Hi
I live in New Zealand and have used Betfair for 17–18 years.
The New Zealand government is in its last stage of introducing a law making it illegal for any offshore platform to accept bets from residents living in New Zealand.
This means that all New Zealanders wanting to bet on sports or horse racing will have to use the country's only betting agency, which is the TAB/Entain partnership. Entain partnered with the country's only betting agency, 'TAB,' in 2023; at the time, an extra $100 million was promised to the TAB by Entain if the government set up a monopoly for the TAB/Entain partnership.
I have followed the process and written many letters to government departments, crying foul and pointing out the disservice to law-abiding citizens who use offshore platforms both for recreational purposes and to generate a living.
I shudder to think what odds will be on offer to punters when the monopoly is in place. The bill will become law after the next reading in the house. I believe it will be within the next 2–4 weeks.
Betfair was present at the select committee hearing and presented its case to allow continued service to New Zealanders. Betfair also made it clear they would abide by laws passed by the NZ government. I need to point out it will NOT be illegal for New Zealanders to place bets with offshore platforms; the new law will make it illegal for offshore platforms to take bets from people living in NZ. This puts the liability on the providers.
Apart from relocating to Australia, which I am not ruling out but will be a last resort, does anyone on this forum have a solution that would allow me to continue using Betfair? On my Betfair account, it states New Zealand. Out of curiosity, today I tried changing this to Australia, which it wouldn't allow me to alter.
All feedback is very welcome and appreciated.
Regards
NZ-PUNTER
Amendment to law will stop New Zealanders using Betfair
I don't know what the KYC procedure is in NZ, but when countries have closed before, we've seen people setting up an address in a new country and opening an account that way. I first saw this when Spain was regulated against, and people just drove over the border and set up in Portugal.
That is true. Not so easy to set yourself up elsewhere when living in NZ though. A shameful situationEuler wrote: ↑Wed Jun 11, 2025 1:27 pmI don't know what the KYC procedure is in NZ, but when countries have closed before, we've seen people setting up an address in a new country and opening an account that way. I first saw this when Spain was regulated against, and people just drove over the border and set up in Portugal.
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ShaunWhite
- Posts: 10353
- Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:42 am
The only option I could find (gpt) other than full emigration was ...
Dual Residence with Split Time : If he genuinely spends part of the year in Australia, he may qualify to have an AU account.
Still requires documentation — not something that can be spoofed.
Dual Residence with Split Time : If he genuinely spends part of the year in Australia, he may qualify to have an AU account.
Still requires documentation — not something that can be spoofed.
As a Kiwi, it wasn’t a shock when the announcement came that greyhound racing would be shut down after next season. The government's logic seems clear enough, they estimate that around $180 million is being lost offshore annually, and coincidentally, greyhound racing generates roughly the same amount. Their solution? Consolidate everything under a TAB monopoly and recapture that money.
But if you read between the lines of what the government actually said, the core issue appears to be about offshore betting on New Zealand racing and sport. The complaint is that foreign operators aren’t contributing adequately to the NZ racing and sports sectors, despite Kiwi punters playing through them. That’s an argument I could understand, particularly since I rarely bet on NZ racing or sport on Betfair. My focus is almost entirely on Aussie racing and the EPL.
What doesn’t sit right though, is the unevenness of the stance. If the issue is about protecting local product, then surely the government can’t justify allowing the TAB to offer markets on offshore sport like the EPL while cracking down on Kiwis betting offshore on the same events. What’s Entain paying the EPL for the right to run those markets?
And frankly, Betfair’s response has been pretty mild. In reality, what can the NZ government do? Arrest them? Especially when users aren’t betting on domestic content? It feels like a double standard that undermines the argument for fairness and contribution. How can it be illegal for me to bet on overseas sports at Betfair?
If the government wants to enforce a local-only model, shouldn't that apply both ways?
Another justification put forward for these changes is the supposed lack of host responsibility when Kiwis gamble offshore. The idea is that by forcing betting back through NZ-based operators, punters would fall under local rules and safeguards. But let's be honest—this feels like a farce.
I can still top up my TAB account with a credit card. I get bombarded with gambling adverts during primetime. Most TAB outlets are based in pubs, where responsible gambling measures are, let’s say, questionable at best. There’s no monthly statement showing your win/loss history, no nudge toward personal accountability. And we’re expected to believe that having a bet while down at the pub is the model of responsible behaviour?
As the original poster asked, what happens to the odds under a monopoly? Horse racing margins already hover around 128%. If that creeps any higher, how is that helping the average punter? Problem gamblers won’t be protected—they’ll just lose money faster. With features like automatic payments allowed, it’s hard to argue that the TAB is doing anything more than the bare legal minimum when it comes to protecting vulnerable users.
If this is their gold standard of responsibility, then we’ve got a bigger problem than offshore betting.
But if you read between the lines of what the government actually said, the core issue appears to be about offshore betting on New Zealand racing and sport. The complaint is that foreign operators aren’t contributing adequately to the NZ racing and sports sectors, despite Kiwi punters playing through them. That’s an argument I could understand, particularly since I rarely bet on NZ racing or sport on Betfair. My focus is almost entirely on Aussie racing and the EPL.
What doesn’t sit right though, is the unevenness of the stance. If the issue is about protecting local product, then surely the government can’t justify allowing the TAB to offer markets on offshore sport like the EPL while cracking down on Kiwis betting offshore on the same events. What’s Entain paying the EPL for the right to run those markets?
And frankly, Betfair’s response has been pretty mild. In reality, what can the NZ government do? Arrest them? Especially when users aren’t betting on domestic content? It feels like a double standard that undermines the argument for fairness and contribution. How can it be illegal for me to bet on overseas sports at Betfair?
If the government wants to enforce a local-only model, shouldn't that apply both ways?
Another justification put forward for these changes is the supposed lack of host responsibility when Kiwis gamble offshore. The idea is that by forcing betting back through NZ-based operators, punters would fall under local rules and safeguards. But let's be honest—this feels like a farce.
I can still top up my TAB account with a credit card. I get bombarded with gambling adverts during primetime. Most TAB outlets are based in pubs, where responsible gambling measures are, let’s say, questionable at best. There’s no monthly statement showing your win/loss history, no nudge toward personal accountability. And we’re expected to believe that having a bet while down at the pub is the model of responsible behaviour?
As the original poster asked, what happens to the odds under a monopoly? Horse racing margins already hover around 128%. If that creeps any higher, how is that helping the average punter? Problem gamblers won’t be protected—they’ll just lose money faster. With features like automatic payments allowed, it’s hard to argue that the TAB is doing anything more than the bare legal minimum when it comes to protecting vulnerable users.
If this is their gold standard of responsibility, then we’ve got a bigger problem than offshore betting.
I have a Nephew who is in London, I could get him to open an account for me but the problem is if I need support on that account. I would have to get him to sort it and I don't really want to have to rely on him sorting that or have him have to supply documents for proof of income. I am sure he would do all those things for me but I don't feel good about it so probably wouldn't do it.ShaunWhite wrote: ↑Fri Jun 13, 2025 2:09 amThe only option I could find (gpt) other than full emigration was ...
Dual Residence with Split Time : If he genuinely spends part of the year in Australia, he may qualify to have an AU account.
Still requires documentation — not something that can be spoofed.
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ShaunWhite
- Posts: 10353
- Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:42 am
The only option open to the man-in-the-street vs the authorities is a boycott, a classic 'withholding contribution to the production process'.
"If we can't bet where we want, then we won't bet anywhere".
That would send shivers through TAB and the govt revenue dept. But despite the power of social media it's almost impossible to organise a coordinated effort these days, even for a brief period as a statement of intent, but as this change is so impactful, and as there's a relatively small betting population to rally then ...?
Our bookies and govt could do with a dose of that too but the chances of it happening here are zero.
"If we can't bet where we want, then we won't bet anywhere".
That would send shivers through TAB and the govt revenue dept. But despite the power of social media it's almost impossible to organise a coordinated effort these days, even for a brief period as a statement of intent, but as this change is so impactful, and as there's a relatively small betting population to rally then ...?
Our bookies and govt could do with a dose of that too but the chances of it happening here are zero.
The advantage I have is that this is just a hobby, I’m not doing it for the money. For me, it’s about the principle. I could just as easily shift to football markets, where I still find value. For example, I checked today and saw I can bet into three MLS matches at the TAB. The book percentage sits at 106%, while Betfair takes a 6% commission on any winnings. Even with that, Betfair remains the better of the two—but the point is, I should have the right to choose.
Frankly, this feels like laziness on TAB/Entain’s part. How can a monopoly be the only option? If that's genuinely how they see the future of wagering, then maybe the wrong people are steering the ship.
Frankly, this feels like laziness on TAB/Entain’s part. How can a monopoly be the only option? If that's genuinely how they see the future of wagering, then maybe the wrong people are steering the ship.