The national regulator ruled that Polymarket and Kalshi are gambling and bookmaking under New Zealand law and ordered both to stop serving residents.
Last reviewed 9 June 2026 · Status as of June 2026 · Information, not legal advice
As of June 2026, prediction markets are illegal to offer in New Zealand. In February 2026 the Department of Internal Affairs ruled that Polymarket and Kalshi meet the definitions of gambling and bookmaking under the Gambling Act 2003 and the Racing Industry Act 2020, and ordered both to stop serving New Zealand residents. Kalshi blocked New Zealand users, and the DIA has said it will not pursue individual participants.
New Zealand gambling law is built around two definitions. Under the Gambling Act 2003, gambling means staking money on an outcome that depends wholly or partly on chance. Under the Racing Industry Act 2020, bookmaking covers taking bets on events. The Department of Internal Affairs, which regulates most gambling, concluded that prediction markets fit both. Because neither Polymarket nor Kalshi was approved to provide wagering services in New Zealand, their offerings were treated as unlawful.
The ruling came in February 2026, when the DIA ordered both platforms to cease providing services to New Zealand residents. The regulator consulted the Financial Markets Authority, which regulates derivatives and financial product markets, and the FMA agreed that classing prediction markets as gambling would not create unintended consequences for the financial markets regime. The Problem Gambling Foundation was also consulted, reflecting the harm focus behind the decision.
The DIA made clear this decision is likely to guide how it treats other prediction markets that reach New Zealand, not just the two named platforms. Kalshi has since blocked New Zealand based users. While individual users technically commit an offence by participating, the DIA indicated it will not pursue enforcement against them and is focused on the operators. For a New Zealand resident the takeaway is that no prediction market is approved, the named venues have been ordered out, and reaching a service the regulator has ruled illegal carries legal and financial risk.
No prediction market is approved to provide wagering services in New Zealand. The platforms below are listed so you can see where each one stands, not as places a New Zealand resident can legally sign up.
Kalshi is a United States designated contract market overseen by the CFTC. After the DIA ruling it blocked New Zealand based users. It is not approved to offer wagering in New Zealand. See the Kalshi profile.
Polymarket is a crypto settled prediction market. The DIA ordered it to stop serving New Zealand residents in February 2026. It is not approved to offer wagering in New Zealand. See the Polymarket profile.
The Crypto.com event contract product is a United States CFTC listed offering and is not approved for residents of New Zealand. Read the Crypto.com Sports and Events profile.
Platform positions are as of June 2026 and can change. We link to a platform only where it is genuinely available to a reader, and New Zealand is not such a place for these products. Reachability is not the same as legality.
Gambling in New Zealand is supervised by the Department of Internal Affairs. Prediction markets are not approved, and the regulator has ordered the leading operators out. Confirm the current position with the DIA directly before relying on anything here.
Status as of June 2026. We never invent a citation, and where a position is contested we mark it as contested.
Using a blocked or unlicensed service does not make it safe, and it can expose you to loss with little recourse. Prediction markets can lose you money. Stake only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never on borrowed money. If gambling stops feeling like a free choice, step back and seek support from a problem gambling service in your country.
No. As of June 2026 the Department of Internal Affairs ruled that prediction markets are gambling and bookmaking under New Zealand law, and no operator is approved to offer them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Yes. In February 2026 the DIA ordered both to stop serving New Zealand residents. Kalshi blocked New Zealand based users; the position for Polymarket is that it was ordered to cease.
The Department of Internal Affairs, known as the DIA, regulates most gambling. The Financial Markets Authority regulates derivatives, and it agreed the gambling classification fits prediction markets.
The DIA noted that individuals technically commit an offence by taking part, but said it will not pursue enforcement against them and is focused on the operators.
Because no prediction market is approved and available to a New Zealand resident. We only show an open account or compare path where a platform is licensed and available to you.