Best New Zealand Online Casinos

The competition for the best online casino bonuses in 2021 looks like it will surpass previous years, with some fantastic new online casinos looking to enter the market. The good new for Kiwi players is that this has resulted in bigger and better bonuses from new and established NZ casinos. SkyCity Casino are just one example of an online casino in NZ that have upped their casino bonus with an additional 20 free spins on registration.

Best Casinos in New Zealand

We have short-listed the top online casino sites in New Zealand within the table below. The NZ casinos we have listed all offer 24hr support in English and have been operating in the New Zealand online casino space for a number of years. We frequently update our list of the best online casinos with new exciting casinos. Be sure to check out our Casino of the month which follows our best online casinos in New Zealand list, to find out which casino is currently the best online casino in New Zealand.

This list is our selection of the best casinos in New Zealand, but there are many more to choose from. Visit our casino review page to browse through our full list if you are looking for an alternative to these casinos.

Top NZ Online Casinos

There are many casinos to choose from in New Zealand, and our team has spent many hours deliberating over the best ones. We often disagree on the final selection, mainly because we value different aspects of the top online casinos. So to help with this issue, here is a table of the top online casinos for New Zealanders within different categories, so pick the one based on what’s important to you.

Best Online Casino 2021 New Zealand

The fight for the best online casino in New Zealand for 2021 has kicked off with SkyCity Online Casino winning the battle to be named the winner of the first award for January. Soon after, Sky City was toppled by Casigo.

This is a big feather in the cap of the SkyCity having lost out to CasiGo Casino for the title of being the top reviewed casino 2020. SkyCity will be hoping to continue this run and regain the title that they won back in 2019. Casigo Casino was named the best NZ online casino for 2020 and is on track to regain their title and be named best online casino in NZ for 2021. The result was considered a major upset, but the award was fully deserved.

CasiGo casino is one of the new online casinos in NZ, entering the market towards the end of 2020. The online casino offers a massive welcome bonus of NZ$1100 along with 375 Free Spins to all new New Zealand customers. The fresh clean design, fantastic welcome bonus and promotions calendar are some of the reasons we picked CasiGo as our favorite online casino in NZ for 2021.

SkyCity Online Casino was a late entrant into the Kiwi online gambling space. The most important factor in awarding SkyCity the award was the fact that they have put a huge emphasis on responsible gambling and put their players safety before their own profit. SkyCity have given us access to an exclusive 20 Free Spins No deposit bonus for new customers that register from our website. Details on the offer and how to claim it can be found here.

Lucky Nugget Casino is still one of our favourite online casinos for seasoned players and with their fantastic 150% first deposit match they are ideal for serious players. Lucky Nugget also allow players to deposit in minuscule increments using PaySafe Card making them our pick of $1 deposit casinos.

To see the winners from each month of 2021 you can visit our best online casino NZ 2020 awards page.

Or visit our archive of the best NZ casino for 2019.

Top 10 Online Casinos

Our rankings are based on a combination of factors. Once the casino has passed our safety vetting, we look at the welcome bonus in detail, ensure that the terms and conditions are fair and reasonable, and look for any hidden caveats or catches.

When we are satisfied that the welcome package is a desirable offer, we investigate the depth, quality and variety of the casino’s game selection, the software studios that provide the casino’s games, and the functionality and player experience across multiple devices from mobiles to desktops. The payment methods that the casino supports are also vitally important.

So, casinos that have the best ratings are reliable, consistent and offer excellent gaming platforms. If a solid reputation and all-round excellence are important to you, the casinos from the Top 10 online casinos list will be your best options!

What Makes an Online Casino the Best in New Zealand?

We can talk about offering you the best online casinos in New Zealand, but the term seems vague unless we explain what we mean. It takes a lot to be considered one of the best, and in an industry where there are hundreds of online casino sites available, looking for your custom, we need to have set standards to use to assess them.

The Best NZ Dollar Casinos

One of the most important factors in determining if a casino is a good pick for New Zealanders is whether they accept NZ dollars or not. There are methods for converting your money to other currencies, using cryptocurrencies, or just using dollars or euros that you’re already storing in PayPal. However, for most kiwi casino players, having the ability to play at the best online casinos using their NZ$ is a huge benefit. This makes many online casinos that offer NZ Dollars a natural pick for us to consider and review.

The Best Online Casino Bonuses

An excellent casino must offer you a good bonus. It can be a single deposit match bonus or a series of match bonuses spanning your first three or four deposits. If free spins are offered with the bonus, it makes the package even attractive. Some online casinos in New Zealand will give new customers a bonus without needing to make a deposit. These online casino bonus types can be applied in isolation or used in various combinations to entice new customers or reward loyal players.

The Best Casinos for Deposit Options

Making a deposit should be hassle-free. Good casinos will have a simple, fast process to make funding your account as easy as possible. A great casino should also offer you a variety of payment methods, so you can choose one that suits you. It is important to look for online casinos that allow you to purchase and play in NZ Dollars as this will save you on exchange rate fees with depositing and withdrawing your money.

The Best Online Casinos with Fast Withdrawal

A great way to test a casino is to check its withdrawal process. The best casinos make it easy to submit the annoying but obligatory identification documents (KYC) and will approve your documents quickly. The top online casinos have fast withdrawal times, sometimes referred to as fast payout casinos. The casinos should also be flexible with the amounts you can withdraw and offer you a variety of casino banking options to use to process the withdrawal.

The Best Online Casino Software

There are hundreds of excellent casino software providers, and casinos that have a long provider list in turn offer a rich diversity of games. In the early days in the industry, casinos would have a single provider, but now you can gauge the quality of a casino’s game selection by the range of software providers it offers their players. Leo Vegas Casino is an excellent example of an online casino that has integrated a large number of game providers and is available in New Zealand.

The Best Online Casino Games

It is not unusual to find casinos with game collections numbering in the thousands. The best online casinos will have a wide variety of slot games from multiple providers, several variations on the most popular table games, and a strong video poker selection. It should also have a full Live Casino that offers blackjack, baccarat, roulette, TV games and more.

The Casinos with the Best Player Support

A great support system can often make the difference between a poor casino and an excellent one. You should be able to access a helpful, efficient support team 24/7. For instant access, casinos that offer Live Chat are the best. If you use email instead, the casino should respond within 72 hours.

The very best online casinos in New Zealand also offer VIP support for big spending players. This isn’t something that all players need but it is essential for players that play for high stakes. VIP facilities should include increased withdrawal limits, dedicated hosts and bespoke bonuses that match the VIP player’s behaviour.

Best Paying Casinos in NZ

What do we mean by “best-paying casino”? In simple terms, a best paying NZ casino is one that offers both fast payouts, and allows you to withdraw large amounts within one week, or in within one single withdrawal. Some casinos have strict limits on the amount of money you can withdraw in a week or month. A top paying casino will give you much higher withdrawal limits than an average one. So the Best Paying Casinos payout large, and payout fast. We source some of the best paying casinos in New Zealand, so you can take back control of your winnings!

NZ Online Casino Bonuses

Online casinos know that there are a lot of different options for New Zealand players. This competition is great news for Kiwi players because it means that there are some fantastic retention and welcome bonuses available.

Casinos use a number of mechanisms when creating bonuses. These include deposit matches, free spins, no deposit bonuses, cash-back and loyalty points. Each of these bonus types has its own benefits and it is important for potential players to understand how they work:

Deposit Match Bonuses

A deposit match bonus is when a casino will match the player’s deposit by a pre-determined percentage. These percentages usually range from 25% to 150%. The bonus matches with the highest percentage are normally applied to the opening offer, so players should take advantage of these by strategically adjusting their deposit size when joining a new casino.

Free Spins Bonuses

Free spins bonuses are a great way for casinos to throw up some numbers that look enticing, like “200 free spins” but, in reality, not all free spins are equal. Free spins can be configured as low as 1c per spin which might give you some indication of what a game is like but are unlikely to result in much of a win. Winnings from free spins are also often subject to wagering requirements which catch a lot of players off guard. Free Spins bonuses usually require a $10 minimum deposit at the casino before they are awarded. Click Here for more information on Free Spins casinos in NZ

No Deposit Bonuses

No-deposit bonuses offer a great way to try out a casino that you have not heard of before. This kind of bonus gives you the opportunity to try the games and see if they pay out before committing any of your cash. The downside of no-deposit bonuses is that they often have strict wagering requirements and may disqualify players from the high-percentage match bonuses on their first deposits. Click here to find the best No Deposit Casinos in NZ.

Cash-back Bonuses

Cash-back bonuses are fantastic bonuses for loyal players. It allows players to recoup some of their casino losses. Cash-back bonuses allow players to claim back a percentage of losses over a period. They normally have a minimum and maximum cap applied to them and are usually, but not always, subject to wagering requirements.

Loyalty Points Bonuses

Loyalty points for VIP casino programmes are earned by wagering in games. These points can be converted into either free spins, free credits or cash. These points are not usually subject to wagering requirements. Loyalty points can sometimes be used to redeem casino merchandise, special offers or real world prizes too.

If you want to read more on how casino bonuses work and see some of the other types of bonuses available, please visit our Casino Bonuses Page.

How Online Casinos in New Zealand Work

Online casinos work in a very similar way to standard land-based casinos. The biggest difference is that you can access them from anywhere as long as you have a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop with a decent internet connection.

This ease of access is fantastic for Kiwi casino players as it has opened up more competition, forcing online casinos to constantly innovate and bring players new exciting games, bigger bonuses and top-class service in order to compete.

This growth has not gone unnoticed by the more nefarious corners of the internet, with many stories circulating regarding online casino scams. If you are looking at signing up at a new casino, please check with us that it is a legitimate, reputable casino before depositing any money. We do not recommend playing at any of the casinos listed bellow as we have received numerous complaints from customers:

• Kingdom Casino – Complaints regarding ability to withdraw funds.
• Gold Gate Casino – Players unable to withdraw winnings.
• Atlantic Vegas Casino – Spurious licensing and business practices.
• 21 Dukes casino – Players unable to withdraw winnings.
•  Cosmo Casino – Deceptive Facebook advertising.

Several of these unsafe casinos are promoted in New Zealand which is why we have listed them here. Please check with us here at BestNewZealandCasinos.com before playing at any casino that is not recommended directly on this site. We care about protecting Kiwi casino fans and will do our utmost to ensure that players are informed and protected.

We recommend that all players take a gambling addiction self-assessment regularly to ensure that the game stays fun and doesn’t become a problem. Problem gambling is real and if you believe you may suffer from it, please take the test here.

Best Quality Casinos

There are a plethora of casinos available in the online world which grant players endless enjoyment and consistent fun when playing popular online casino games, but not all are worth the time and the money. High-quality casinos provide players with a selection of diverse and entertaining games powered by first-class software developers, mobile-friendly titles, exciting bonuses and thrilling promotions throughout the year, secure banking methods with fast pay-outs, and a helpful and professional customer service team. It is extremely important that online casinos offer a choice of high-quality games provided by renowned software developers since these games tend to have higher pay-outs, provide 100% certified Random Number Generators (RNG) and disclose the Return to Player (RTP) ratio of games.

Additionally, finding an online gaming platform that has all the necessary measures to ensure players the utmost safety and security is a vital factor that cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, secure banking options and encrypted transactions are also essential features that determine the quality of a casino.

Mobile Casinos in New Zealand

One of the key factors you should also consider when deciding which casino to play at is, the platform you are going to use to access the casino. The vast majority of Kiwi’s visiting Best NZ Casinos access the site on their mobile phones. It is for this exact reason that we take our time to test all our reviewed casinos on mobile.

We test the casinos on both iPhones and Android handsets ensuring that the sites are compatible on all modern devices. We also review any casino apps that may be available for the specific casino.

The key factors we use for determining the best mobile casinos in New Zealand are:

• The speed of the mobile casino software
• Device compatibility
• Casino safety and reputation
• Speed and ease of casino withdrawals
• Mobile casino games
• Mobile casino bonuses

NZ Online Casino Games

Online casino games offer players the ability to bring the thrills and excitement of traditional casino games into their home.These days you will even find live dealer games which will let you play at a live table with other players from across the world right from your phone or pc.

Online casino games tend to offer a higher RTP (Return to Player) than traditional land based casino games. This is due primarily to the heightened competition online vs land based casinos. These enhanced odds are normally found on pokies as traditional card and table games have similar odds online and on the ground.

Read on for a quick overview of the main types of casino games available. If you want more information, you can find it on our casino games page.

• Online Pokies

  Online casinos offer more advanced and engrossing pokies than you would find in most land-based casinos. There are a variety of pokies available, from classic 3-reel games with a single payline, all the way up to modern 5-reel, 248-payline pokies with rich bonus features.

• Table Games

  All your favourite table games are available including blackjack, roulette and baccarat. These are available in 2 formats at most online casinos: the traditional machine-based versions, and a live casino version with streaming video and real dealers that interact with the players.

• Video Poker

  The majority of casinos offer all your favourite video poker games including Jacks or Better, Caribbean Stud and Loose Deuces which claims to have an RTP of over 100%!

• Progressive Jackpots

  Progressive Slots or Linked Slots offer massive potential winnings for online players. The fact that people from all over the world are contributing 24/7 to the massive jackpots means that games like Mega Moolah frequently flirt with the $10 000 000 mark.

Online Gambling NZ

Any form of wagering that takes place over the internet is referred to as online gambling. Virtual poker sites, online casinos, and sportsbook platforms are all examples of this. Since its inception, there have been significant changes to the online gambling NZ industry, most notably in applicable laws and regulations that have been passed. In addition, the quality and reliability of what is accessible have significantly improved as well. Compared to today’s well-known gambling sites, the early sites are nearly unrecognizable, and the best online casinos NZ stand out like a needle in a haystack.

New Zealand has a wide range of gambling options, making it easy for NZ players to pick something that meets their needs. For one thing, online casinos based outside of the country provide a wide range of games, from sports betting to the increasingly popular pokies. In terms of how it all works, sports betting is possibly the most straightforward of all forms of online gambling. There is no software to download, and it is pretty simple to browse the available betting markets and then place your bets. Players in New Zealand are more likely to seek out these multi-gaming platforms since they have diverse entertainment options. Not to mention that if these gambling destinations offer incredible bonuses and promotional incentives, it is pretty much a sealed deal for Kiwis. 

Land Based New Zealand Casinos

Gambling is very popular in New Zealand, and although many online casinos cater to Kiwi players, all lovers of gambling know the feeling of sitting comfortably on a chair while sipping a drink and spinning the reels to your favourite pokies at a real brick-and-mortar casino. Visiting a land-based casino in New Zealand offer visitors a special feeling. You can enjoy the exclusive interior, interact with friendly staff, savor delicious meals in gourmet restaurants, and enjoy massive entertainment. There are five land-based casinos in New Zealand, the first of which opened in 1994.

1. Just a three-hour drive from SkyCity Queenstown, you will find the Dunedin Casino. Open since 1994 and considered to be New Zealand’s jewel, Dunedin is located in the city center at 118 High Street. The casino offers 180 pokies and many popular tables, cards, and board games.
2. Christchurch Casino is located on the southern island of New Zealand at 30 Victoria Street, this casino offers 500 pokies and 45 table games.
3. SkyCity Hamilton Casino is located at 346 Victoria Street, in the beautiful city of Hamilton, New Zealand. The casino is an attraction for locals and tourists that want to indulge in live entertainment, great food, and a spot of gambling.
4. At the boutique casino SkyCity Wharf Casino in Queensland, casino players will find a small but functional gambling venue that offers an exciting gaming experience and for one of the best gaming houses in New Zealand, SkyCity Queenstown offers eight gaming tables, four VIP tables and 86 pokies, and Progressive Jackpot games.
5. The last and largest land-based casino in New Zealand is SkyCity Auckland. SkyCity hotel and casino are strategically positioned at the Corner of Victoria and Federal Streets, in Auckland’s city center. SkyCity Auckland is luxurious and glamorous, and players can enjoy 2000 pokies and 150 table games with games such as Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, and many others.

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About the Author

My name is Andrew. I work with the team here at Best New Zealand Casinos. I have been involved in the online casino industry since 2004, initially as a VIP customer host before moving across to BestNewZealandCasinos.com to share my knowledge and experience with you.

I am immensly proud of Best New Zealand Casinos which started as a passion project and has subsequently grown into one of the leading online casino resources in New Zealand. This would never have been possible without the valuable feedback we receive from you, our loyal readers. Please continue to send through your questions and feedback to help make gamlbing online a fun and safe experience.