Is Online Gambling Legal in New Zealand?
Gambling is legal in New Zealand. The Gambling Act 2003 and its subsequent amendments regulate the gambling industry throughout the country. Only adults (over 18 years of age) can use the services of gambling establishments (offline and online). However, some types of gambling are allowed only from the age of 20.
Age: | Permitted gambling activities: |
18 years | Lottery, scratch cards, sports betting and horse racing |
20 years | Visiting land-based gambling houses |
Types of gambling that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the Gambling Act 2003 are considered unauthorized and prohibited.
No online gambling laws in New Zealand prevent New Zealanders from using slot machines and sports betting sites. The exception is the purchase of lottery tickets and supply services on a specific site (TAB). The country's legislation is structured so that punishment is imposed on the owners of gambling clubs and not on their visitors. Based on the above information, the regulation is strict but does not limit users.
The following organizations carry out gambling control in NZ:
- Parliament;
- TAB;
- DIA;
- New Zealand Gambling Commission;
- New Zealand Lotteries Commission;
- New Zealand Racing Board;
- Gambling Compliance Group;
- Ministry of Health care;
- Ministry of Social Development;
- National Government;
- Second Labor government.
Each regulator has an individual degree of authority. However, each authority has jurisdiction and the right to grant permission to gambling companies. Some organizations are created to monitor the work of individual establishments and record the consequences of their services (positive and negative). Such information is essential because it then influences future legislative decisions.
There are no online casinos with a license obtained from NZ organizations. However, the New Zealand Lotteries Commission has the authority to sell online. She received this permit in 2008. TAB has an identical resolution. No written law prohibits NZ residents from using offshore online casinos. Thus, we can say that New Zealand fully supports offshore gambling but maintains laws banning the advertising of such gambling sites.
Offshore sites do not have the legal right to advertise their services in NZ. A fine accompanies such violations. However, this does not prevent kiwi players from finding such sites, registering, replenishing their game balance, and launching slot machines for real bets.
How Do We Pick the Best Online Casinos in New Zealand?
Our experts carefully compile a rating of the best online casino NZ. They carefully check each gambling and entertainment portal to assess its actions and services objectively. Experts have created a structure that allows you to evaluate an Internet resource in as much detail and accuracy as possible and then give an objective assessment.
We take into account the following features and details when testing online casinos for later adding them to the TOP rated:
- Features of the game library and the availability of popular games in New Zealand;
- Bonuses and promotions for existing clients;
- Features of making a deposit and withdrawing winnings in online casinos;
- Mobile accessibility to the services of a gambling and entertainment portal;
- Features of the technical support service and the subtleties of assisting players.
Let's look at each point in more detail. You will be able to understand what each direction provides and what information we can obtain by assessing individual parameters.
Popular Gambling Entertainment for NZ Players
We add to the rating only those gambling portals that offer at least 1,000 slot machines in their catalogue. The quality and variety of gambling software are key factors when evaluating an online platform. Only reliable and proven sites are concerned about allowing customers to choose.
A massive advantage for a gambling site will be the availability of various software. Must be:
- Online slots are reel-based machines with an interesting thematic background, simple game rules, and high payout rates. 90% of New Zealanders prefer this software. They choose slots for the following reasons: dynamic, simple, exciting, and high chances of winning.
- Table and card games are among the oldest types of gambling software. They are an excellent alternative to video slots. This category includes popular gambling entertainment such as roulette, poker, blackjack, and baccarat.
- Live dealers are a unique type of gameplay that takes place in real-time and is characterized by maximum realism. Every reputable online casino NZ has a section with live slot machines. Players can immerse themselves in the world of excitement and good mood, watch the dealer's work, and communicate with other participants.
The more diverse the gaming library, the more attractive the NZD casino looks. Of course, our experts also evaluate the quality of the presented gambling and entertainment software. In this case, attention is drawn to the providers with whom the website cooperates. In New Zealand casinos, the leading providers of slot machines are the following:
- IGT;
- Pragmatic Play;
- Aristocrat;
- Play'n Go;
- PlayTech;
- Evolution Gaming.
You can trust an online casino NZ if its catalogue contains the developments of the providers mentioned above. It will be an advantage to have a section on sports lineups. The following destinations are trendy in New Zealand:
- Cybersport;
- Horse racing;
- Virtual sports.
We check the availability of betting on sporting events and the range of available events. This approach allows our specialists to understand how capable the gambling and entertainment portal is of satisfying the needs of its players from New Zealand.
Bonuses and Promotions for NZ Online Casinos
Bonuses are one crucial parameter that helps players create more favourable conditions for slot machines. Our experts evaluate a gambling portal's reward system before adding it to the best NZ casino sites ranking. When assessing, attention is paid not just to the presence of bonuses and their quantity but also to their quality components.
Our experts have identified the most common and popular promotions by testing popular online casinos in New Zealand. This list includes the following bonuses:
- No deposit rewards.
- Welcome bonuses.
- Birthday gifts.
- Reload bonuses.
- Free spins.
- Bonuses for replenishing your game balance.
Reliable online platforms also actively offer temporary promotions and regularly hold tournaments. The latter ones look especially interesting. Players are invited to launch specific slot machines, and for their activity, they can receive additional prizes — cash rewards and free spins. The prize pools of the tournaments are pretty large — sometimes, they reach millions of dollars.
The qualitative component of the incentive is several parameters and characteristics that allow you to understand how profitable the bonus will be for the gambler. We take into account the following indicators when evaluating the gift provided:
- Features of activation: how convenient is it to receive the bonus, and is it available to all clients?
- Wagering conditions: which slot machines can be used for, restrictions on the maximum bet.
- Validity period: the longer the promotion is valid, the more likely it is to convert it into real winnings.
- Wager: the higher this indicator, the more difficult it is to win back the bonus.
- Maximum winnings: Does the online casino indicate restrictions on the potential reward, and what is the maximum winning threshold available for withdrawal?
The above parameters help specialists understand how profitable the incentive is and whether it can create more favourable conditions for launching slot machines. Not all bonuses are as attractive as they might seem at first glance. Therefore, experts study each incentive in detail and then objectively assess the entire bonus system.
A huge advantage for online casinos is the loyalty program aimed at active customers. This way, when New Zealanders visit casinos, they will know that their activities are valued and not ignored.
Depositing and Withdrawing at NZ Online Casinos
Features of financial transactions and the number of payment systems are important parameters when choosing a gambling portal for subsequent registration and launch of pokie. Gameplay for real bets implies the need to replenish the game balance and withdraw winnings first. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the payment conditions in detail.
Analyzing the work of famous and reliable online casino in New Zealand, we can highlight several standard methods. The following list will introduce you to popular payment systems for making deposits and withdrawing winnings in NZ dollar and their features.
Way: | Peculiarities: |
Debit and credit cards | The most popular way to replenish your game balance and withdraw winnings at online casinos is through debit and credit cards. The vast majority of New Zealanders have at least one payment card. Therefore, this method is quite common and convenient for most gamblers. As a rule, players link their bank cards to their accounts. They enter the requested data, which will be securely encrypted and protected from third parties. The first transaction may take longer than usual, but subsequent payments will be processed more quickly. Among the most popular bank cards are the following: VISA, VISA Electron, MasterCard, and Maestro. |
Electronic wallets and prepaid cards | Electronic wallets are popular among a young category of gamblers from New Zealand. Creating an electronic wallet is quick; users can also open several accounts in different currencies simultaneously, which is convenient sometimes. Anonymity is one of the essential advantages of electronic wallets. The player does not need to provide banking details directly to the gambling and entertainment portal. This feature attracts many modern gamblers. Financial transactions using electronic wallets are characterized by high efficiency, affordable limits, and minimal commissions, and the NZ dollar is accepted. Popular options are PayPal, PaysafeCard, Skrill, Neteller, and EcoPayz. |
Bank transfers | Bank transfer is one of the oldest and most reliable methods for conducting financial transactions in online casinos. Carrying out a transaction using this payment system requires entering an access code and account number. After this, you set a bet and then deposit your game balance. Most often, a bank transfer is used as an additional method. Players rarely prioritize it due to the excessively long processing time for applications. Gamblers have two options for bank transfers: standard and instant. |
Our experts pay attention not only to the number of ways that online casinos offer their clients. Also, take into account the following indicators:
- minimum limits on deposits and withdrawal of winnings;
- maximum restrictions on replenishing the game balance and withdrawal;
- possible commission and its size;
- speed of crediting funds to the game balance;
- processing time of the application and withdrawal of winnings.
Such parameters help to understand how profitable it will be to conduct financial transactions on the website of a particular online casino. The more favourable the conditions for making payments are, the more comfortable you will be using the services of an online casino.
An important parameter is the protection of financial transactions. Our experts pay attention to exceptional security programs that eliminate the possibility of losing money during monetary transactions, hacker attacks and other unpleasant situations. The casino NZ must create comfortable conditions for replenishing a gaming account,t withdrawing winnings, and guaranteeing its clients the protection and security of each transaction.
Mobile Casinos for New Zealand Players
The ability to use online casino NZ services from smartphones and tablets is one of the main parameters modern players pay attention to. Gadgets have a wide range of functions, so they can fully replace a computer and provide players with full mobility of movements. Today, more than 85% of online casino users use services from their mobile gadgets.
Modern online casinos consider players' preferences and provide access to their services from smartphones and tablets. They provide two formats:
- Mobile version of the site: In this case, a simplified format of the official site is provided. It is explicitly designed for small touch screens. The mobile version depends entirely on the casino's official website; therefore, it is unavailable if the Internet page does not work. This format is convenient because you don’t need to install anything on your smartphone and waste your gadget’s memory.
- Mobile application: a program kiwi players can download and install on their smartphones and tablets. It has a simplified interface and a full range of functions and is not blocked. The mobile application saves your login information; in the future, the gambler can automatically open a personal account without wasting time on authorization. The program is independent of the official website and works independently.
Providers release software developed using HTML5. This function allows slot machines to quickly and easily adapt to the touch screens of mobile gadgets and provide comfortable gameplay. You can run any game on your mobile device: slots, table and card games, and live dealers. Thanks to the simplified interface, the mobile version and application are lightweight, so pages load much faster, even when using an Internet connection.
When adding an online casino NZ to our rating, we check:
- availability of a mobile version and application;
- evaluate the interface;
- features of casino operation on a mobile device;
- quality and comfort of launching slot machines;
- availability of other operations.
The casino NZ must provide players with a full range of functions to use the services on smartphones and tablets. Our rating includes only optimized web pages.
Customer Support and Security for NZ Casino Players
Support work is an essential factor to which our specialists also pay due attention. A high-quality, prompt and qualified technical support service is vital for online services. Players should be confident that they can receive qualified advice at any time. When assessing the work of support, our specialists pay attention to the following features and indicators:
- employee working hours;
- speed of response from specialists;
- features of consultation;
- politeness of support;
- number of communication channels;
- interest of specialists in providing information to players;
- language of consultation.
The above parameters help us understand how much an online casino NZ cares about its users and is ready to create comfortable conditions for them to play slot machines.
Special attention is drawn to the security measures and operation of the gambling portal by the conditions and rules of responsible gambling:
- does the online casino New Zealand control whether players comply with the minimum age;
- offers assistance in emergencies;
- does it provide different tools for self-control;
- does it guarantee the safety of personal and contact information.
A gambling portal must guarantee customers protection and safety, especially when providing personal data and using real money.