Best Online Casinos for Players Residing in New Zealand

Kiwis love to gamble; there’s no doubt about it. They spent more than $2.3 billion in the 2016/2017 fiscal year on the four main forms of gambling – casinos, machines, racing, and the lottery.

That’s all offline, too. Since the country doesn’t offer online gambling, there’s no way to tell how much extra is spent playing online at offshore casinos.

We bet it’s a lot, though, due to the convenience of playing online. You have the variety, quality of games, and offers that are difficult (if not impossible) to find in a brick-and-mortar casino.

If that sounds good to you, then you can get started right now by joining any of the casinos in the list below. Each one is a top-notch casino that accepts players from New Zealand.

Rank	Online Casino	Deposit Bonus	Get Started
#1	Ignition Casino	100% Up To $1,000	Visit Site
#2	Bovada Casino	100% Up To $3,000	Visit Site
#3	Café Casino	500% Up To $5,000	Visit Site
#4	Sloto Cash	200% Up To $7,777	Visit Site
#5	Slots.lv	200% Up To $5,000	Visit Site

Join one of our recommended casino sites now, and you can be playing your favorite game in a matter of minutes. We thoroughly vet every online casino we recommend, so you have nothing to fear as far as your safety, information, and money is concerned.

If you want to know more about any of the casinos above before joining, we recommend you read our reviews.

We also have information about sports betting and general gambling in New Zealand on the following page. These pages provide specific recommendations for the best sites to join, too.

The rest of this page will cover information about casino gambling in New Zealand. Here’s what you’ll learn below.

• Commonly asked questions about gambling in New Zealand. We answer questions about the legality of gambling in NZ, what banking options you should use, whether you need to pay taxes on your winnings, and more.
• Tips for how to make gambling fun (again) if you feel like you’re stuck in rut. Most if not all of these tips are dead simple to use and can make your favorite games feel fresh again.
• Rules to follow if you decide to find a casino on your own. These 10 rules will help reduce the chances of you joining a crappy casino that’s determined to take advantage of you.

By the time you’re done with this page, you’ll be ready to find and join a casino and hopefully, win large sums of money from your favorite games.

Let’s get started.

We receive a lot of questions about gambling online in New Zealand. Our readers want to know things such as the legal gambling age or if it’s even legal to gamble online here.

We answer those questions and more below.

Is It Legal to Gamble in New Zealand?

Different kinds of gambling, from sports betting to casino games, were illegal at one point or another in the country’s history.

However, it is now legal to gamble as long as you go about it the right way.

It’s okay to gamble live. There are several casinos you can go play at (listed below) in New Zealand. Online gambling is a little different, though.

Online gambling is only legal if you play at offshore sites. Their laws do talk about how it’s illegal to gamble online, but they refer to online gambling at sites located within the country. So, if you stick to offshore casinos, you should be fine.

However, we should point out that we’re not lawyers, nor do we play them on TV. If legality is a huge concern for you, we recommend you consult someone who’s intimately more familiar with New Zealand’s gambling laws than we are.

How Old Do You Need to Be to Gamble in New Zealand?

You need to be 20 years old to enter a brick-and-mortar casino. You need to be 18 years old to bet on sports.

Most online casinos require you to be 18 years old to sign up. They also (usually) say that you need to follow the laws where you live.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

Do You Have to Pay Taxes on Your Winnings?

Our research says that, no, you don’t have to pay taxes on your gambling winnings in New Zealand. The reason for this is simple. Gambling is considered a hobby and not a profession.

Are There Brick-and-Mortar Casinos in New Zealand?

Yeah, if you’re like us and enjoy the atmosphere that only brick-and-mortar casinos can provide, then you’re in luck. There are 6 casinos in New Zealand.

Some of these casinos are massive. Take SkyCity Auckland, for example. They have over 1,600 gambling machines, 100+ table games, and their Platinum room for their VIP customers.

New Zealanders shouldn’t have any issues finding gambling options offline.

What Are the Best Banking Options for Kiwis to Use?

We recommend you use the following banking methods.

These options tick all the boxes as far as being quick and offering reasonable limits and fees, depending on the casino you join.

Can I Deposit/Play in NZD?

In most cases, you shouldn’t have any issues depositing/cashing out in NZD. Playing in your native currency can be hit or miss, though. We recommend you read our reviews for more details if this is a concern.

Can New Zealanders Still Claim Casino Bonuses?

Absolutely! You should have no problems finding a casino that offers welcome and reload bonuses, free spins, free bets, VIP programs, cash-back, and more.

If you’re looking for a specific kind of offer, we recommend you read our reviews, where we cover all that information.

Gambling is like any other hobby in that it can lose its luster after a while. It can get stale from playing the same games day in and day out. It can stop being fun if you find that you’re losing money all the time.

If you’re feeling this way, that truly sucks because it doesn’t have to be this way. Gambling can and should be fun every single session. Otherwise, you’re doing something wrong.

So, if you feel like you’re in a gambling slump, then this section is for you. You’ll find 13 quick tips to help you find your gambling groove below.

We’re going to help make gambling fun again.

This tip is to help you a little with the constant losing.

Find a casino that offers (or ask your casino for) free spins or a free bet offer (or both). The free spins offer will let you play 10+ free spins on a large variety of slot machines. The free bet offer is usually an insurance-style deal where you play a hand on your own dime. If you win the hand, you get nothing. If you lose, the casino will reimburse you.

The idea here is to find a few risk-free ways to put some money in your pocket. It’ll give you a break from losing your money while also giving you a chance to win something for nothing.

This goes for any game you play – slots, blackjack, live casino games, it doesn’t matter. What exactly should you learn, though?

Everything. Learn the rules. Learn about all the variants you can play. Learn about the side bets you can make. Learn about the odds of winning and the payouts when you do win. Learn strategy.

The good news is that you can learn of all this by reading our page entirely dedicated to this subject.

This will open a ton of doors for you. You’ll have a new appreciation for the games you play. You’ll know exactly when you win and why. You’ll know how to make smarter bets and when to make them. You’ll give yourself more opportunities to win.

The list goes on and on.

The bottom line is that taking this approach will make the games you play more interesting and thus less boring or stale.

Many casinos offer gambling limit controls and notifications to prevent you from spending too much and playing too long without a break.

We recommend you take advantage of these tools if they’re available.

No, this doesn’t mean that you have a gambling problem. You’re using these tools to keep your losses to a minimum until luck swings back into your favor.

The frequent breaks are a good idea, too. Get up and get outside. Move around. Do some pushups. Staying inside all day and not seeing the light of day can mess with your mental health. This is only compounded for the worse if you’re losing on the reg.

What person’s day wouldn’t brighten a little knowing they have an extra $100, $500, or $1,000 to play with? This is pretty simple to accomplish by claiming a bonus promo your casino is running.

Don’t worry if your casino isn’t offering a bonus or if you already took advantage of the welcome bonus. The solution is pretty simple – ask them for (another) one.

Keep in mind that the bonus amount and terms might depend on how much you spend with them and the games you plan to play, though.

That’s all right. If the bonus doesn’t work for you, let them know. Maybe they’ll fix it. Maybe they won’t, and you’ll have to turn it down. In that case, you can always find somewhere else to play.

There are so many casinos out there. Find one with a bonus you want and go get it.

A great way to make a hobby feel fresh again is to try something new. There are so many things you can try, too, so our next few tips are all about experimenting with something new.

There are tons of options for trying new features. Take live casino games, for example. You can try the chat feature and have a chat with the dealer or other players at your table. You can also play with the camera angles.

Or take slot machines. Why not try the automatic spin option?

The idea is to find a new feature that will make the game feel a little new, even if only for a little while. Many games have different features, which means you can go from game to game and experience something new for hours or even days on end.

There are dozens of table games and variants out there. Many of them will have at least ONE side game or bet you can play, if not more.

Most of these games or bets are simple. Plus, they often pay out extra money if you win while playing them.

When you factor in all the games that have side games/bets out there, you can experience something new every single day and not be bored for a while.

This tip is similar to the one above. There are so many games and variants out there. Why not try one to see if that makes gambling interesting again?

What’s also cool about this tip is that if you try a game like blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, or some other card game, there’s a good chance that there will be strategy you can learn, too.

If you learn a new game from top to bottom, from the odds to the best hands or whatever to play to the best strategy, you can keep yourself entertained for months, if not years.

In a worst-case scenario, perhaps you just need a change of scenery. Try a new casino to see if that makes things interesting again. Chances are a new casino will mean some new games and variants, offers to claim, and more.

You can make things even more interesting by joining a casino you don’t think you’d like. Challenge yourself to give it a fair shake and see if there’s anything you DO like about it.

Remember the saying: variety is the spice of life. Regularly try new things, and chances are good that gambling will become fun and exciting again.

A licensed slot machine is a machine that revolves around property that some other company owns. Think video games, TV shows, board games, celebrities, and so on.

It might be a TV show you watch, your favorite movie, comics you like to read, or video games you like to play.

These machines give you multiple ways to enjoy them. For starters, you’ll enjoy the symbols and side games since they’ll be about the movie or game you like. Then you have the gambling and money-winning aspect of it, too.

It’s a two birds with one stone scenario.

Betting more money is exciting. Larger wagers mean larger wins. But you don’t want to be a dummy about how you do it.

If you have a $200 bankroll, then making the jump from $1 a hand to $5 per hand or $0.2/line to $0.10/line is not very smart. You’re just increasing your chances of losing and losing your money at a faster pace.

Let’s try a slightly different tactic.

Say you start with $200 and through a series of wins increase it to $300. Now it’s time to bump your bets up a little. Go from $1 a hand to $1.50 or $2 per hand. Go from $0.02/line to $0.03-$0.05/line.

Bet these amounts until you hit $400, and then you can increase your bets again (if you want). Or bet these amounts until you get back down to $200, in which case you go back to your original bet sizing.

This gives you the best of both worlds. You make your bankroll last as long as possible, while still allowing yourself the rush of playing for higher stakes when your bankroll allows.

Sometimes we feel the best when we do something for others. So, why not teach someone how to lose their money at the speed of greased lighting to multi-billion-dollar corporations on games of chance?

We’re being sarcastic. Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves.

Seriously, though, showing someone else a game you love to play and seeing them get into it is a great feeling. They don’t have to play for real money, either. They can play the practice games and still have loads of fun.

What’s cool about this is that if you play the same games, you can compare notes. You can talk strategy. You can brag about winning jackpots that your friend still hasn’t won yet.

Sharing your hobby with others gives you a sense of comradery and competition that you might not get otherwise.

Many gambling guides say not to drink and gamble. You don’t want to get drunk and spend more than you can afford.

Well, that’s no fun.

It is possible to have a couple drinks and gamble responsibly. You just need to know when to slow down. Limit the number of drinks you can have. Limit the amount of money you can spend (using the casino’s limit options).

It’s really that simple.

If you find that you do have a problem drinking and gambling, then maybe this tip isn’t for you. Until then, though, give it a shot and see how much more fun you have.

This is a simple little win that can put a few more rupees in your pocket.

Here’s what you do. Learn how to read odds so that you can quickly determine when a payout for a game is better or worse compared to identical games found elsewhere.

The payouts don’t have to be massive to make a massive difference to your bankroll. Take blackjack, for example. There’s a substantial difference between a 6:5 payout versus a 3:2 payout for natural blackjacks, even if it doesn’t look like it. The 6:5 pays $6 on a $5 bet, while the 3:2 pays $7.50.

Which would you rather have? It’s a no-brainer, right?

It’s little things like this – and the rest of the tips above – that can make a difference to your bankroll and experience online. They can make gambling feel fun and more exciting again. Maybe even a tad more profitable than it has been in the past.

Isn’t that what gambling’s all about?

The easiest way to find a safe and legit – not to mention Kiwi-friendly – online casino is to refer to our recommendations above.

We’ve already done the hard work for you. Why not simply piggyback off our efforts?

Some people might already have accounts at each of the casinos above. Others might read our reviews and find out that the casinos – for one reason or another – aren’t the best fit.

That’s totally cool. We’re not judging.

Whatever your reason, you still need to find a casino. This can be hard to do if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

That’s why we decided to create this section where we list some of the rules we adhere to whenever we look for casinos to recommend.

Use the rules below whenever you look for a new casino to join. Some are deal-breakers; others aren’t. But these should help you find top-notch casinos more often than not.

A mistake we still see people make is that they join a casino because they really wanted to claim whatever offer the casino was running.

Is it no surprise, then, that forums are full of threads where people are whining that they got ripped off?

Sure, these complaints are legit. No one deserves to get ripped off. However, many of these people would’ve saved themselves a lot of grief, not to mention thousands of dollars, had they not joined a casino for their offers.

A casino’s offers are important. We’re not saying they’re not. Just make sure the casino’s legit in other areas, too, such as their reputation, license, games, etc.

If history has shown us anything, it’s that there are no guarantees. That goes doubly for online casino safety. It doesn’t matter what the casino has or what they do; they can always turn to the dark side.

Not at all. In fact, forcing online casinos to obtain a license still weeds out the worst of the worst. Licenses usually come with fees, paperwork, and an approval process. All things that turn some conmen off.

That’s why it’s important that one of the first things you do when reviewing casinos is to check whether they’re licensed and regulated.

Second to having a license is where that license comes from. Jurisdictions aren’t created equal. If you can join a casino that’s licensed through the MGA, UKGC, and/or the AGCC, you’re in good shape.

A solid regulator will give you options for recourse if something were to go wrong between you and the casino.

Subpar regulators won’t.

New online casinos are exciting because of the potential for new games and offers. Plus, you get to brag to your friends that you were the first to check them out.

But there’s a lot of risk that comes with new casinos.

New casinos aren’t field-tested. They often have no history to dig up. They’re brand-new operators that have little if not zero experience in the gambling industry.

The risks on your end boils down to whether the casino has enough money to pay players their winnings and cover their expenses. This is especially true if someone hits a progressive jackpot.

What ends up happening too often in these cases is that the casino is forced to slow- or no-pay (some) players to keep them afloat. Most of these casinos eventually go out of business after forcing everyone to suffer for months on end.

We’re not saying that you shouldn’t join a new casino. That’s not the case at all. What we’re saying is that you should be cautious whenever you join a new casino. Deposit only with money that you can afford to lose. We also recommend you deposit less than you usually would, even at the expense of taking full advantage of a welcome bonus.

In other words, aim to be safe rather than sorry – at least until you know more about the casino.

This is easier to do than you might think. Sure, some shoddy casinos sneak up on you like a stranger trying to lure you into his dark panel van with candy. But many shoddy casinos show their hands from the get-go if you know what you’re looking for.

Here’s the type of information you want to try to find.

• Has the casino no-payed anyone (or everyone) recently? Is this still the case? (The same for slow pays)
• Does the casino have a rep for retroactively changing their terms?
• Has the casino tried to force anyone into accepting a bonus?
• Check their terms and conditions. Are any of them predatory?
• Has the casino refused to pay out a progressive jackpot for a bogus reason?
• Is the casino working with other shoddy companies?

The best place to look for this information is online forums. Forums are the best – assuming they don’t censor their members – because people will give you the real deal about each casino they have an account with. If a casino is screwing players over, no doubt someone is posting about their unique situation.

If you see patterns of any kind of shady behavior, you know that you can mark that casino off your wish-list and instead add them to your blacklist (as we’ve done here).

You’d think this would be common sense, but…nope!

There are so many software developers and online casinos nowadays that there’s no reason to compromise much assuming what you want isn’t outrageous. Here’s an example to show you what we mean.

If you want to play licensed slots, no problem. The same goes for blackjack, $10,000 per round live roulette, video poker with 3D graphics, and progressive jackpots that will pay out millions of dollars.

If options like that (and many others) get you excited, don’t stop until you find them. Trust us – you won’t have to look very long so long as you’re sticking to A- and B-list casinos.

Examples of outrageous desires might be $25,000 per hand No Commission Live Baccarat, Live Blackjack that allows you to count cards, or a video poker bonus with a slots-like playthrough requirement.

Good luck, champ. That’s not going to happen.

The point we’re trying to make here is that you shouldn’t have a problem finding a casino with the variants, rules, stakes, and graphics you want. The more specific you get or the more variables there are, the more you might have to look and/or compromise.

But you should be able to find someone that offers it.

It’s not a stretch to say that most people nowadays have a mobile phone or tablet. Many companies give them away if you commit to a 2-year phone contract.

Look at the stats, and you’ll see that most people use their phones to play games compared to desktop users. Most people use their phones over their computers, period.

Casinos took notice and started to convert their casinos into mobile-responsive casinos. Others created apps.

We highly recommend you join one of these casinos (although casinos that don’t offer a mobile option are starting to become rare). These allow you to play games wherever and whenever you want. You can play while traveling, waiting in line, watching TV, and more.

The trick is to make sure you join a mobile casino that has the games you want to play. Some offer a limited version of their desktop casino to mobile users, while others have simply made their entire desktop casino available.

You can test this out yourself, but a much faster alternative is to read our reviews since each one covers that casino’s mobile options.

Just like how no two players or casinos are the same, no two banking options are the same, either. This is the case even if they’re the same exact option available at two different casinos.

This is why it’s so important to double-check banking options, limits, and fees. Each casino decides what options they will accept, how much you’re allowed to deposit or cash out at a time, and how much they’ll charge for fees.

This is highly individual, as everyone has their own preference for banking methods. However, you can’t go wrong making sure the casino accepts credit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers, and Bitcoin.

A $50 minimum does you no good if you want to deposit or cash out $20. The same goes for high-limit players who want to play for $5,000 per hand but can only deposit $10,000 at a time.

Last, you need to check for fees. Most casinos offer free deposits (although not all – be on the lookout for this!) and charge fees on cash-outs.

Fees vary so much, so just find something you’re willing to pay that’s as low as possible. Every cent you pay into fees is a cent of your winnings you can’t collect for yourself.

We contact a casino’s support staff for every review we write. We ask them a question and then see how fast they respond and how helpful their response is.

We recommend you do the same. If a casino takes 3 days to respond to your email, you have to wonder how much they truly care for customers.

That won’t fly with us. We expect most casinos to respond in a day or less and prefer casinos that respond in just a few hours.

There are some other variables you need to consider, such as time zones and the type of question or problem you have. This is generally what we look for, though.

As far as contact options go, email (or a contact form) and live chat are staples nowadays. We give brownie points to casinos that also offer phone support.

Many casinos – including offline casinos – offer some kind of incentive program. These are called VIP, rewards, or cash-back programs.

Every program is different. Some give you points for every $1 or $10 you spend and give you cash-back once you’ve earned so many points.

Other programs will have several tiers for you to climb. The more points you earn, the higher your status or tier. The higher your status, the more perks you’re eligible to receive.

Perks vary, but they include cash-back, gifts, bonuses, trips, tickets to events, improved points-to-cash-back ratios, and loads more.

Some casinos also have different programs for their general audience and high-rollers.

We’re not going to tell you what to look for since it boils down to the types of games you play, how much money you spend, and more.

Just make sure you join a casino that offers something you can participate in.

Our last rule is to check the casino’s terms and conditions for predatory terms. Predatory is somewhat relative, as not everyone is bothered by a “what management says goes” attitude or a 100x playthrough requirement.

You’ll have to decide what’s okay and what’s not. Here are the things we look for, though.

• Does the management have final say, no matter what?
• Can they change the terms whenever they want (even in the middle of a dispute)?
• Will they charge you a fee if you haven’t logged in for XX days?
• Can they close your account at any time, for any reason?
• Do they say that you cannot talk bad about them in public?
• Are the playthroughs on their offers high (75x or higher)?

If you do your homework on each casino to make sure they’re not shady, that will often eliminate any of these concerns.

We still recommend you follow this rule, though. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and it can mean the difference between joining a safe and legit casino and an absolute nightmare.

Whew! This was a long one. If you made it this far, then congrats.

It should’ve been time well spent, though, as the information above will help you navigate the sometimes tricky waters that are online gambling in New Zealand. Here’s a small recap of what we covered above.

• Commonly asked questions and our answers about gambling in New Zealand. We covered a lot of ground from laws to banking options and bonuses.
• Tips for how to make gambling fun again. We shared tips such as trying new games or casinos to asking casinos for bonuses or free bets.
• Rules we recommend you follow if you are looking for a casino to join. Ignore any one of these rules, and you could be setting yourself up for massive failure.

You now have all the information you need to find and join a casino and then possibly beat them at their own games. For a little bit, anyway.

If you’re ready to get started right now, the best way to do that is to choose one of the recommended casinos from our list above. All you have to do is scroll up, find and join a casino, and you’ll be playing your favorite casino game in a matter of minutes.