Mention “football” in Aotearoa New Zealand and sports-mad Kiwis will ask: “What? Rugby, league, or soccer?” That’s because the term is used just as much with rugby as any other ball-kicking sport in the Southern Hemisphere. Just as it is in the United States, football isn’t definitive.
However, our preoccupation here is with the “beautiful game”. Yes, it’s soccer in this part of the world, but the influx of Europeans and an increasing number of New Zealanders playing overseas have been causing confusion. What is beyond doubt is the popularity of “soccer football” despite mainstream media’s lack of space and air time for it.
The national team, also known as the All Whites, just missed out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup and the interest in the sport has remained on a steady rise. This is something that betting sites have capitalised on, but it can still be difficult to determine the best ones. Therefore, our experts have put together a top five list of the best football betting sites in New Zealand.
💻 Operator | bet365 | BetVictor | Betway | LeoVegas | TAB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
⚽ Football Coverage | 300 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200-300 |
📊 Football Betting Margins | 5.37% | 6.06% | 5.47% | 4.12% | 5.96% |
📺 Football Live Streaming | ✅ | ❌ (Limited) | ❌ (Limited) | ❌ | ❌ (Limited) |
👷 Bet Builder | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Visit Site | Join Bookie | Join Bookie | Join Bookie | Join Bookie | Read review |
New Zealand's interest in football is growing and with many great betting sites around, it can be difficult to determine which is the best for the sport. As such, our experts have put together a top five list of the best betting sites in New Zealand. Focusing on factors that truly matter to football bettors, such as bet builder tools and live streaming, we believe the list is as objective as possible.
Bet365 is one of the biggest betting sites in the world and its football offering is one of the main reasons for that. Leading the line with innovation, the bookie continues to attract new bettors worldwide and in New Zealand. The sportsbook aside, the generous welcome offer is also helping with this.
You can find just about any football game on the site and as for the big games, there are usually around 300 markets available. Most of these markets can be used with the impressive bet builder tool, also known as a same-game multiple, which remains the best in the industry.
The betting margin, which is essentially the fee that a bookie charges you for placing the bet, came in at an average of 5.37% in our test and that is a commendable score. Live streaming is also available for many of the prominent leagues, albeit not all, and this means bettors can follow the action whilst placing bets on bet365.
Bet365 is known for having some of the best football promotions and New Zealand is no exception, with the 2up early payout, acca boost and substitute insurance all in place. The former is without a doubt the best as a two-goal lead isn't even that secure, but bettors can sit back and relax.
Pros
Just like bet365, BetVictor has made a name for itself in the UK with a strong football section, as well as a comprehensive sportsbook overall. Albeit lacking a few promotions - which we will come to - the betting site is just as strong in New Zealand and a good welcome offer has prompted many to sign up.
As far as leagues and games covered go, BetVictor doesn't really differ from bet365 but the market depth is not as impressive, coming in at around 200 markets for big clashes. The bet builder is easy to use and although it lacks the brilliance of bet365's bet builder, it's still one of the best around.
Our test of the betting margins showed an average of 6.06%, which is actually very good, but it should be noted that the average differed a bit from game to game. Ideally, it would be quite stable as a good margin can then be guaranteed for every game. Live streaming is also an area where BetVictor has to improve, offering very few football streams.
In other countries, BetVictor is quite good with promotions but aside from the loyalty club and odds boosts, the bookie doesn't really offer much to Kiwi bettors. The lucky dip option is a nice touch and one that - no doubt - will be used by many bettors, but we would have liked to see something more.
Pros
Cons
Continuing on the foreign theme, Betway has strengthened its New Zealand product with some nice promotions and a great sportsbook. Although it isn't the most popular sport in the country, Betway has put a lot of thought and effort into the football section and with the nation's interest growing, they are ready to capitalise.
Just like bet365 and BetVictor, those who sign up will have no issues locating the games they would like to bet on. The market depth is good, too, as the bookie tends to price up around 200 markets for the big games. Betway's bet builder, meanwhile, is not that pleasing to the eye but in terms of functionality, it works well.
The betting margin, at an average of 5.47%, is more or less identical to bet365 and this means bettors won't have to worry about excessive fees being charged. Live streaming, on the other hand, is not always offered and this is something that Betway perhaps should improve, just like BetVictor.
What we like about the promotions section is that Betway keeps an eye on the current events, offering deals that - more often than not - resonate with the bettors. From odds boosts to an acca insurance and a pretty good welcome offer, most football bettors will not be disappointed if they decide to sign up.
Pros
Cons
Those who have played Casino games before will be very familiar with LeoVegas, as the bookie mainly focuses on that side of the business. However, using Kambi as the sportsbook provider, the sports offering is not too shabby either and it's no surprise that the bookie has become more popular in New Zealand and elsewhere.
The football section is indeed comprehensive, with almost all leagues available, and the market depth is pretty good too at around 150-200 markets. We have no complaints about the bet builder either, which is easy to use and with many markets as well. On the other hand, LeoVegas could definitely improve the overall design of the football section.
Having said this, it almost got a higher position on this list thanks to fantastic betting margins, as our test showed an average of 4.12%. This is about as low as it gets these days and is especially beneficial to those who place several bets with small winnings. It should be noted, however, that live streaming is not offered.
LeoVegas has a pretty good welcome offer for football enthusiasts to claim but there aren't many promotions for existing customers. A profit boost of up to 50% on accas is the only one and while it could come in handy, we definitely would have liked to see more from the bookie on this front.
Pros
Cons
Last but not least is the New Zealand-licensed betting site TAB, which most Kiwi bettors will be very familiar with already. Above all, we included the bookie as some bettors might feel more secure to bet with a licensed bookie rather than a foreign one. The football section is actually decent, though.
From prominent to smaller leagues, TAB offers it all and the market depth is also impressive, with around 200-300 markets for the big games. The bet builder has a nice layout and is easy to use, but we couldn't find the player card market during our test. This is a very popular market among bettors and not having it is a clear con.
We also tested the betting margin and it showed an average of 5.96%, which is good but not quite as low as the best sites on this list. While TAB earned a high position in our list of the top five horse racing bookies thanks to live streaming, this is not the case for football as the streaming is very limited.
On the promotions front, TAB has a good welcome offer and there is also an acca insurance for existing customers. However, the bookie could do more on this front and in order to compete with the best sites, it will have to.
Pros
Cons
By focusing on the key factors for betting on football, we believe that our list is as objective as possible, even if it will always be a bit subjective. We have already touched on the key factors quite a lot above, but below we will discuss them at greater length. From market depth to promotions, we explain why they are so important for football bettors.
Anyone who has placed bets on football before will have experienced the frustration of not being able to turn their bet idea into reality. Betting sites have become much better at offering a wide range of markets, it must be said, but there are still a few that don't have as many and this is a problem.
Therefore, in our test of the best football betting sites, we made sure to double-check both the coverage and market depth. For example, almost all sides will have a huge range of leagues and tournaments on the football page, but this doesn't say much if we don't know the market depth per game.
By checking both of these, we were able to separate the best from the less ideal sites, even if all five on our list scored quite well in terms of market depth.
Related to the markets offered, bettors should be wary of the betting margins before signing up for a site. In short terms, this is a fee that the betting sites charge for letting you place the bet, though it will only come into effect if you win. By using the odds of a two or three-way event, we can determine the average betting margin.
To avoid confusion, the projected winnings in the bet slip are what you will get if the selection wins. However, whether the odds have been fairly priced is another question and that is exactly what the betting margin test looks at. In our top five list above, we made sure to highlight the margin of each bookie.
Despite being a relatively new invention, bet builders are already taken for granted around the world and any betting site that doesn't have such a tool is in big trouble. Of course, all five sites on our list have bet builder tools so we decided to dig even deeper, taking a look at the functionality and market depth of these.
For example, TAB's bet builder looks very good at face value but we discovered that the popular market player card - among a few others - was missing from the selection. These are things that make a significant difference for football punters in the long run and it's only right to highlight it.
Live streaming is another important factor, not just for football but all the popular sports on betting sites. Compared to a sport like tennis, which almost always has streaming options, this is not the case with football due to TV rights and regulations. The best site will still offer it for most leagues, though, but checking every site can be tedious.
In our top five list above, bet365 came out on top and that is far from surprising, given that the site has always been the best with streaming. Not all bettors will care about streaming as they might already have a subscription to a proper broadcaster, but it's still a feature that elevates football live betting and makes the overall experience better.
Finally, equally important are the promotions offered by the betting site. The gold standard is bet365, with popular promotions such as early payout and acca boost, but this cannot be expected on all sites. We made sure to read the terms and conditions of the promotions offered by the top five sites, factoring that into the overall ranking.
It goes without saying that bettors will want to choose the site with the best promotions, which is bet365 in this case. It just so happens to be that bet365 also is the best site overall, with a fantastic sportsbook and many other great features.
Thomas is responsible for content on BettingGuide New Zealand. With his extensive knowledge of the gambling industry and college degree in law, he knows what you should look out for when choosing the best casino or sportsbook.