How do we review casinos in New Zealand?
Our experience has taught us that a number of factors contribute to the making of the best online casinos.
In our online casino NZ reviews, we evaluate many aspects of an online casino, making sure that only the best gambling platforms make it to our list of best casinos in NZ.
Below we have listed what we consider the most important features, that help us decide if a casino deserves a place amongst our list or not and what we analyze in our online casino reviews:
- A license from a reputable gambling jurisdiction
- Generous bonuses
- A diverse game collection from top providers
- A diverse range of payment options
- A high payout percentage
- A good customer support team
- Mobile accessible
- Responsible Gambling program
1. We make sure they have a license
There are hundreds of online casinos circling the web these days, prompting players to inquire which are the legit ones in an effort to avoid those dodgy ones.
Casinos bearing a license from regulators like the UK Gambling Commission are amongst the safest, as these gambling jurisdictions impose strict standards while making sure that player protection is exercised at all times.
It is easy to check out gambling licences as these are usually stated at the bottom of the homepage, together with the registered address of the company and the license number.
If you still feel unsure, you can go one step further and make an inquiry with the regulator to verify the authenticity of the license.
2. We find out what bonuses and promotions they offer
With so many online casinos to choose from, each individual platform must try its best to become highly competitive and this is usually achieved by offering a range of casino promotions.
Each casino offers a unique choice of bonuses which might consist of either bonus money or free spins.
This can be quite advantageous for Kiwi players who can benefit from a whole range of promotions like welcome bonuses, free spins, cashback, reload bonuses and more.
Welcome bonus and wagering requirements
The most reliable casinos offer their players a welcome bonus whereby online casinos treat newly registered players to a generous offer.
Some of the best free casinos might even offer a no deposit casino bonus simply for registering for an account, however, most welcome offers would require a small deposit.
The best casino bonuses would consist of a 100% or even a 200% deposit match.
Free spins
An all-time favourite amongst all Kiwi players, free spins are one of the most sought-after promotions.
Online gambling platforms tend to be quite generous with free spins and often include them in welcome packages, reload bonuses, as a reward for unlocking a new VIP level, or else as part of an exciting tournament.
Since we know how much players love these freebies, you can count on us to check which casinos offer them in our NZCasino online reviews!
Offers and promotions
The casino welcome bonus is not the only reward that the best casinos have in store for their most loyal customers.
Once you become a regular, the casino will provide you with a number of regular promotions, to help you extend your gameplay significantly. These might consist of reload bonuses, and cashback offers.
They could hold tournaments, where the prizes include free spins or money. One of the prizes might be to award a holiday or new technology set of spins to the winner of the tournament.
Celebrating may even be initiated on special occasions, where players could win bonus money or freebies by chance.
VIP programs
The best online casinos in NZ will also come equipped with a great loyalty scheme or VIP program, as a means to reward returning customers.
Loyalty schemes are usually made up of a point-based system, whereby, players are handed points either for every deposit affected or for every bet.
Accumulated points might be exchanged for bonus money or other promotions, and with some online casinos, they might even provide access to a VIP ranking system whereby players are classified by this new status to receive better offers and even tailor-made gifts and other services.
3. We try out their games and check their provider’s selection
Online pokies
If online pokies are your favourite casino game, then it is important to locate an online casino NZ that is focused mainly on online pokies.
In our experience, the best online casinos offer a large variety of online pokies that include classic pokies, video pokies, and the best progressive pokies, with different themes and volatility settings.
We also expect to find the best payout pokies, because at the end of the day, what is the point of spinning the reels if you never claim a single reward!?
Poker rooms
We can tell you from experience that virtual poker games are quite abundant online, especially if you join the right online casino.
Although virtual poker is a one-player game, it by no means detracts from the excitement of choosing a new poker variant to try out, like Hold’em Poker, Omaha Poker, Three Card Poker, and the hundreds of video poker games available.
At NZ online casinos, you’ll find:
- Video poker
- Live dealer poker
- Poker tournaments
In order to give you a better idea of what is available online we’ve visited one of our favourite casinos, Royal Panda, and we’ve taken stock of the poker online games they offer.
Live dealer tables
An innovative aspect of online casinos is the live dealer tables.
The inclusion of such games enables players to participate in an authentic casino experience, where they have the opportunity to come in contact with other players and the casino dealer, from the comforts of their own home.
With games such as blackjack, roulette, and baccarat.
Game providers available
While the game collections need to offer quite a diverse choice, we expect the best online casino NZ to have partnered with the top game providers.
Names like Microgaming and NetEnt are a welcome sight, as these two giants have earned a strong reputation in the European market.
Exclusive games and branded tables
Finally, some online casinos offer games that others don’t.
These are usually the product of special deals between the game provider and the casino to bring to their players a range of exclusive games they can only play with their platform.
Given that this might determine the kind of players to visit the casino, in our casino online reviews, we always check if such an offering is available to direct interested parties to the right platform.
4. We check and review their payment methods
If your intention is to deposit real money, then you want to find a casino that has partnered with the most popular payment options.
The speed by which deposits and withdrawals are processed would depend on the payment method of your choice.
If you are looking for speedy transactions without compromising security, then an e-wallet is the best option.
On the other hand, if you prefer to carry out all financial transactions by card, you might discover that deposits tend to take a few minutes, while withdrawals will take between 3 to 5 days.
5. We figure out what their overall casino RTP is
If we play at an online casino NZ for real money, that means we expect to see some kind of return.
That is why we should always choose a casino with a high payout percentage, which is usually established by auditing companies like eCogra.
Reputable auditing companies will always base their results on payouts issued by the casino, thus the higher the percentage the better.
A casino payout percentage might be influenced by the RTP (return to player) percentage of its games as well as by its reward scheme and bonuses.
Games with a high RTP mean more frequent payouts, so the more high RTP games in a casino’s collection, the higher its overall payout percentage will be.
6. We make sure they offer good customer support
Since everything is done online these days, with no human interaction or interference, many might express concern about joining an online casino.
What happens, when you run into a problem? Who do you call? And how do you sort it out?
The most common mode of communication is the in-site live chat, where players can chat with a representative and receive an immediate response.
A phone is also a common option, although this tends to come with restricted times of operation.
The last option would be an email, where customers can expect a response within 24 to 48 hours. Including an FAQ section is also common practice, and online casinos try to cover the most common issues to provide their customers with a quick solution.
We check availability
The best casinos also invest in live chat services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to assist customers.
We test the speed
We test everything.
That’s why we’re evaluating the speed with which their customer service representatives must respond, answer, and assist.
We look for a variety of channels
With this in mind, the best online casinos provide 24-hour customer service via at least three different channels.
From live chat, phone, and email.
We find out if they actually help
We strive for objectivity at all times, and with that in mind, we consider everything the user might come across.
After checking the previously mentioned elements, we make sure to test if customer support is actually helping.
And, of course, we’ll inform you of our findings.
7. We test their mobile optimisation
We can safely refrain from answering this question, as in today’s society the answer is obvious.
That is why all of the best casinos for Kiwi players are easily accessible from either your web browser via a mobile-friendly site or else through a mobile casino app.
Both options allow players to log into their accounts, deposit, claim bonuses, participate in promotions, contact the customer support team, and even request withdrawals.
Not to mention the hundreds of casino games that are accessible from small-screened devices without any compromises in terms of graphics, sounds and features.
8. We learn about their Responsible Gambling program
As part of our online casino reviews, we always take a look at the Responsible Gambling program, which is a must-have for any regulated online casino.
Purposefully, put together to protect vulnerable and underage players, the program offers a range of responsible gambling tools like questionnaires for self-assessment, session limits, and self-exclusion.
Types of casinos we review in New Zealand
‘Classic’ online casinos
The classic casino is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades platform, that offers a variety of casino games to cater for every kind of player.
This is the most common type of casino available online with brands like Royal Panda one of the major classic online casinos accessible for Kiwi players.
Purely live casinos
This type of casino focuses mostly on providing players with a vast selection of Live Casino tables.
In most cases, they would have partnered up with more than one game provider and will have a diversified range of tables with different betting limits, games and variants and even VIP tables.
Crypto casinos
Cryptocurrencies have become quite popular over the last few years and online casinos have responded in kind with some platforms offering cryptocurrencies as their main payment options.
In most cases, these consist of Bitcoin, Lithium and Ethereum.
In terms of games, they would offer a diversified choice spanning all categories and it is the payment methods that distinguish it from any other platform.
Bitcoin casinos
And since Bitcoin is the most popular of cryptocurrencies, there are some casinos that specialise solely in Bitcoin payments.
Many are those players who are turning to Bitcoin for their gambling transactions as this virtual currency offers increased security and anonymity, with low fees and speedy transactions.
Mobile/app casinos
In today’s technological age, some operators are coming up with platforms purposefully build solely for mobile devices.
These would consist of a mobile app compatible with most devices, from which players can conduct all their gambling activities on the go at any time.
This could also mean that the platform does not have a desktop version and is only accessible from a smartphone or tablet.
The best online casinos in NZ are waiting for you!
We believe that all of the above factors taken together serve to make up a great online casino.
Taking into consideration every single aspect, Kiwi players can now analyse and choose the best online casino NZ for them.
Our NZ online casino reviews will also help you analyse each casino from all angles to help you find the best ones. Our aim is to bring to the attention of our readers only the best online casinos in NZ, those that can offer the best bonuses, games and payouts!