Of the many comparisons between sports betting and the Reds, one of the most obvious is that they both have global appeal. I’ve been to John Lennon Airport on matchdays, and it’s full of passionate Reds from Thailand, Denmark, Ireland, and all over the UK.
Liverpool is truly a global business rather than just a traditional extension of Shankly’s vision’s working-class roots. Some local fans might take umbrage to that, but to adapt and thrive in the current market, you need to be global, have international appeal and welcome fans with open arms—the game is the game.
Sports betting has become a global market, too, for better or worse. While the UK has always had a pretty lenient approach to sports betting, with multiple gambling sponsors attaching themselves to the Reds over the years, the approach in New Zealand has been slightly more reserved.
On a broader scale, online casinos have fared more favourably—Dunder Online Casino showcases how the broader gambling market in NZ is growing. Although sports betting could follow suit, and there have been whispers in the NZ media, there’s still no definitive answer as to whether Kiwi LFC fans can bet on their favourite team, as the Kiwi market still isn’t regulated for NZ-based providers. However, if there is a change to this legislation, how could it reshape the football landscape in NZ?
The Kiwi Football Market
It’s hardly the most astute observation to state that betting on football and those who watch football are two markets with many similarities. However, one thing that sports betting does is add a little bit more drama to the action.
Those who specialise in and observe football viewing figures are divided on whether any data suggests a more liberal approach to regulating sports betting actually results in more people watching it. This question is clouded even further in New Zealand, given that football doesn’t really take up that much of the sporting conversation Down Under.
Kiwis love their rugby, but they’re also partial to a bit of cricket, and despite the rise of New Zealand football teams that are performing well—such as Auckland FC, which has brought through a lot of the international men’s team, the All Whites—it’s still considered a fringe sport.
Callan Elliot is a Scottish-born Kiwi who has played several games for Auckland and recently spoke about the rise of football in NZ. While Auckland FC have enjoyed modest attendance figures and a fantastic debut season, which has seen them in pole position in the league for the entire season, football still finds itself below in popularity. Until this gap is closed, it’s unlikely that the football betting market will increase by a notable margin, and it’s even less likely that widespread online sports betting legislation will automatically bump the viewing figures for football in NZ.
LFC Fans Down Under
It’s hard to go anywhere in the world and not find a pocket of Reds. New Zealand is no different. Many LFC fans have descendants from England, and some even have Scouse descendants—but even those that don’t have been dazzled by the success of the Reds.
Liverpool’s Premier League win in 2020, the fact they’re on course to win the league again this season, and their Champions League win from 2019 have all contributed to the global fanbase swelling—and it’s increased the number of Kiwis who follow the Reds, too. You only need to explore the available media, whether it’s a YouTube channel or a podcast that discusses the Reds, to understand their global appeal is widespread.
One considerable barrier for football viewership and sports betting companies is when the games kick off. Depending on the time of year, New Zealand is between 11 and 13 hours ahead of the UK, making watching all the games live particularly challenging.
While some of the evening games are available to watch in the morning, the majority of the games will kick off in the middle of the night—and for those Kiwis who get up and do the graveyard shift to watch the Reds, sticking on a football bet is probably not high up on the to-do list.
Sure, there will be Reds who want to bet on their team to win—or maybe even outright markets, given how consistent they’ve been this year—but from my experience, when you’re waking up in the middle of the night to watch a game, the last thing on your mind is to place a bet.
Positives of Sports Betting Legalisation
While there’s no definitive answer about whether NZ-based providers can eventually offer online sports betting to their customers, overseas companies face fewer restrictions and regulations.
Properly legislating and regulating sports betting for Kiwi companies can give legislators and centralised overseeing bodies more control over the market. This could mean that LFC fans in New Zealand see an increase in the number of sports betting adverts they see when sitting down to watch their team.
Given Liverpool’s global fanbase, this could also result in many sports betting companies opting for specific odds and bonuses that cover LFC games—whether Premier League clashes or European games midweek.
Final Thoughts
While getting up at 3 a.m. every other Sunday morning is not everyone’s ideal way of watching football, Liverpool fans have had it much easier than most. It’s much easier to get up and watch your team challenge for the title almost every year for the last five years than to watch them languish at the other end of the table. Thankfully, for Reds all over the world, this isn’t a problem they have had to navigate for an extremely long time.
So, what could sports betting legalisation mean for Liverpool fans in New Zealand specifically? Not too much. The market is global now, and while it will help Kiwi-based sports betting platforms find their feet in the market, that doesn’t mean that the industry, especially the local industry, will undergo any substantive change.
If sports betting is fully legalised, the adverts will likely become more prevalent. However, many Kiwis who bet are already well-versed in the market, so they’re unlikely to make any significant change to their behaviour due to a slight change in the nationwide regulatory approach to online sports betting.
