There has been a vast increase in the number of online casinos being made available in New Zealand. The influx of these casinos has lead to confusion amongst Kiwis with online gambling laws open to interpretation and nefarious practices by many offshore casino operators. We have combined our efforts with some of New Zealand’s premier online casino experts to assist New Zealanders traverse this new world of online gambling.
We managed to secure exclusive access to Andrew Stone, the chief editor at Best New Zealand Casinos who has provided us with some key things to look at when deciding to play at an online casino. Andrew has also given us an insight into the state of the current online gambling market in New Zealand and his recommendations on his top NZ online casinos.
What should we look for when picking an Online Casino?
The first question we put to Andrew seemed pretty straight forward but his response showed us how much we still had to learn regarding online casinos in New Zealand.
“The key factor in picking an Online Casino is safety”, were the first words our of Andrews mouth. “New Zealand only allows players to gamble at offshore casinos, which means that there is very little recourse for players that are taken advantage of. This means that players need another way of determining how reputable an online casino is”.
Does this mean that players have no recourse if an online casino behaves dishonestly? “Players do have recourse if the casino holds a license from a reputable region. Ideally you want to play at casinos that hold licenses in Malta as they have an excellent regulatory setup for online casinos. I would also suggest you check our whether or not Best NZ Casino has an online casino review ”
“The other factors that players should consider are casino payout times, their budgets, casino bonuses and the terms and conditions at the casino”, were some other factors that Andrew believed effected a players decision on where to gamble online.
Which Casino should I play at?
Andrew asked me a couple of questions before he would advice me on where to play. He asked for my budget, where I currently played, whether I wanted to play in Bitcoin and how whether I wanted a test casino before committing to a long term casino.
“The questions I am asking are key in determining which is the best online casino for you.” say Andrew with a determined expression. “Some players look to play with no deposit casino bonuses, whilst other players prefer high value deposit matches. I know a number of keen gamblers who only deposit in increments of $10 whilst others only play at Bitcoin based casinos.”
“We have found that players, that are new to online casinos, get a better experience playing no deposit bonuses. We have therefore sourced a number of free spins, no deposit bonuses that are available from our site” say Andrew when referring to what types of bonuses a novice casino player would look for. “VIP casino players look for big deposit match bonuses, like the one offered from Lucky Nugget. They also look for casinos that have VIP programs where they can get the one-on-one attention they believe their gameplay deserves”, is his stance regarding experienced gamblers.
“The best all round casino in New Zealand at the moment is SkyCity’s new Online Casino. If you haven’t signed up there yet. I suggest you do so.” (You can see a complete review of SkyCity online casino on the BestNewZealandCasinos.com website). We have previously covered the amazing work that SkyCity have done for the field of education here.
What is the future of Online Casinos in New Zealand
We were interested to hear from Andrew where he saw the progression of the online casino. “The introduction of SkyCity Online Casino, has really shaken up the industry. They are the first major land based casino brand to enter the online space. Their entry will help legitimise the online casino market and hopefully lead to better regulation and player protection”, were Andrew’s initial thoughts.
“As someone that has been fighting for player protection and better regulatory oversight for many years, I am excited by the steps that are being taken in NZ. As an avid online pokies player I am also excited to see the launch of Captain Spins Casino, which should open its virtual doors to Kiwi’s in November. Best NZ Casinos has had early access to the casino for review purposes and we are really excited by what we have seen.”
Conclusion
We thought we could cover everything you needed to know to make a decision on where to gamble online in a single article but there are so many variables and too much information to compress into a single page. We did however highlight the importance of finding a trustworthy online casino that holds a license from the Matese Gaming Authority, the types of bonuses that various players should look for.
The final section of the article covered the future of online gambling in New Zealand with big brands shifting the perception of online casinos to the main stream. We also got a little bit of extra information regarding a new online casino that will be hitting our shores in November 2019!