Advice and Tips for New Zealand Players Getting Started With Online Casinos

There are literally thousands of online casinos operating today, many of which accept real cash wagers from New Zealand players, so for new players choosing an online casino for the very first time can seem a little daunting. Prior to signing up with just any old online casino, or with the first online casino that you come across, there are several important factors that you should take into consideration.

Here are some of the most important factors that you should consider before registering a real money account at an online casino, and I’ve also included some quick reference links below.

Does the casino fully accept and cater to New Zealand players?

You need to make sure that the online casino that you decide to sign up to accepts real cash wagers from New Zealand players before registering an account. If you do manage to register a real money account at an online casino, only to find that players from New Zealand have been restricted from signing up to the casino, your account will immediately be frozen, and you will no longer be able to login to your account. To avoid disappointment, use the guides that I’ve provided for you here at TopCasino.co.nz. My main aim is to try and point you in the right direction to an online casino that is currently fully licensed to accept real cash wagers from New Zealanders. If you want to sign up to a casino that I haven’t recommended on this website, the first thing that you should do is contact their player support to see whether or not they accept New Zealand players.

Does the casino have a good reputation among players and within the industry?

There are numerous online casino operators out there today that have a terrible reputation for being dishonest. Some of the most ruthless operators have lost their moral compass and are only out there to make a quick buck. You always need to try and ask yourself whether the casino has a good reputation among players, but also, does it has a good reputation within the online gambling industry in general.

Some of the most common themes of online casinos cheating players involve the following:

1. The operator of the casino is refusing to pay the winnings that have been won fairly by a player;
   
   
   • Casino operators have been known to say that there was a problem with the software which led to the win, and as a result, the player will not receive his or her rightful winnings. The casino may also try and get the player to accept a much lower amount (possibly 15-30% of the original win), and some naïve players have agreed to take a lower amount.
   • The casino can also hold back winnings by saying that the bonus wagering requirements (aka playthrough requirements) were not completed within a certain period.
   • The casino is constantly stalling and drags out the withdrawal process for as long as possible, which may also eventually lead to a player being frozen out of his or her account.
   • The casino has extremely low weekly or monthly capped withdrawal limits, which means that it can take forever to get your hands on your winnings.
   • The casino keeps on making up excuses, trying to justify why they are reluctant to process the withdrawal and payout the rightful winnings.
2. Deceitful software providers use faulty RNG’s that are more in favour of the house by producing unfair outcomes and low RTP% rates (return to player percentage payout rates).



3. The casino tries to use annoying hidden clauses in their T’s & C’s or will come up with a story about you having abused the bonus, which can make it seem as though you have done something wrong when you haven’t.

This is exactly why it is of the utmost importance for new players and seasoned pros to understand the difference between dishonest, immoral and outright rogue operators from the ones that are good, fair and honest. This widespread ruthless behaviour is why here at TopCasino.co.nz my colleagues and I have created a list of expertly vetted online casinos for you, all of which are perfectly secure and do currently accept real cash wagers from New Zealand players.

Is there oversight by a reputable regulator?

The current legal framework in New Zealand means that there’s no regional or federal regulatory body that oversees online gambling sites that operate from offshore locations. With regards to online casinos that are licensed and regulated by New Zealand authorities, there are currently none available.

This means that you need to try to find an online casino that is licensed by a trusted authority in one of the world’s many major online casino licensing jurisdictions. There are several major jurisdictions where operators of online casinos have obtained their gambling license, and some of the most notable authorities are based in Malta (the Malta Gaming Authority, formerly known as the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority), Alderney (the Alderney Gambling Control Commission) and the UK (the United Kingdom Gambling Commission). I also tend to look for operators that are licensed in Gibraltar (the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority) or Kahnawake, Canada (the Kahnawake Gaming Commission).

I know that the licensing authorities in each of these jurisdictions carry out strict vetting procedures over their licensees, with thorough testing and necessary due diligence checks. Signing up to an online casino that’s licensed by one of these authorities can pretty much ensure that you will be playing at one of the most trusted online casinos in the world because these operators are know for running both honest and transparent operations.

Is the casino solvent and sustainable?

Online casinos that have raised enough capital from their operating activities over the years and have therefore become highly solvent can provide a level of stability that comes with trying to generate sustainable revenue from operating an online casino. For example, an online casino has two options should you end up winning a multi-million dollar jackpot. First of all, the operator can pay you without any issue, or it can pay you, but this will result in the casino going bust. An online casino operator going bankrupt like this is very unlikely to happen when playing at online casinos that have stood the test of time, such as Royal Vegas Casino, Jackpot City Casino and All Slots Casino, which are currently featured in the Top 10 list here on TopCasino.

All three of these colossus online casinos have been successfully operating for more than two decades, having established way back when the industry was still in its infancy in the late 90s, and they have millions of registered members who frequently deposit and play in the real money mode. In my opinion, these are the safest online casinos for New Zealand players. These are the casinos that should never be able not to afford to pay out winnings. However, to stem the flow of such large payments all going out in one lump sum, players are restricted to capped weekly and monthly withdrawal limits.

This is something that you must adhere to at almost every online casino in the world, and it usually means that players can generally only withdraw anywhere from NZ$5,000 to NZ$50,000 per month. The capped withdrawal amount is something that you cannot avoid. It’s simply a way for the casino to protect itself from going insolvent, and it works particularly well for the operator when there have been lots of big winners in a short period (for example several big progressive jackpot wins in one month).

Does the casino offer a variety of games by multiple software providers?

A sign of a great online casino is that they have a comprehensive range of games to choose from, but not from just one software provider. Today’s online casinos no longer urge players to download the casino software onto their desktop or laptop computer to get the complete experience. What I find today is that operators seem to be leaning more toward getting rid of the download option and are pushing players to play instantly in their web browser. This instant play platform is much easier for operators to incorporate games from so many different software providers on their non-downloadable website. For example, at Mr Green Casino, you can now find fast-loading games from more than 20 individual providers.

Microgaming and Playtech have also both adapted to these changes in more recent years by partnering with independent game studios to diversify their content. This gives players an even broader range of games to choose from than ever before. For example, at any of my top-rated Microgaming casinos, you can also now find games from Triple Edge Studios, Fortune Factory Studios, PearFiction Studios, Stormcraft Studios, Just for the Win Studios, EE Games (Electric Elephant Games), Slingshot Studios, Switch Studios, Crazy Tooth Studio, All41 Studios and Foxium. You can also find state of the art live dealer games from Evolution Gaming or Ezugi. Playtech casinos also now have games from Ash Gaming, Origins, Vikings and one or two other subsidiary game development studios. The driving force behind this was down to the players craving for more choice of games.

Does the casino provide attractive bonuses with fair terms and conditions?

The welcome bonus is a major part of getting you to take the next step and sign up to the casino, in the hope that you will then continue to play regularly at the casino, and a solid welcome bonus is one of the first things you should take into consideration before signing up to an online casino. Ongoing bonuses are also then designed to keep players loyal to the casino. The main types of online casino bonuses that you can find information about on this website are matching deposit bonuses and free spins bonuses.

To avoid bonus misuse, you will find that the bonus terms and conditions have been carefully constructed and they tend to be in favour of the casino. One of the most annoying online casino bonus policies is the wagering requirement, which is also often referred to as the playthrough requirement. This is something that you cannot avoid when accepting a deposit bonus and it’s the amount of cash that you have to wager before you can withdraw any winnings that you’ve made from your bonus.

Most online casino deposit bonuses come with a wagering requirement that’s anywhere from 20X times the bonus amount up to as high as 60X or 70X times the bonus amount. The lower the wagering requirement is, the better it is for you. You will also find that only certain games will contribute more (per NZ$1.00 or NZ$10.00 wagered) than other games. It’s generally the Slots and other Instant Win Games that contribute 100% towards completing your wagering requirements. Other games may only contribute 10% or less towards completing them.

Is it easy to browse the casino website and find the games you want to play?

You will have a much better time at an online casino when everything’s easy to find and when navigating your way around the casino is relatively straightforward. Today’s best New Zealand accepting online casinos have been well-designed with the player in mind, and they are user-friendly, which makes for a much less stressful experience. There are often many different ways of being able to filter the games with several useful filter settings, plus a growing number of top online casinos today also have game search engines and one or two other useful tools for players.

For me, having all of these ingredients is of vital importance. I never have any difficulty finding the games I’m looking for at any of the NZ casinos that I’ve reviewed for you on this website, and this is down to the responsive layout of the casino lobbies. Gone are the days of having to spend ages manually searching through hundreds of thumbnails to find my favourite games.

Does the casino offer the best deposit and withdrawal options for Canadian players?

One of the other important factors that you should always take into consideration before register a real money account at an online casino is to find out exactly which banking options can be used at the casino. Does the casino accept your preferred payment method, and can this method be used for depositing and withdrawing, or for depositing only? You can find a complete list of methods by heading straight to the casino’s cashier section.

Some of the most convenient online casino banking options for New Zealand players include major credit and debit cards such as Visa and MasterCard and other methods such as POLi. These popular NZ online casino payment options are reliable and perfectly secure. I tend to use POLi at online casinos because I remember that the very first time I used this method, I found that it was so easy to use. This method lets me connect directly to my New Zealand bank account and debit funds straight to my online casino account. If POLi isn’t accepted, then I use my Visa debit card instead, which is just as easy and just as reliable and secure.

I would always recommend looking for an online casino that accepts either of these payment methods that allow for smooth, secure and rapid transactions each time. The good news is that all of the highly recommended online casinos that I have reviewed for you here currently accept POLi, credit & debit cards, and several other reliable NZ online payment methods.