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New Zealand’s amateur football league draws millions in offshore betting - report

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 22 Sept 2025, 7:06pm
Photo / File
Photo / File

New Zealand’s amateur football league draws millions in offshore betting - report

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Mon, 22 Sept 2025, 7:06pm

New Zealand's national football league has attracted the attention of offshore gamblers, raising alarm among sport integrity experts.

New data shows  $212 million was wagered on the New Zealand men's domestic football league in 2024 through overseas sports betting platforms, many of which were based in Asia.

Andrew Scott-Howman, general counsel for the New Zealand Professional Footballers Association, says our timezone allows us to be a monopoly provider of live product to these markets.

"But also, the amateur nature of our competition - our players and our match officials, our referees don't get paid for playing. Therefore, they can be much easier to bribe or convince to do the wrong thing. That's also a problem."

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