Wi-fi trial bringing connectivity to holiday racing venues
Trackside.co.nz • January 8th, 2026 1:23 PM
A trial of a new on-course Wi-Fi solution at some of New Zealand’s most remote racecourses is showing encouraging early signs, with thousands of Kiwis connecting on track across the first part of the holiday racing circuit.
A 2025 review of mobile network coverage across New Zealand racecourses identified 15 thoroughbred and harness racing venues where geographic isolation meant there was limited or no access to domestic mobile networks on course.
For holiday meetings around New Zealand – most notably in Central Otago, on the West Coast or in parts of Canterbury - coverage issues have often limited the ability to place bets online via the TAB or betcha apps. Across the 2025/26 season, those 15 venues are scheduled to host 53 race meetings, accounting for around 8.5 per cent of all race meetings across the equine codes.
To address this, Entain Australia and New Zealand – the operators of TAB and Trackside – worked in partnership with the racing codes to launch a trial of a free customer Wi-Fi solution at race meetings in these locations throughout the 2025/26 season, using the latest technology available through Starlink.
Entain Chief Media Officer Christopher Haigh said the trial was designed to test performance in real race-day conditions across a range of different venues.
“These are very different racecourses, with different layouts and infrastructure challenges, and – in many cases – thousands of people converging on an area that is normally only home to a few hundred people,” Haigh said.
“Some of these courses have facilities that are spread out across a large area, while others – like the trees at Omakau where several thousand racing fans base themselves for the day – present their own problems to solve.
“At some venues, there’s the ability to service the whole track, while at other venues, the team has set up specific zones that people can use to access the wi-fi. The early results have been pleasing, particularly during peak periods when demand is highest.”
At Motukarara on 29 December, the trial saw multiple Wi-Fi zones established across key public and wagering areas, with more than 400 individual devices connected simultaneously during the final race.
At Omakau on 2 January, more than 1,000 customers connected to the network during the meeting, with consistent speeds recorded through peak betting periods.
On the same day, more than 800 customers logged into the network at Tauherenikau races in the Wairarapa. Almost a third of the on-course turnover on the meeting was captured through people betting on digital channels like the TAB App.
“These results show we can meaningfully improve the on-course experience, even at our most remote tracks.”
The Wi-Fi trial is designed to complement existing on-course services, giving customers greater choice in how they bet, whether through on-course operators or via digital platforms.
“We’ll use what we learn from the trial to refine the solution ahead of expanding the offering,” Haigh said.
