Top-recommended Online Casinos in New Zealand
HOW DO WE RATE TOP ONLINE CASINOS FOR NZ PLAYERS?
- Welcome Bonuses
- Licensing & security
- Game Selection
- Deposit Options
- Payout Rates
- VIP Program
- Mobile Features
There are hundreds of New Zealand online casinos to choose from and it can be overwhelming for Kiwis to find the perfect casino site for them. Luckily, our team have done all the research and tested the sites using a strict process, to provide our fellow New Zealanders with the top list of gambling sites. Below are just some of the main factors that we look at when picking an online casino in NZ.
WELCOME BONUSES
With plenty of competition in online gambling, online casinos try to get new players’ attention through welcome bonuses and packages. Each casino has a different number of casino games, different benefits and perks and the same applies to the welcome bonuses they offer. It’s all about picking the right one for you and the one that suits your gambling needs and budget the most.
The welcome bonuses generally come in the form of a deposit bonus, where your deposit amount is matched with a certain percentage and/or free spins. For example, if you deposit $100 and the welcome bonus is 100% up to $1,000, that means you will receive a 100% match of $100. So, you’ll have $200 to spend after making your first deposit.
It’s important to read the terms and conditions of each type of welcome bonus as they come with different wagering requirements, they might be limited to specific games or require bonus codes and so on. Our list of casino sites offers a variety of different welcome packages, which are all fantastic offers for different types of punters.
LICENSING & SECURITY
We only recommend New Zealand online casinos that hold a licence from a trusted gaming authority, which means that you can trust the ones listed above. In reality, we keep track of all the new casinos that come through, however, we only recommend the ones that are safe and reliable. There’s nothing fun about an unsafe or unlicenced casino.
Another important factor that we consider is whether the casino holds some sort of SSL encryption to help keep your data and account information safe and secure. The casino also needs to be registered with eCOGRA, an independent fairness agency, as well as use Random Number Generators (RNGs) to make sure that gameplay is fair and legit.
GAME SELECTION
If a casino doesn’t have a great game selection, whether due to quality or quantity, chances are you’ll get bored fast. Some casinos offer a small library but with renowned games from top software providers. On the other hand, there are casinos that have thousands and thousands of different pokies and casino games. Sounds impressive, right? Except sometimes, casinos will feature rubbish games just to pad out their numbers.
Our team of professional gamblers make sure to check the variety of games at a casino, including that they come from good software developers.
DEPOSIT OPTIONS
The types of banking options that an online casino in NZ offers can say a lot about the type of site it is. Having a range of different deposit and withdrawal options is a must, as there are many different types of players with different banking needs.
A good casino is one that offers the most popular methods and also offers fast and convenient deposit and cashout times.
PAYOUT RATES
Our aim is to provide New Zealand operators that offer high payout rates and our list of casinos have a minimum payout rate of at least 95%. These types of sites are some of the fairest and most rewarding ones.
Usually, a casino won’t publish its payout rate for players to see, but you can trust sites like ours who have the information and only recommend casinos that are most beneficial to the gambler.
VIP PROGRAM
As already mentioned, with how competitive the gambling industry is, casinos need to be offering extra perks and benefits to stand out from the rest. One of the most common benefits are VIP programs, where players are rewarded for playing regularly or with large sums of money.
All the casinos listed here offer some sort of loyalty program. Players can receive points and enjoy a range of benefits, including cashback, free spins and bonus money.
MOBILE FEATURES
The majority of players play on mobile, so it’s become hugely important for a casino to offer a smooth mobile experience. It’s also vital that games are optimised for mobile and that instant access to the casino is available.
IS IT LEGAL TO GAMBLE ONLINE IN NEW ZEALAND?
Yes, according to the Gambling Act, Kiwis are permitted to gamble for real money in New Zealand. The law against online casinos only applies to remote gambling within New Zealand. What this means is that players aren’t allowed to place bets with an operator that’s based inside the country.
Whereas, with operators based outside of New Zealand, players are free to place bets because technically they are betting overseas.
BEST CASINO BONUS OFFERS NZ
We’ve already covered the welcome bonus, which is offered to new players as an incentive to sign up. But did you know that there are many other types of bonuses? Here we take a quick look at the main ones that Kiwis can take advantage of.
DEPOSIT BONUS MATCH
This one is very similar – and usually connected – to the welcome bonus. However, instead of matching your first deposit, the casino will match your second, third or even fourth deposit with a bonus. It usually looks like this:
- 1st deposit bonus: 100% up to $200, plus 100 free spins
- 2nd deposit bonus: 50% up to $300
- 3rd deposit bonus: 30% up to $500 plus 50 free spins
CASHBACK BONUS
A cashback bonus is one where the casinos pays back some of your money that you may lost during the previous week. For example, they might give you 20% of your losses back if you lost $200.
FREE SPINS
Free spins come with a lot of bonuses as an extra but they can also be promoted as a stand-alone. Usually these can only be claimed on selected pokies and this is clearly outlined in the terms and conditions of the bonus.
VIP BONUS
VIP bonuses are rewarded as you climb the VIP ladder as part of a loyalty program. The more you play, the more points you collect and the bigger the prizes become.
HOW TO START PLAYING AT AN ONLINE CASINO IN NZ
It takes just a few simple steps to start playing at an online casino in New Zealand. One you’ve finished reading this guide to gambling in New Zealand, select a casino that you prefer the most from our list of top gambling sites and register. Once registered you can then make your first deposit, claim welcome bonuses and start gambling for real money.
- Find a casino of your choice.
- Sign up at the casino and provide all the required information to register.
- Claim the welcome bonus at the casino by making your first deposit.
- Select a game to play.
- Start playing for real money!
BEST PAYMENT METHODS AT NEW ZEALAND CASINOS
Most casinos offer an array of different banking options, from credit cards and e-wallets to cryptocurrency and bank transfers. Here is what you can expect when banking at an online casino in NZ:
- Deposits are usually instant, but withdrawals can range from hours to days, depending on the casino and your preferred banking method.
- Withdrawals usually need to be made with the same banking method that was used for the deposit.
- All banking options have a withdrawal limit depending on the casino and the banking company.
TOP BANKING METHODS IN NZ
These are the most popular banking methods you’ll find across casinos:
| Type | Examples |
| Credit Cards | Visa, Mastercard, Debit Cards |
| Traditional | Bank transfers |
| E-wallets & Digital | PayPal, EcoPayz, Paysafecard, Neteller |
| Cryptocurrencies | Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin |
FAST PAYOUT CASINOS
Undoubtedly, one of the main concerns that gamblers have is how fast they can get their winnings paid into their bank account. As briefly noted, this depends on the processing time of the casino and your choice of banking method.
BEST AND MOST POPULAR GAMES AT ONLINE CASINOS NZ
Thousands of games exist in the online gambling world, from pokies and table games to live dealer and lottery-based games. Every time we review casino we check to see what types of games they offer. Are they mostly pokies-focused? Do they offer table games? If so, do they have baccarat, poker, blackjack and roulette? What about lottery games like keno and bingo?
Not every casino will offer every type of game out there, but we make sure that the casinos we do highlight, feature games that are of high quality and are fair and safe to play. For example, not every casino offers live dealer games or some only have a handful to showcase. These are table games but with a real live human dealer and sometimes other real players.
PROS AND CONS OF NEW ZEALAND ONLINE CASINOS
benefits
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Bonuses, beginners can benefit greatly from no deposit bonuses, first deposit bonuses, free spins and lots of other promotions.
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Game libraries, New Zealand casinos tend to put quality before quantity and offer high-performance games.
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Great for budget gamblers, online casinos can appeal to all types of punters, from high-rollers to low-budget ones.
drawbacks
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Don’t Always get Instant Withdrawals, there are some casinos that take their time in processing withdrawal requests
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Rogue Operators, it can be difficult to recognize them, so it’s best to stick to safe and reliable casino review sites.
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Not All Casinos Accept NZ Currency, there aren’t many online casinos that accept NZD
BEST SOFTWARE IN ONLINE CASINOS
Over 50 top software developers exist in the New Zealand online gambling world, but there are some that have been in the market forever or produce some high-quality work. Keep an eye out for these big names when visiting a casino:
- Microgaming: Renowned for the number of titles they have produced and how many casinos trust their work, Microgaming is one of iGaming giants, when it comes to casino gaming.
- PlayTech: Playtech is pretty huge too with titles including The Dark Knight, Justice League and Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven. They’ve been around of over 20 years.
- NetEnt: NetEnt are most famous for their pokies and you’ll definitely see this name around.
- Yggdrasil Gaming: Yggdrasil is one of the newer developers, but has released some pokie classics.
- Play’N Go: Specialising in pokies, Play’N Go include some awesome games such as Troll Hunters 2, Rich Wilde and Rally 4 Riches.
Online Casinos New Zealand FAQs
Technically yes, you are able to pay and deposit with NZ dollars, however not all online casinos will offer New Zealand currency on their platform. What this means is that you can make a deposit with NZ dollars using a NZ bank, but the money will have to be exchanged to a currency that the casino does accept. As a result, you will probably have to pay conversion fees.
Yes, you can! Kiwis can easily gamble at an online casino in New Zealand. The Gambling Act allows New Zealanders over 20 to play freely at international based gambling sites.
Fortunately no! Your winnings are only taxable if you can be considered a professional gambler.
The most popular NZ casino games include pokies and table games such as baccarat, blackjack, roulette and poker.
All the NZ online casinos that we recommend are safe to play at, so the safest way to play is to pick one of the sites from our list. We have carefully reviewed and tested hundreds of online casinos for you, making sure that they meet high standards of security and gambling experience.