Best Online Casinos in New Zealand

Here at online-casino-nz, we have one aim – to help New Zealand players to find the best online casinos to play at. By the best, we mean the sites with the biggest selection of games, the Welcome Bonuses that give new players great value, and the safest and most secure gaming environment. With so many places to play out there, it can be hard to find the right site for you, so we do all the hard work of comparing and analysing every online casino real money NZ site, meaning you can simply sit back and enjoy!

How we choose casinos

• In order to know what makes a good online casino, you need the advice of experienced players and reviewers who know the industry inside out. Our team have spent a lot of time playing pokies and other casino games online, so we know what a good site should be offering and we want to share our knowledge and experience with as wide an audience as possible. Unfortunately, there are some sites that aren’t up to scratch, and we’ll make sure we tell you all about these as well, so you know the warning signs and what to avoid.
  Our casino reviews and other useful articles give you a real feel for what each of our recommended sites have to offer, so when you come to choose where to play, you’ll be able to do so fully informed.

 

• One of the first things we look at is the Welcome Bonus that is on offer for new players registering to play. These change often and can vary quite significantly, so there is a growing number of interesting and innovative signup offers to choose from. We break these down and examine every aspect of the bonus because we know the right questions to ask. Does the Welcome Bonus give you free spins, a deposit match or a combination of both? Is there a no deposit free spins element? What are the playthrough requirements and how long do you have to clear the bonus?

 

• Our reviews tell you all of this and more about the sign up offer at every site we review so that you know before you set up a new account just what to expect and whether it’s right for you, and we’ll do it in clear, easy-to-follow and jargon-free language so that even the newest of newbies will feel confident right from the get-go.

 

• On the topic of new players, we also go through all of the customer support options that are available. This will include not only the direct means you can use to get in touch with a site should an issue arise – such as live chat, telephone support, email, etc. – but we also direct you to their FAQ and game instruction pages as well.  In addition, we’ll highlight where to find additional information such as privacy policies (what they do with your information), the methods they use to prevent underage gambling, along with information about their accreditation and licensing.

 

• But of course, the most important part of any online casino NZ players choose is the games, and this is where our casino reviews go above and beyond in the depth and quality of the information they provide. We tell you about the software providers whose games you can play at each site. The casinos that we recommend will generally feature pokies and other games produced by the big names in the industry, like NetEnt, Microgaming or Playtech or, as is increasingly the case, they will have games by a variety of different providers, usually combining a bigger producer with a number of newer, boutique developers.

 

• Whatever the setup, before you start to play at a new site, our reviews give you a full rundown on all of the games on offer. This includes not only pokies and progressive jackpot games, but other classic games like blackjack, roulette, craps, etc., as well as whether you can play poker, bingo or bet on sports. We also look at the Live Casino games you can play as well. Our reviewers will run through a site’s complete offerings for you, as being able to play your favourite games by your favourite producers is vital when you’re deciding where to play.

 

• However, because Kiwis love pokies so much, these are always our main focus. For us to recommend a site it needs to have a better-than-average range, variety and number of online pokies to choose from. We also include comprehensive reviews of pokies from all the major developers – both new releases and classic games – so that you can find out more about an unfamiliar game before you start playing, and this will include details on how to play, bonus features and RTP percentages. We also highlight which sites have the most accessible free casino games as well.

 

• We also like to show you where you can play the biggest progressive jackpot pokies from all the major networks, as well as the newer ones that are on the rise, so if you want to try and snag that mega jackpot, you’ll know where to look.

 

• Mobile casinos have absolutely boomed in the last couple of years, with a growing number of new casinos promoting themselves as “mobile first” sites, meaning they have as large a selection of games that you can play on a smartphone or tablet as they do at their desktop site – and in some cases, even more.When we review a mobile casino we tell what operating systems you can play on (iOS, Android, Windows or Blackberry), whether you need to download an app or can play directly in the browser of your device, and give you the full run down on how many mobile games are on offer. We also look at any exclusive signup bonuses that are only available via mobile, how easy it is to sync accounts across platforms, and how we rate the overall quality of the mobile gaming experience.

How we evaluate a New Zealand online casino

We’re here for Kiwis first and foremost. Unlike a lot of other review sites that are aimed at an international audience, our focus is entirely on providing useful and relevant information for players from New Zealand who want to play at sites that cater especially for us. All of our writers are reviewers live here and play from here, so when we talk about an online casino NZ players will enjoy, you know that we have first-hand experience of the site, its games and how it operates.

For starters, we only recommend sites that let you operate your account in NZD$ (or, in the rare cases where this isn’t possible, we’ll tell you what realistic alternatives there are). We’ll also show you which payment methods are available that are accessible and convenient for New Zealanders, and how you can deposit and withdraw funds quickly and easily.

We also work hard to find the best exclusive bonuses and promotions that only Kiwis can take advantage of, as well as giving you access to some very special free spin bonuses and other offers that you can only access via our site. We also let you know about the special themed promotions that our recommended sites offer that are tied in around holidays or big sporting events, like the Rugby World Cup.

When it comes to customer support, we’ll detail how you can get in touch with the sites that we recommend if you have a query or problem, and wherever possible we’ll give you a local or even a toll-free number that you can use to speak with the support team directly. Importantly, we make it clear whether support is available 24/7 (useful for us when they might be based on the other side of the world) or, if not, when you can contact them in local time.

Safety & security

Whenever we recommend an online casino, we only do so if we’re sure that they offer players a safe and secure gaming environment that is well regulated and has policies in place to ensure fair and responsible play.

All of the sites that we list operate from well-respected countries that have established expertise in the licensing and operating of online gaming, such as Malta and Gibraltar. What’s more, we’ll only recommend that you play at a site that is licensed by its home country’s gaming authority, and in many cases the UK Gambling Commission as well, and that their accreditation can be easily accessed and viewed from within the site.

In addition to these protections, the sites you’ll find listed here are also independently audited and certified by third-party agencies, such as eCogra, TST or IGL. These agencies will test whether the software being used is virus free, the fairness of the RNGs (random number generators), as well as the RTP percentages of the overall site and the different categories of games. This documentation will always be accessible and available to view for yourself on any site that we list, so you can be assured of the quality and fairness of the gaming experience.

Peace of mind when it comes to financial transactions is also important to us, so the casinos we list all offer secure banking via P128-bit SSL digital encryption. We also suggest that players look at our recommended sites that offer third party payment methods (such as e-wallets, pre-paid cards or PayPal) where the casino is not required to store your financial details, such as credit card or bank account numbers. Using these methods means you get higher levels of both privacy and security, and the risk of having your details hacked or stolen from a casino site is diminished.

What else does our site do?

As if all of the above wasn’t enough, there is plenty more that we offer New Zealand players on our site.

For instance, if you’re a regular player or just like to pick up bonuses wherever you can, we review each site’s loyalty schemes and describe what’s required to move through the programme and enhance your rewards. On the other hand, if you’re a newbie or just aren’t sure about how playing online works, our game guides tell you all you need to know about the rules of all the different casino games our listed sites offer, along with tips on strategy, wagering and how to make the most of your bankroll. You can also check out our FAQ pages for useful tips on how to set up a gaming account and download software, and everything else you need to know to enjoy playing at a casino online. We also feature interesting news articles on gaming, sport and anything else we think will be of interest to our New Zealand readers.

Bottom Line

Our aim at online-casino-nz is to be your number one, one-stop resource for everything connected with online gaming in New Zealand. We’ll give you unbiased, objective reviews of the sites we list and show you where to find the best Welcome Bonuses, offer our expert opinions on different pokies and other games (both old and new), and help you to find the best quality gaming action in the safest possible environment.