Best 58 Online Casinos in New Zealand 2020
New Zealand Online Casinos
The island of New Zealand is situated in the southwestern region of the Pacific Ocean and shares closeness to the Australian continent. It is a diversified nation possessing western culture with Maori impact. New Zealanders, or profoundly known as ‘Kiwis,’ are fond of varied gaming forms in which gambling and casinos are not left behind. The casino industry was established in New Zealand in 1984. Poker and lotteries are the most popular here accompanied by the ‘horse-race betting’ played by wealthy people. The New Zealand Lotteries Commission, established in 1987, regulates online and offline lottery scene. With several casinos in the NZ offering fun gambling, the SkyCity stands among the largest casinos that offers secure gambling experience. It has its locations in Queenstown, Hamilton, Auckland, and Wharf. Other famous casinos offering games are Christchurch and Dunedin. Kiwis annually spent almost 2 billion NZ dollars (the currency in which New Zealanders play is NZ Dollars), which means an individual spends 480 NZ Dollars. New Zealanders like to play various casino games that include lotto, scratch tickets, video poker, land-based slot games, blackjack, craps, roulette, etc. But, you must have obtained a ‘legal gambling age,’ which is 18 years and above to play with real money in online and offline casinos, bingo sites, and with bookmakers. New Zealand’s gambling scene is secured for the players as the casinos online, and offline comes under the Gambling Act of 2003. Online and offline gambling was made legal in the country by the Federal government. The players must check out registered licenses of the New Zealand based online casinos, as the country permits only licensed registered casino holders to operate bingo, betting, and casino sites. The benefit of playing at the licensed and famous casino in New Zealand is, players can try out different poker games (a specialty of New Zealand casino culture), table games, card games, lottery, money wheel, etc. Not only this, but you can also enjoy sumptuous snacks, drinks, and high rollers at these famous casinos. To start playing and betting at these casinos, the players can place bets with operators based outside or in New Zealand. But, the offshore companies are prohibited from advertising their online casino services in the country. However, this is not all. There is more to New Zealand’s casino scene, which involves its mesmerizing history as well as technology use. The rest of the detailed guide focuses on other major perspectives of casino gaming.
Mobile Casino in New Zealand
Kiwis or New Zealanders are not far behind using mobile casino gaming on the move. Just by logging into their casino account, players can play at any of the registered and licensed casinos by New Zealand’s Federal Government. A report shows that New Zealand has approximately 6.4 million mobile device users, and per 100 people, there are 134 subscriptions. LTE, 5G, and Fiber connections are mostly used in the country. Moreover, more than 88.5% of the country’s population uses the Internet. Almost 34 per 100 people use a broadband connection, which is nearly 1.647 million people. Kiwi punters use Android and iOS devices to play mobile casino games at most of the NZ registered online casinos. A few New Zealanders use Blackberry and Windows Phone to play mobile casino games. With Flash and Java, the seamless streaming of mobile games becomes easier. 4G Vodafone services are also used to play mobile casino games. You can see Kiwis playing these games on their Apple iPhone or iPad. To download any mobile-based casino app or to play straight on the browser, the players need to check out their New Zealand Gambling Authority registration under Gambling Act 2003. Kiwis have 90% mobile penetration in the market with Apple iOS devices occupying 24% of the market share, and Android leads with 64% of the market share. Even the tablets’ market share will be more than 78% in a few years. The most used Android device by Kiwis is Samsung. Moreover, the great features that New Zealand’s mobile casinos possess are: · Offer a wide selection of games right from poker, lottery, and scratch cards to traditional table games like Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, etc. · Seek which casinos provide seamless, easy, and secured banking deposit and withdrawal options. · Check out the registered online casinos in New Zealand before you start to bet so that you do not lose your hard-earned money or confidential information too.
History of Online Casinos in New Zealand
Kiwis love to gamble, as it is their ‘favorite pastime.’ The gambling came to the country when the first European settlers brought the casino gaming with them. Gambling started in the country with Horse Racing that made its appearance in the country in the 19th century. It was seen as a lucky money source, and betting waves increased in the country. Until 1910, it was banned to curb betting, but ‘Foundation of TAB’ in the year 1950 again started horse race betting. In the 1980s, the lottery made it to the gambling scene; thus, the ‘Lottery Commission of New Zealand’ established a new framework for lotteries in 1987. The year 2000 recorded the most lottery viewers (more than 65%) in NZ. In 1987, Pokies entered the country from its neighboring country ‘Australia.’ So, in 1991, New Zealand officially recognized the game in the country that made it one of the favorite betting games. Talking about land-based casinos, Christchurch Casino was the first to establish in 1994. The foods, snacks, drinks, and full-proof gambling security attracted many punters. Setting up of live table games and slot machines made players enjoy slot games better. With time, now the famous land-based casinos like SkyCity, Dunedin, and Wharf has been opened. Online casino gambling is legal only for New Zealand-based casinos, registered under the Gambling Act 2003 and by the federal government. Punters can play online with offshore casinos only if they are licensed by New Zealand Gambling authority. It is seen that Kiwis spent almost 600 million NZ dollars on the casinos, which showcases the attraction of slot machines and live dealer games among the players. Apart from gambling, you can see the Kiwis playing games like football, golf, rugby, football, skiing, water sports activities, and much more. Moreover, the religions they practice are mostly Christianity, but other religions include Maori, Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, etc. Languages widely spoken are Maori, English, Hindi, Northern Chinese, French, etc. But, Kiwis also uphold the superstitions regarding the choosing of lucky and unlucky numbers while playing many casino games. Like, in lotto gaming, the main numbers that New Zealanders perceive lucky were 1, 7, 13, 18, 19, and 22. Usually, 13 is perceived as an unlucky number because of strong Christian influence, but it proved lucky for someone in the above case. 4 is seen as a lucky even number, and number 39 is said to be a lucky odd number since it is said to be a number of Divine Guidance. Apart from all these beliefs, New Zealand’s gambling industry is booming, and the future is quite excellent since gambling is not going to leave the country. Moreover, the technologically advanced slot machines and video poker games make the casinos a lot more attractive. So, if Kiwis are practicing responsible gambling and adhering to laws stated by the Federal Government, they can play securely too.
Are Casinos Legal in New Zealand?
Every casino, whether land-based or online gambling casino in New Zealand requires a license as gambling in New Zealand is documented since 1830. By the year 1980, the government approved casino and lottery games. Pokies and slot machines became legalized by 1994. But, over time, there is a great change done in the online and offline casino laws. The Gambling Act of 2003 legalizes gambling scene in the country. If the casinos are not licensed under the Gambling Authority, then they are not authorized to conduct gambling in the country. The age to gamble is 18 years, especially sports betting, but if a young New Zealander wants to enter the land-based casino, then h/she must be 20 years of age. The Department of Internal Affairs, which oversees the work of the ‘Gambling Commission’ in New Zealand, regulates the land-based and online casinos in NZ. Moreover, 80% of New Zealanders gamble in some or other form in the country. Lottery games are played increasingly as compared to other gambling forms. Now, the online gambling scenario is quite different in New Zealand. Although land-based casinos that are famous in the country are given much weightage and importance, mobile casinos are hitting the modern scenario. So, a few guidelines have been provided. It is seen that the Department of Internal Affairs and Gambling Act 2003 regulates all the casinos and their working in the country, but there is no such rule for the online casinos. Here, the NZ players who have attained 18 years or above can gamble online by choosing an offshore casino. There are no local online casinos present in the country. The gamblers have to make sure that the casino they are choosing must fall under the jurisdiction and Gambling Authority of a particular country and allow your country players too. One thing worth noting over here is that punters from New Zealand can play at offshore casinos, but these casinos do not have the right to advertise their services in New Zealand. The Gambling Laws started working way back in 2004, and the Gambling Commission, along with the Department of Internal Affairs, oversees everything regarding the land-based casino. But, if you are gambling with an offshore online casino, then you must undertake responsible gambling and play if you are of legal age. Since this will help you to secure yourself from any type of fraudulent activity in which NZ law will not be able to support you. Even the Ministry of Health sees gambling operations if there are cases of addiction and any related problem noticed among the players. One interesting thing about gambling in New Zealand is that if gambling is done for pastime on online sites or offline stores, then it is not taxable. But, if the gambling generates professional income, then it is taxable by the Inland Revenue in New Zealand.
Best Online Casino Games for New Zealand Players
Kiwis are mostly enchanted with the land-based as well as online casinos. But, as the players can choose offshore online casinos that are regulated, they like to play a few popular online casino games. A few online casino games that the players like to play are Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Video Poker, Baccarat, and Online Pokies (slot game). But, as a few offshore online casinos accept the players from New Zealand and the New Zealand dollars, so the gambling scene is a little tricky. Out of all these games, ‘Online Pokies’ stands ahead and mostly played by Kiwis. Moreover, the online casino player statistics is also 2%, and it is no different across the globe. One thing worth stating here is that New Zealanders can play any of the above famous games at foreign online casino games, but they will not be fined or charged under NZ laws. It is mandatory to check for the licenses before starting playing at any of the online casinos and check for the wallet or debit/credit card options the casino is offering. Moreover, scratch cards, bingo, and sports betting (especially horse race betting) are popular in the country. Lotto and Powerball are also liked by online casino gambling players in New Zealand. Moreover, the slot games from software providers like Microgaming, NetEnt, and NextGen are mostly liked.
How We Rate, Review, and Select the Best Online Casinos in New Zealand
Kiwis are always at the forefront while playing casino games as gambling in the country dates back to the year 1800. Right from horse race betting to playing modern slot machine games at the famous casinos in New Zealand has become their favorite pastime. Even the introduction of online casino gambling and playing at offshore casinos has made gambling scene quite fun-filled. But, a few may be in a dilemma to choose the right casino since there are no firm laws for offshore casinos and local online casinos are prohibited in NZ. What to do? Simple, we bring forth ratings and reviews from our experts who test and analyze every online casino. We focus on providing punters with the best of details like security, payouts, deposit and withdrawal methods, customer support, and much more about online New Zealand casinos. Here are some key criteria through which measure the trustworthiness of a casino for Kiwis:
Security
While reviewing the online casinos for NZ players, we make sure to check the operator’s licenses and test the security of deposits and withdrawals in a casino. Even we check out that the particular casino site meets the security standards like SSL encryption, PCI Compliance, and much more. Moreover, our experts only recommend casinos that are regulated by the UK, Malta, and Gibraltar Gambling authorities.
Customer Support
An unresponsive support system at an online casino serves as the red flag, and we won’t want you to fall prey to any casinos like that. So, we make sure to provide a review of only the best online New Zealand casinos that offers 24x7 customer support. These support teams of online casinos can be accessed through emails, live chat, or toll-free numbers.
Software and Languages Supported
We make sure that the casino games we refer you to from the software providers must be fast, intuitive, and secure. Moreover, they offer your favorite online casino games from the popular to traditional to live dealer games without interruption. Even the games provided by these software providers run seamlessly on Android, iOS, Windows devices, and PC. We bring forth the casino games from the software providers like NetEnt, Playtech, Microgaming, Pragmatic Play, Play’n GO, and other top casino gaming giants. We also make sure that these casinos support languages like English, German, French, and Spanish.
Fast Payout System
We bring forth the review of those online casinos in New Zealand that provides fast payouts for which the players do not have to wait for weeks together. Generally, e-wallet options are the faster payout system for the New Zealanders. They can get their money within 24 hours too.
Bonuses and Promotions
We present the review of the casinos, providing remarkable bonuses and promotions for the Kiwi players. It means we help you seek what you can get after the casino has provided a welcome bonus and other offers. We also review all the bonuses and promotions terms and conditions before we present information about a particular casino.
Payment Options
Our experts provide complete information on the payment and deposit options to the NZ players. We make sure that there are wide ranges of banking options available in NZ dollars. But, the payment options available for NZ players include Skrill, Debit/Credit Cards, Neteller, PayPal, and Bank Transfer.
VIP Program
For providing information on loyalty programs, we check out and test the casinos that render high roller games for the Kiwis. The details of the casinos rendering VIP programs for live dealer casino games are also provided.
Legalized Commercials
Only Lotto commercials are presented on the television as Powerball commercials can be seen for New Zealanders. But, offshore casinos that provide online casino games are not entitled to present any commercials or advertisements in the country. It is forbidden by the Gambling Commission Act 2003.
- New Zealand Online Casinos
- Mobile Casino in New Zealand
- History of Online Casinos in New Zealand
- Are Casinos Legal in New Zealand?
- Best Online Casino Games for New Zealand Players
- How We Rate, Review, and Select the Best Online Casinos in New Zealand
- Security
- Customer Support
- Software and Languages Supported
- Fast Payout System
- Bonuses and Promotions
- Payment Options
- VIP Program
- Legalized Commercials
FAQ
📌 Can I win real money in New Zealand casinos?
Yes, you can win real money while playing in the country. The players can keep the winnings earned from offshore casinos without being taxed. Only on professional poker, the tax according to Inland Revenue terms is levied on the poker players. So, the players can play games like Keno, Video Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Pokies Slots games, etc. for real money.
📌 How long does it take to receive my winnings?
If the winnings are large, then players can take the help of Wire or Bank Transfers in New Zealand. But, of course, punters want their winnings with them as quickly as possible. So, you can use E-wallet options like POLI, Credit, and Debit Cards to get your winnings within 24-48 hours.
📌 Are there any withdrawal fees for New Zealand players?
There can be a withdrawal fee for the Bank or Wire transfer, but for Credit/Debit Card and E-wallet options, it is completely secured. But, the New Zealand players must check the terms and conditions of various offshore casinos before registering. Moreover, checking their licenses is also necessary, as many casinos may charge a small processing fee.
📌 Are online casinos in New Zealand safe?
The New Zealand federal government will not charge you for a crime for playing at any of the foreign online casinos since local casinos are prohibited in the country. But, at the same time, online casino safety is a little tricky since regulators and registered license holders are from other countries. So, it is necessary that before registration, the Kiwi players must go through the terms and conditions, privacy policy, etc. to save themselves from any type of legal hurdles.
📌 What payment methods are available for online casinos in New Zealand?
The payment methods available for the punters at online casinos in New Zealand are the E-wallet option, which is POLI. Moreover, they can use methods like Credit/Debit Cards, Bank Transfers, Neteller, Paysafe Cards, Citadel, Click2Pay, Bpay, etc.
📌 Can I play with NZ Dollars at New Zealand casinos?
You can play with NZ Dollars at the famous land-based casinos in New Zealand. But, as online local casinos in NZ are prohibited for gambling, choose offshore casinos that accept deposits and withdrawals in NZ dollars.
📌 Which banking options can I use?
The instant banking transfer makes it helpful to receive bonuses in your account, and you can even play for free. Since regular Wire Transfer charges a small amount of fee, you can try an E-wallet option like POLI to play for free and get a welcome bonus transferred quickly to your account.
List of Online Casinos with New Zealand
| Rank | Casino | Bonus | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1xBet | €1 500 | 10 |
| 2 | ComeOn | $100 | 8 |
| 3 | Melbet | 50% Match Bonus and 30 free spins | 9 |
| 4 | Lucky Nugget | $200 | 8 |
| 5 | Metal Casino | $100 | 9 |
| 6 | Ego | 100% FDB up to 500 EUR | 8.3 |
| 7 | Platinum Play | $200 | 8 |
| 8 | Play Grand | $300 | 8 |
| 9 | Gaming Club | $350 | 8 |
| 10 | Royal Vegas | $250 | 9 |