Best Horse Racing Betting Sites in New Zealand

New Zealand is known for horse racing betting being popular. Numerous local and international races are on throughout the year giving punters a wealth of opportunities.

For New Zealand punters, it is important to choose the right horse racing betting sites. It can make a big difference when betting. So this betting guide will detail everything you need to know, such as the best sites, apps and more.

Choosing a horse racing betting site is a very important task, it influences your betting experience! Here are the key factors to keep in mind:

• Odds Comparison: The odds they offer come as one of the most important elements of betting. Valuable odds are usually platform-dependent, the more you compare the odds across various platforms the more value you can maximise for your money as small changes in the odds can actually make a huge difference in your payouts. 
• Promotions & Bonuses: Promotions and bonuses are another factor. These can make betting a lot more fun in the long run. 
  
• In-play Betting and live streaming: For the most part, live streaming and in-play betting options greatly improve the betting experience. Since punters are able to place bets in real-time whereas they get to watch races live, it means that they can rest upon the occurrence of unfolding events and make necessary decisions. 
  
• Mobile Betting Apps: Today, horse racing enthusiasts who love betting on the move must have a decent app on their mobile for betting. There is also access to betting markets, live updates and account management through your phone or tablet if it’s one of the best betting apps. 
  
• Variety of Betting Markets: Any horse racing betting site requires a wide variety of betting markets. 'The popular markets of 'Win,' 'Place,' and 'Each-Way' bets are still important, but it's good to have access to some more specialist markets too, like 'Futures' bets' on future races, and 'Exotic' bets' such as the 'exacta' or 'trifecta'. 

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 

New Zealand punters need a trustworthy, accessible system for them to keep up with the horse racing markets. Below we have listed some of the best horse racing betting apps, along with features for each that will best help the betting experience.

I think that the PlayUp app is one of the best horse racing betting apps in New Zealand because its design is clean and easy to navigate. The app is quick with its fast load time so that punters can readily place bets as they flow in to stake their money during peak racing events. Based on horse racing, PlayUp users get access to a vast number of betting markets from local races to international races.

• Speed: The PlayUp app is known to respond smoothly, with a smooth betting process.
• Ease of Navigation: It’s a simple, easy-to-use interface that lets punters find horse racing markets and promotions quickly.
• Live Streaming: The bad news is that the app doesn't offer live streaming, which could be a deal breaker for people who want to watch races in real-time.
  
• Horse Racing Promotions: With the PlayUp app, you can take part in promotions like bonus bets and enhanced odds on all key racing events.
• Mobile vs. Desktop: Faster navigation and fewer distractions make the mobile app a more streamlined experience than a desktop site. Both the sites function perfectly; however, with the app, horse racing punters are able to bet on the go and at their convenience and speed.

While Picklebet is not particularly known for horse racing, it has been branching into this area, and its app is turning out to be a good option for racing horse fans. Mobile betting is well optimised on the app because everything is laid out logically and navigation is also quite straightforward. With its app, Picklebet offers local and international horse racing markets, although it is lacking a few features such as live streaming, instead making a clean betting experience the focus.

• Speed: The good news is that the Picklebet app is quick to load and gets your betting on with no lag whatsoever.
  
• Ease of Navigation: It is easy to navigate the horse racing markets on the app with a pretty simple interface, however, the app is not the most comprehensive when it comes to other features.
  
• Live Streaming: At this moment, horse racing fans are not allowed to enjoy live streaming on Picklebet, which means there is no real-time engagement for horse racing punters.
  
• Horse Racing Promotions: When it comes to promotions aimed at racing customers, Picklebet provides some promos here and there. The app is still evolving and more promotions may be made in the future, however.
  
• Mobile vs. Desktop: Fast and focused compared to the desktop app. Esports punters may will feel more comfortable with the desktop version while the app provides a cleaner interface for those fixated on horse racing.

One of the most full-blown horse racing betting apps in New Zealand is the Bet365 app. Perceived for its wide coverage on the market and live streaming, Bet365 brings punters the chance to watch races live with the opportunity to submit in-play bets. It's a very fast app with barely any lag, making it great if you want an app that's your one-stop betting shop.

• Speed: The app is highly responsive and performs well even during high traffic as bets are placed without a delay.
  
• Ease of Navigation: It has a slightly more complex interface than some other apps, but it has a lot of features from in-play betting and live race statistics and form guides that all fit together to make it a comprehensive app for serious punters.
  
• Live Streaming: My review of Bet365 found it also offers a live streaming function, where customers can watch races via the app.
  
• Horse Racing Promotions: Regular horse racing promotions are always offered at Bet365, for example, with Best Odds Guaranteed and early payout options on specific races.
  
• Mobile vs. Desktop: Desktop functionality is indexed in the mobile app, with the added benefit of portability. While the desktop site gives a wider view of multiple markets all at once, the app has the edge because it has live streaming and in-play betting features which isn’t always the case at other bookies.

It's really crucial to understand horse racing betting odds in order to maximise payouts and bet on your horses wisely. In New Zealand, odds are commonly displayed in two formats: decimal and fractional. 

Types of Horse Racing Odds

Decimal Odds  

Potential payouts, including your stake, can be expressed in a simplistic way as decimal odds. These are shown as a single figure, e.g. 2.50 or 3.00. You can work out your potential payout by multiplying your stake with the decimal odds. For example, say you made a $10 bet with odds of 2.50, your total payout would be $25 ($10 x 2.50), including $10 returned plus $15 profit.

Fractional Odds  

Traditional in the UK, fractional horse racing odds are also used in New Zealand. This will come as a fraction, like 5 to 1, or 2 to 5. It’s the first number by how much you would win from the second number stake. So if you bet 10 dollars at 5/1 odds it would pay $60 (i.e. $10*5+10 stake), and if you bet $10 at 2/5 odds you would get to keep $12 (i.e. $10*0.4+10 stake).

Horse Racing Bet Types

Win Bet  

The easiest bet type and the simplest to understand is the win bet, which is simply a bet that a horse you pick will win the race. You placed the bet at the odds offered; if the horse wins, you get that money.

Place Bet  

With a place bet, you bet on a horse to come up first, second or third in the race. A win bet has more chances of winning than this type of bet but also the payouts are usually lower. Say you bet $10 on a horse at place odds of 2.00 with a finish in second and you receive $20 (plus your stake).

Each-Way Bet  

An each-way bet is a win-and-place bet that combines both into one. You place two bets: I placed a bet on that same horse to win, and another to place on that same horse.

For an each-way bet of $10 at 10/1, if the horse finishes second you would win on the place portion, $50 (i.e. $10 x 10) each way, plus more on the win portion, the amount of which depends on the individual legal betting sites.

Exotics

Exotic bets are very common such as quinella, trifecta, first four, exacta and quaddie. You will get really nice payouts, especially in bigger fields where the odds are longer.

Tote vs Fixed Odds  

Tote betting pools all bets, but the payout is set by dividing the pool by the number of winning bets. While, fixed horse racing odds provide a specific payout dependent on the odds when the bet is taken. 

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages; the advantage of tote betting, of course, is that potentially a smaller number of people bet on the same horse so yielding a much larger payout, while on the other hand, fixed odds horse racing entails knowing how much payout you can receive at the time on betting.

Why do we need to shop around for the best odds?

In order to get the most out of your racing betting and maximise the potential profits; shopping around for the best odds is vital. 

For example, different betting sites may have different odds of the same horse or the same event, thus you stand to take in more on your return by choosing a platform that offers better odds. Given so many places with which to place bets, even small differences can make a big difference in the long run. 

Achieving high returns and making your betting on horse races enjoyable, requires you to know the different betting markets for horse racing betting. Major New Zealand races are outlined accompanied by a guide to the most frequented betting markets in horse racing.

Fixed Odds

Fixed odds betting is one of the easiest and most popular approaches for online horse racing bets. If you prefer to bet with fixed odds, you will know exactly how much you can win when you place your bet. 

Tote Betting

Tote betting is where multiple bets unite into a single combined pool. Rewards are determined by the amount of money bet and the pool size that is divided up and counted when counting the winning bets. Just prior to the start of the race the tote odds tend to drift down to reflect the money beted on each contender.

Futures Betting

There are regular punters that go to place their bets on the futures betting market in major races, before and the after event. However, with this style of betting people will have to know the probable outcomes of important racing events for instance NZ Derby or Melbourne Cup weeks or even months before the actual races. 

Special Bets

Adding special bets to racing betting adds more excitement and brings more planning to betting. These can include a range of unique betting options, such as:

• Head-to-Head Bets: In this market, your choice is simply which of two horses indicated will be ahead of the other when they've reached the finish. 
• Winning Margins: You can bet on how much each horse should win by with betting websites offering new challenges and profit chances for punters with this option. 

New Zealand - Major Local Races

The strong tradition of horse racing in NZ is characterised by important events where local and worldwide betting fans get involved. Some of the most notable races include:

• NZ Derby: The event happens in Auckland on Ellerslie Racecourse in March each year. The NZ Derby is a big event in the New Zealand racing circuit where top thoroughbreds vie for the positions, which is understandably pretty enthused about betting.
  
• Melbourne Cup: The race is held in Australia, but it gets plenty of attention from the punters in New Zealand. The Melbourne Cup, known as 'the race that stops a nation' takes place annually on the first Tuesday in November.

Promotions and bonuses make horse racing betting sites more enjoyable, that is for sure. These offers provide punters the opportunity to increase their investments, and the ability to carry the momentum forward towards better earnings.

Free Bets for Horse Racing

A free bet is a favourite bonus for lovers of horse betting racing. In the case when these deals are offered, it means that the punters will be able to engage in betting without the stake of their own money. If you make an account or fund your account, you’ll be offered X amount of a free bet..

Enhanced Odds Promotions

Enhanced odds promotions will give punters the ability to bet on certain horses with increased odds. For example, a favoured horse for the coming race may be increased in the probability of a betting site as a way to attract attention to the site and boost potential earnings. 

Refund Offers for Near Misses

Bet refunds are made as a near-miss backup for punters. In the case that a punter bets on a horse to win, and the horse finishes in second, the betting site may refund the stake with a free bet or extra credit. 

Multi-Bet Offers

Multi bet offers are designed for those who like to merge multiple choices into a single bet such as a multi-race bet. During such promotions, punters can win more on multiple bets placed in different races or events. 

Many important racing events take place in New Zealand and various lovers of this sport come to bet on their favourite horse to win a particular event. These meetings are known for having the premier horses on display and present an intriguing betting proposition. Here’s an overview of the biggest horse racing events that New Zealand punters eagerly follow:

New Zealand Derby

The form of yearly competition held in Auckland at the Ellerslie Racecourse, New Zealand Derby is considered a top racing event. This is a 2400-metre contest for three-year-old thoroughbreds held in March of every year. The tough field of horses the Derby always brings has bred over the years many champion horses. With betting enthusiasts waiting to have a punt on this event, a host of sites offer special offers like incentive bets to tempt punters to the books over the Derby weekend.

Auckland Cup

Ellerslie Racecourse hosts the Auckland Cup in March or April most years and is a big moment in New Zealand racing. Horses have to be aged four or older to take part in the 3200-metre event — considered one of the longest and toughest in the country. 

The Auckland Cup is a crowd favourite and many punters love it. Since the start of the event, I have been accustomed to seeing bookmakers taking advantage of the event to come up with special offers such as free bets or better odds.

Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is held in Australia but it is very significant to punters in New Zealand. It takes place on the first Tuesday of November and is known as 'the race that pauses all' and always has a close eye from New Zealand's racing fans. 

Since this occasion is a lively one, lots of punters in New Zealand participate and manage bets on the horses they support hoping to profit from the race. Betting agencies always come up with special discounts and new betting sites for punters in New Zealand and it would be impossible to miss Melbourne Cup.

In fact, separate horse racing NZ occasions drive various gambling sites to offer attractive deals to punters. For instance:

• Enhanced Odds: Bookmakers give better odds for horses for people to make more potential rewards during the New Zealand Derby, and the Auckland Cup.
  
• Bonus Bets: Sites always give bonus bets to those who win bets on specific races or as a result of never reaching certain betting limits during major racing events.
  
• Multi-Bet Offers: At the same time, a few platforms fave multi bets during key events, wherein punters can select from Auckland Cup, Derby and the other races for a chance at a bigger win.

New Zealand horse racing punters have come to embrace the live streaming feature. The facility of live betting is that punters can watch races in real time whether at home or on the move, all that punters need is immediate access to the action. 

This feature gives users a more intense betting experience, you can keep track of things such as track conditions, race dynamics and the performance of horses that often play an important role in betting. 

Here are some of the top betting sites in New Zealand that offer live horse racing streams:

• Bet365: Popular stream of live races with streams for many international races available.