Spark New Zealand has allowed the domain sparksport.co[.]nz to lapse, leaving the former home of its failed challenge to Sky Sport available for registration by a third party with a documented history of registering expired domains and redirecting them to online gambling websites.
The domain was registered by Constantinos Hadjipetrou on 2 September 2026. At the time of writing, the domain has not yet been redirected to a gambling site, but its registration raises concerns about the potential misuse of a domain associated with a well-known New Zealand telecommunications brand.
A preventable domain security risk
Spark Sport was Spark’s attempt to challenge Sky Sport’s dominance in New Zealand sports broadcasting. Although the service has since closed, the sparksport.co.nz domain retains a clear association with Spark and its former customers.
Allowing a domain like this to lapse creates an avoidable risk. A new registrant could potentially use the domain to redirect visitors to gambling websites, exploit residual search engine rankings, or take advantage of former customers who still associate the address with Spark.
This is poor practice from Spark. Organisations should consider the ongoing security, customer protection and reputational implications of their historical domains, even after a product or service has been discontinued. Retaining control of such domains, or ensuring they are safely retired, can help prevent third parties from exploiting established brand recognition.
Previous domain dispute findings
The registration is particularly concerning given the domain-related dispute history associated with Hadjipetrou.
The UDRP Authority’s domain dispute decisions and news include a finding concerning peterkolchinsky.com, involving its registration and redirection to online casino portals. The decision found that the circumstances satisfied the applicable bad-faith requirements under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).
The same source also reports a finding concerning ericcarle.art, involving the intentional targeting of fan communities and deceptive commercial attraction. The dispute considered principles relating to intentionally attracting internet users for commercial gain through confusion or association.
There have also been other online domain disputes involving Hadjipetrou, including matters associated with the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre.
These previous matters provide relevant context for assessing the potential risk surrounding sparksport.co.nz. However, they do not establish that the newly registered domain will necessarily be used for gambling redirects or other abusive activity.
A warning for New Zealand organisations
The case highlights a wider issue for businesses and public-facing organisations that we have previously reported on: retired domains remain part of an organisation’s digital footprint.
Expired domains with established brand recognition can be attractive to third parties seeking to benefit from existing traffic, user familiarity and search engine visibility. Where those domains are subsequently used for gambling promotions or other unrelated commercial activity, customers may incorrectly associate that activity with the former owner.
Spark should have taken steps to prevent this situation and protect both its former customers and its own reputation. To not do so, was just poor practice. While the domain has not yet been redirected, its registration is a timely reminder that domain lifecycle management should be treated as part of an organisation’s broader cybersecurity and brand-protection responsibilities.
