Sportaza is one of the few offshore brands that an English-speaking regulator has named in writing. In 2022 the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a formal warning to the company then running the site and asked internet providers to block it. That history is a good starting point for anyone in Australia, Canada, Ireland or New Zealand who has seen a Sportaza ad and wants to know where they stand. This is a consumer check, not a review: we do not link to the site and we do not recommend signing up.
Quick answer
Sportaza holds no Australian, Canadian, Irish or New Zealand licence. Its site says it is licensed on the island of Anjouan (Comoros). In Australia it has been found to breach the Interactive Gambling Act. In New Zealand, online sports betting is limited to TAB NZ and unlicensed online casinos lose any room to operate from 1 December 2026. In Ireland and in Canadian provinces outside Ontario and Alberta the casino side sits in a legal grey area, but that is not the same as being licensed.
| Country | Local licence? | Status | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | No | Illegal. ACMA formal warning and blocking request in 2022 | ACMA |
| Canada (Ontario, Alberta) | No | Not permitted. Not on the iGaming Ontario list | AGCO / iGaming Ontario; AGLC (Alberta) |
| Canada (other provinces) | No | Grey area. Only provincial lottery sites are formally authorised | Provincial lottery corporations |
| Ireland | No | Betting: licence required, not held. Casino: grey area until GRAI gaming licences exist | GRAI (previously Revenue) |
| New Zealand | No | Betting: TAB NZ only. Casino: advertising banned since 1 May 2026, unlicensed operators must stop by 1 December 2026 | Department of Internal Affairs |
Who runs Sportaza, and which licence does it hold?
When we read the terms and conditions on sportaza.com in September 2026, the site named Rocketship Ventures S.R.L. as owner and operator. It gives a Costa Rican company number (3-102-921894) and an address in San José, Costa Rica. The same page says the site is licensed and regulated by the Government of the Autonomous Island of Anjouan, Union of Comoros, under licence number ALSI-202606064-FI2.
We tried to confirm that number on the Anjouan regulator’s public register. The register works through an interactive search box, and we could not get a result for the number, the company name or the domain. One third-party blacklist site says the register listed the licence as valid until 29 June 2027 in mid-September 2026. We could not confirm that independently. The older “Gaming Control Anjouan” register we also checked does not list Rocketship Ventures or Sportaza.
Some review sites describe other licences. Several older reviews say Sportaza was run by Rabidi N.V. of Curaçao under a Curaçao sub-licence. Casino.guru says the brand now operates under a licence from the Tobique Gaming Commission, a First Nation regulator in New Brunswick. We could not open the Tobique licence-holder list during our check, so treat that as unconfirmed. None of these licences is issued by a national or provincial regulator in the four countries covered here, so none of them lets Sportaza lawfully offer gambling to you.
The Rabidi N.V. link matters
Rabidi N.V. is the company ACMA named in 2022. European regulators still list Rabidi as the operator behind blocked Sportaza domains: Hungary’s gambling authority lists 46 Sportaza addresses under Rabidi N.V., and Greece’s blacklist names Rabidi against sportaza.com. The switch to a Costa Rican company with an Anjouan licence changes the paperwork, not the fact that the brand has no local licence where you live.
The law country by country
Australia: the clearest case
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 bans online casino games and online poker for people in Australia. It also bans in-play online sports betting. Pre-match sports and racing bets are legal only with bookmakers licensed by an Australian state or territory.
ACMA investigated Sportaza and ruled that it broke the Act. According to ACMA’s published notice, Rabidi N.V. received a formal warning under section 64A of the Act. The warning covered Powbet, ExciteWin and Sportaza, for providing prohibited interactive gambling services and unlicensed regulated services. On 26 April 2022 ACMA also announced that it had asked internet service providers to block a new batch of illegal sites, and Sportaza was named in that batch. ACMA keeps a public page on blocked gambling websites, and new mirror domains are added as they appear.
The offences in the Act are aimed at operators and advertisers, not at players. That does not make the service safer. You simply have no Australian protection if something goes wrong.
Canada: two regulated provinces and a grey zone
The Criminal Code leaves gambling to the provinces. Ontario runs an open licensed market through the AGCO and iGaming Ontario. We checked the iGaming Ontario list of regulated operators and did not find Sportaza, Rocketship Ventures or Rabidi on it. Alberta opened its own licensed market on 13 July 2026, and Sportaza has no Alberta approval either. Both provinces prohibit advertising unlicensed operators.
In the other provinces and territories, only the provincial lottery corporations’ sites (for example PlayNow, Espacejeux or PlayAlberta before the new market) are formally authorised. Offshore sites are widely available, and prosecutions of players are practically unheard of. That is a grey area. A licence from a First Nation commission in New Brunswick, if Sportaza does hold one, is not a provincial authorisation for players in, say, British Columbia or Quebec.
Ireland: betting licensed, casino in transition
Online betting into Ireland requires an Irish licence. Revenue’s register of licensed remote bookmakers does not list Sportaza, Rocketship Ventures or Rabidi. The new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) started issuing betting licences on 1 July 2026 and is taking over from Revenue.
Online casino games are different: no Irish casino licence can be obtained yet, because the GRAI’s gaming licence phase is not expected until 2027 at the earliest. Offshore casino play is therefore a grey area, not a licensed activity. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 is being commenced in stages, and the GRAI has signalled that it intends to act against unlicensed operators.
New Zealand: new rules arriving fast
New Zealand is in the middle of a big change. Since 28 June 2025, only TAB New Zealand may offer online race and sports betting to people in New Zealand. Legal commentary from Thomson Reuters notes that the change also makes it unlawful for New Zealanders to bet with anyone else. Sportaza’s sportsbook is therefore not a lawful option.
For online casinos, the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 set up a licensing system with up to 15 licences. According to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), online casino advertising has been banned since 1 May 2026. The licence auction is scheduled for 29 September 2026. Providers that have not applied for a licence must stop operating by 1 December 2026, and the exemption period ends on 1 June 2027. Before that regime existed, offshore casinos were in a grey zone. From December 2026 an unlicensed site such as Sportaza will have no legal footing at all.
What this means for you as a player
- Nobody local will take your complaint. ACMA, iGaming Ontario, the GRAI and the DIA do not resolve disputes with operators they do not license. Your only options would be the operator’s own support team and a regulator in the Comoros.
- Self-exclusion won’t follow you. Australia’s BetStop register, Ontario’s self-exclusion programmes and future Irish and New Zealand schemes do not apply to Sportaza.
- Payments can fail either way. Banks may refuse card payments to unlicensed gambling merchants. Offshore sites often use intermediary payment companies, so the name on your statement may not match the brand. A withdrawal can be delayed or refused if the operator decides your country is restricted.
- Blocks can cut you off. When a domain is blocked you can lose access to your account and balance overnight. We do not provide mirror links or ways around blocks.
- Tax and paperwork. Gambling winnings are generally not taxed for recreational players in these four countries. You still have no legal way to enforce a payout against an operator in Costa Rica or Anjouan.
Myths we hear about Sportaza
“It has a licence, so it must be legal”
A licence is only valid where it was issued. An Anjouan licence means Anjouan regulates the company. It does not give it permission to operate in Sydney, Toronto, Dublin or Auckland.
“The site opens, so it can’t be blocked”
Offshore brands keep launching numbered mirror domains. European blocklists show dozens of Sportaza variants with random numbers. If a domain still loads, the regulator simply hasn’t caught up with it yet. It is not a sign of approval.
“Only the operator gets in trouble, so I’m fine”
You are unlikely to face prosecution in AU, CA or IE. But the real risk is financial: your money sits with a company that no regulator in your country supervises.
How to check any gambling site yourself
- Scroll to the site footer and note the company name, company number and licence number.
- Click the licence seal. It should open a page on the regulator’s own domain, not a picture or a page on the casino’s site.
- Check your local register:
- Australia: ACMA’s blocked gambling websites page and your state or territory regulator’s list of licensed bookmakers.
- Ontario: iGaming Ontario’s regulated market list.
- Ireland: Revenue’s register of licensed remote bookmakers and the GRAI website.
- New Zealand: the Department of Internal Affairs online gambling pages, where licensed providers will be announced.
- If the brand or company is missing, treat it as unlicensed in your country, whatever the footer says.
- Be wary of red flags: crypto-heavy cashiers, bonus-led advertising in your feed, and identity checks that only start when you try to withdraw.
Licensed alternatives
- Ontario: our TonyBet Ontario sportsbook review covers an operator on the iGaming Ontario list.
- Ireland: our TonyBet Ireland review covers a licensed remote bookmaker.
- Australia: use a bookmaker licensed by an Australian state or territory; ACMA explains how to check on its website.
- New Zealand: sports and race betting is only lawful with TAB NZ. For online casinos, wait for the DIA to publish the licensed providers.
- Rest of Canada: your provincial lottery corporation’s site is the formally authorised option.
FAQ
Is Sportaza legal in Australia?
No. ACMA found that Sportaza broke the Interactive Gambling Act, issued a formal warning to its then operator Rabidi N.V., and asked ISPs to block the site in 2022.
Is Sportaza licensed in Ontario?
No. It does not appear on iGaming Ontario’s list of regulated operators, so it may not serve or advertise to players in Ontario.
Can I use Sportaza in British Columbia or Quebec?
Only provincial lottery sites are formally authorised there. Offshore sites operate in a grey area and players are rarely prosecuted, but you get no provincial protection.
Does Sportaza have an Irish licence?
No. It is not on Revenue’s remote bookmaker register, which Irish betting requires. For casino games, Ireland has no licences yet, so it is a grey area.
What changes in New Zealand in December 2026?
According to the DIA, providers that have not applied for a New Zealand licence must stop operating by 1 December 2026. Online casino advertising has been banned since 1 May 2026, and sports betting is reserved for TAB NZ.
Who owns Sportaza now?
The site’s terms name Rocketship Ventures S.R.L. of Costa Rica, with Anjouan licence ALSI-202606064-FI2. Earlier regulator notices name Rabidi N.V. of Curaçao.
Can I complain to a regulator if Sportaza doesn’t pay?
Not to one in Australia, Canada, Ireland or New Zealand. You would have to go through the operator and the licensing body in Anjouan.
How we checked
Desk research carried out in September 2026. We read the operator’s terms, tried the Anjouan Gaming licence verification tool, and read ACMA’s 2022 formal warning and blocking notice. We also checked the iGaming Ontario list, Revenue’s remote bookmaker register (CSV), GRAI information, DIA guidance on the Online Casino Gambling Act, and European blocklists that name Sportaza’s operator. We did not open an account or deposit money.
Responsible gambling
Gambling is for adults only: 18+ in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and 19+ in most Canadian provinces (18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec). In Australia, call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858, or register with BetStop to exclude yourself from licensed bookmakers. In Ontario, ConnexOntario is on 1-866-531-2600. In Ireland, the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline is on 1800 459 459. In New Zealand, the Gambling Helpline is on 0800 654 655. More advice: responsible gambling.
