
• You need three things to begin: a smartphone, a payment method and identity documents.

This article takes about 9 minutes to read.

What You Need to Get Started with a Bookmaker

To get started with a bookmaker, you need the following three things.

• A smartphone, PC or tablet
• A payment method for deposits and withdrawals
• Documents for identity verification

First, you need a device with internet access, since betting accounts are run online. If you are reading this page on your own smartphone or PC, you already have what you need.

A payment method for deposits and withdrawals is any way of moving money into and out of your account. Use one of the payment methods shown on your account’s payment page.

Finally, betting sites generally verify your identity before your first withdrawal, so you should have the documents ready. Preparing all three before you move on to the next step will make the process smoother.

Register with a Bookmaker

To bet on sports, you first need to open an account with a bookmaker. In New Zealand, since 28 June 2025, only TAB NZ may offer racing and sports betting to people in New Zealand (Racing Industry Act 2020, section 74AAA). You must be 18 or over to bet.

The steps in this guide describe how betting accounts generally work. Signing up is much the same as creating an account on an online shopping site, and if you have done that before, it takes only a few minutes. The registration steps are as follows.

1. Go to the operator’s website or open its app
2. Confirm that you are 18 or over
3. Enter the required information, such as your email address, home address, full name and phone number
4. Click the confirmation link sent to the email address you entered

Make a Deposit

Once your registration is complete, the next step is to make a deposit. The deposit process is straightforward.

1. Tap the “Deposit” button on the home page or on your wallet page
2. Choose a payment method
3. Enter the deposit amount and your payment details or account number
4. Tap the “Deposit” or “Confirm” button
5. The deposit is complete once the funds appear in your wallet balance

You deposit with the payment methods the operator accepts, such as a debit card or bank transfer. Fees, processing times and limits vary by method.

A bank transfer works well if you want to use one method for both deposits and withdrawals. Check the payment page in your account to see which methods you can use.

Set Deposit Limits Before You Start

Before you make your first deposit, decide how much money you can afford to lose. Treat this amount as the cost of entertainment, not as money you expect to get back. Use the deposit limit tools in your account where they are offered, and set a limit that matches your budget.

When you reach your limit, stop. Do not deposit more to try to win back what you have lost, and do not raise your limit in the middle of a losing run.

How Much Money Do You Need to Start with a Bookmaker?

If you are betting for fun, you do not need a large amount of money. You might bet on the team you support, or on an unfamiliar sport, and simply enjoy watching the match. As a guideline, a first deposit of around NZ$30–50 is a good place to start.

If you want to keep playing over a longer period, though, a larger bankroll helps. Your balance rises and falls with each match, and a few losses in a row can use up your funds. With around $100, it is easier to keep betting through a losing streak. In either case, deposit only an amount you can afford to lose.

How to Bet on Sports: From Choosing a Match to Placing a Bet

Once you have made a deposit, you can place your first bet on a sporting event.

Dozens of sports are usually available, including rugby, cricket, netball, horse racing, football (soccer), basketball, tennis and esports. You can bet on a wide range of competitions, such as Super Rugby, the NRL, the Premier League and the NBA.

You can also bet on New Zealand domestic competitions as well as overseas leagues. During major international events such as the Rugby World Cup, the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, you can bet on those games as well.

1. Choose a sport
2. Choose the match you want to bet on
3. Choose a bet type
4. Enter your stake
5. Tap the “Place Bet” button to finish

There are many bet types, such as line (handicap) bets and over/under (totals) bets. For first-time punters, the easiest bets to understand are head-to-head bets (called moneyline bets in the US), in which you simply pick the winner of the match, and, in racing, a win bet on the horse you think will finish first. In football, a common alternative is the 1X2 (three-way) bet, in which you choose between a home win, a draw and an away win. Betting on the team you support also makes watching the match more exciting.

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What Are Bookmaker Odds?

If you have placed a fixed-odds bet before, the idea may already be familiar: a price is set for each outcome, called the odds. The odds are a number that shows the payout on a winning bet, and they are set lower for outcomes that are considered more likely. A winning bet returns your stake multiplied by the odds, so the less likely a bet is thought to win, the higher its odds and the larger its payout.

In New Zealand, odds are shown as decimals. At 6.00, a $10 bet returns $60 including your stake, so the profit is $50; at 2.00 you double your money.

Sports betting odds are set in advance by the bookmaker and then move in response to betting activity. The odds a bookmaker offers also have the bookmaker’s cut, called the margin, built in. The inverses of the odds for all possible outcomes add up to slightly more than 100%. The inverse of that total is the payout percentage (the share of all stakes paid back to punters), and 100% minus the payout percentage is the margin. As with any form of gambling, betting at random will therefore lose money over the long run.

The main difference from tote (totalisator) betting is that the odds are fixed the moment you place your bet.

In tote betting, as used in horse racing, the odds change with the amounts bet by all punters and become final only when betting closes. With fixed odds, your bet is settled at the odds available when you place it, so even if the odds move afterwards, the payout on your bet does not change. Being able to choose when to bet and which odds to take is a defining feature of fixed-odds betting. Fixed odds do not, however, give you an edge in themselves.

Make a Withdrawal

Once you have won money betting on sports, the last step is to withdraw it from your betting account to your bank account or another payment method. As with deposits, the process is straightforward.

1. Tap the “Withdraw” or “Withdrawal” button on the home page or on your wallet page
2. Choose a withdrawal method
3. Enter the withdrawal amount
4. Tap the “Withdraw” or “Request Withdrawal” button
5. The withdrawal is complete once you receive a confirmation email or the funds reach your account

As a rule, withdrawals are paid back to the same method you used to deposit. If you deposited by bank transfer, for example, you also withdraw by bank transfer.

Identity Verification (KYC) Is Required for Your First Withdrawal

Betting sites generally require identity verification, known as KYC (know your customer), before your first withdrawal. Verification confirms that the details you entered when you registered, such as your name and address, are correct. You upload photos of your ID and proof of address to the operator.

The documents usually required are listed below, although the exact requirements can vary.

• Proof of identity: a passport or driver licence (photo ID)
• Proof of address: a recent utility bill or bank statement
• Payment documents: a screenshot or statement showing your bank account details, or a photo of your bank card

Where verification is required, you cannot withdraw until the process is complete.

3 Ways to Get More Out of Sports Betting

Betting on your favourite team and cheering them on is enjoyable enough, but sports betting offers many other ways to play.

Use Prediction and Analysis Sites When Choosing Matches

For every major sports competition there are many websites, not just those run by bookmakers, that analyse and predict match results.

Popular competitions, such as Super Rugby and international cricket, the Premier League, Serie A and the Bundesliga in football, and the NBA in basketball, are covered by many analysis sites. These sites are useful for gathering information, but the track records they publish cannot be independently verified. Treat them as only one factor in your decision, and be cautious with paid tipping services.

If you are confident in your analysis of a sport, you can try other bet types beyond simply picking the winner, such as line bets or correct-score bets. As explained above, bets that are less likely to win have higher odds, but that does not give you an edge.

Try Betting on a Different Sport Now and Then

Besides popular sports such as rugby, cricket, netball, football and basketball, you can often bet on individual sports such as tennis and golf, indoor games such as darts and snooker, less widely followed sports such as kabaddi and handball, and esports.

Betting sites often also have a “Specials” category with bets on events outside sports (prop bets), such as who will win a Grammy or which party will lead the next New Zealand government.

Following the same competition is enjoyable, but we also recommend betting on a different sport from time to time. Try a small bet on an unfamiliar sport, then watch the match. You may discover what makes that sport appealing and gain another fixture to look forward to.

Watch Big Events and Set Limits

Big events such as All Blacks test matches, Super Rugby finals, the Cricket World Cup and major race days bring more markets, and they are some of the most exciting times to follow sport. Betting on these events can add to the enjoyment of watching.

Enjoy them, but set a budget and a time limit before the event starts. A busy schedule of matches or races makes it easy to bet more often than you planned, and the bookmaker’s margin applies to every bet you place.

Summary: Register, Deposit, Bet and Withdraw in Four Steps

Getting started with sports betting is simple. In New Zealand, racing and sports betting is offered only by TAB NZ, and you must be 18 or over to bet.

Once you have registered, make a deposit, choose the sport and match you want to bet on, and place your bet. If your bet wins, you can withdraw your winnings after you complete identity verification.

Enjoy sports betting in whatever way suits you, whether it adds to the excitement of watching a match or gives you a way to use your in-depth knowledge of a sport. If gambling stops being fun, the Gambling Helpline (0800 654 655) can help.