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Gambling sites Kiwis should avoid
We only recommend online gambling sites that are licenced and safe and that we are confident will offer a fair experience. We also want to ensure players avoid sites that don’t provide that.
The sites below have been reported for various issues, from not paying winnings to ignoring customer complaints. We recommend you look elsewhere if you are considering joining one of them.
- Why you should avoid
- Unprofessional customer support
- Site operators linked to questionable practices
- Not paid players their winnings
- Why you should avoid
- Reports of players not receiving winnings
- Misleading claims of licensing
- Unresponsive to customer complaints
- Why you should avoid
- 18+ months for withdrawal
- Locked-out accounts
- Slow response times
New Zealand’s best gambling sites at a glance
Below, we’ve listed the top online gambling sites based on key factors, such as the fastest payouts and biggest bonuses. The table also offers you a good indication on what to expect from casinos in NZ in terms of payment types, games and licencing.
🥇NZ’s top online gambling site | Jackpot City Casino |
🤑Biggest bonus available | Wheelz |
💸Fastest payouts | Legiano |
💰Top payout rate | Jackpot City Casino |
🎰Popular games | Online pokies, blackjack, roulette, poker |
⚖️Most common licences | Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao eGaming, UK Gambling Commission |
💳Top payment options | Visa, Mastercard, bank transfers, e-wallets, crypto, Paysafecard |
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Play for free before you sign up
At Casino.org, we have over 19,000 online casino games you can play for free before committing to play for real money. Check out how the latest games work, or practice your strategy below.
Buffalo
Cleopatra
88 Fortunes
Roulette
Cash Eruption
The most popular types of online gambling
Gambling sites can cater to any game or style of play you want. Below, we’ll look at the most popular types of gambling in New Zealand and their pros and cons.
Pokies
Blackjack
Roulette
Poker
Sports betting
Bingo sites
Other game types
Our top casino bonuses
Expert tips for gambling online
If you’re new to online gambling, following these tips will give you the best chance of having a positive experience.
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Do your research
Before committing to an NZ gambling site, see what others are saying about it. Take a look at its games library and payment options. We recommend that you read the online reviews at Casino.org, as these are the result of thorough research and testing by experts. - 2
Set a bankroll and stick to it
A bankroll is a budget for gambling, and it’s essential to plan what you’d like to spend and stick to it. Decide on a budget and decide on which games you want to play. - 3
Practice on the free play demos
Free gambling games are an excellent way to practice games before you commit to risking real money. With pokies, you can understand game mechanics and bonuses, even though you won’t be able to cash out winnings. - 4
Choose the correct payment method for you
Picking a payment method at a casino is all about personal preference. Some players want convenience and stick with a method they already use, whereas others prioritise anonymity or speed. Decide on what’s most important to you, and make sure the site you’re playing at can process payments. - 5
Pick low stake titles
Avoid games with high minimum bets, as you’ll burn through your bankroll too fast. Most pokies and table games allow you to make bets of 5-20c per hand or spin, which is a nice starting point for most beginners. - 6
Make sure you pick up your welcome bonus
Claiming bonus cash and free spins will stretch out your bankroll further. Click the links in the table at the top of this page to access our exclusive Casino.org bonuses to get more cash and spins, but always check the Ts and Cs and wagering requirements. If the terms are bad, do not accept the bonus, as you’ll likely never be able to withdraw any money. - 7
Look out for special promotions
Most NZ casinos run special promos on new games to promote them. They also run regular daily or weekly promotions on game types like poker or live dealer games. If you see them and they are available for a game you are interested in, then take advantage. - 8
Never chase losses
Once you’ve used up your budget, take a break and come back next time. This helps keep things fun and ensures you don’t chase losses.
How we rate online gambling sites
Any time we assess a casino, we use a 25-step rating system that covers all aspects of the site. Below, we’ll look at some of the main criteria we use in detail.
Safety & licensing
When assessing a gambling site, our review team addresses a few key questions related to safety and licencing. Firstly, is this site secure? Are the players protected regarding financial and personal data? Is there a priority placed on responsible gambling? We only recommend a site if we can answer yes to all those questions.
We also seek licensing from reputable gambling regulators such as the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission. Sites that hold both, like Rizk casino, score even higher. We also check for auditing seals from independent companies like eCOGRA to ensure games are fair.
Bonuses & promotions
We score casino bonuses based on quantity and quality, so when looking at a new site, we look at wagering requirements, expiration terms, and other Ts and Cs to ensure everything is fair and above board.
Our top scorers are those that offer high welcome bonuses coupled with low wagering requirements, such as Jackpot City’s deposit bonus of NZ$1,600 and 200 free spins with 35x wagering requirements. The average wagering requirements in NZ are 40x, so this beats that and is one of the biggest offers available.
We also pay attention to the number of loyalty offers, such as cashbacks and reloads, as well as regular tournaments. If a gambling site keeps giving regular players bonuses beyond sign-up, it gets a higher rating from us.
Games available
The best sites should have an excellent games lobby, with a large selection of online pokies, live dealer and table games from reputable software providers. A library of 800 to 1,000 games is standard, but many of our highest-rated sites have much more than this. Legiano, for example, has more than 12,000 games to choose from.
We also check that the games available are from top software providers like Evolution, Pragmatic Play, Playtech or Games Global. Legiano delivers here, too, with 108 available, including all the big names.
Mobile gambling app experience
Most people now gamble online using their phones, so unless a site delivers a smooth mobile experience, it’s not getting our vote. Ideally, sites offer an app that’s compatible with iOS and Android. Rizk and JackpotCity offer excellent apps that receive consistently high user ratings and recommendations from us.
Newer casinos designed using HTML5 don’t require an app to make it on our list of best online gambling sites. The technology allows players to access their site via mobile, with the same experience. Kiwi's Treasure, for example, offers 1,200 of its games on mobile and desktop, so it received a 4.6/5 star rating in our latest review.
Payment options and times
When gambling online, it’s essential to have access to payment methods that are secure, convenient and processed as quickly as possible. That’s what we look for in the sites we recommend, and it’s why we rated Spinight so highly. This new casino offers 20 payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller and nine different cryptocurrencies.
Our expert reviewer also received her winnings within a few hours of processing the withdrawal, which helped the casino get a 4.5/5 star rating.
Customer support
When completing reviews, we check if a 24/7 live chat is available for players in case they have any problems after joining a site. We also make multiple enquiries to test how long it takes to get our questions answered.
That’s why we ranked Jackpot City, which replies almost instantly, higher than Winawin, which takes around 30 minutes. A site that also offers e-mail and phone support gets bonus points.
Usability
New Zealand’s top online gambling sites offer more than excellent products in a safe environment. They offer a user-friendly experience, which makes finding your favourite games and making deposits easy.
We like to see a fast registration process, such as the one offered by Wildz, and a top-notch games filtering system like Rizk casino, which allows you to filter by software provider, new releases, and themes. All these elements push the online gambling experience from okay to superb.
Are gambling sites for you? Pros and cons

"Still not sure whether signing up to some NZ gambling sites is a good idea? The list of pros and cons below will help point you in the right direction."
Pros
- You can win real money – It’s an obvious one, but if you gamble real money, you have a chance of winning.
- You are eligible for generous bonuses – All our recommended NZ online gambling sites offer good welcome packages with fair terms.
- You don’t need to dress up to enjoy a flutter – You can safely lounge in your sweats because there’s no dress code for your couch.
- You can play from your mobile device – The sites we recommend are all 100% compatible with all devices.
- You gain access to a huge games library – Online gambling sites offer much more variety than their land-based counterparts.
Cons
- You need a stable internet connection – If your connection is patchy, your gambling experience will be inferior.
- You can lose money – The house always has an edge, so a percentage of loss is unavoidable.
- You miss out on the social angle – There is no real life interaction, although live dealer tables do counteract this.
- Cashouts can take some time – Many casinos have to follow a legal and administrative process before transferring your winnings to your account.
Is online gambling legal in NZ?
Yes, it’s legal for Kiwis to gamble online. If you’re based in New Zealand, you can access safe, reputable, and licenced casinos in other countries without any worries. Under current law, casinos based in NZ can’t offer online games. The country has in-person casinos, but they aren’t regulated for online play. That is all about to change, though.
In July 2024, the government announced that it would regulate online casinos in 2026. This probably won’t change much for players, as they can access legit online casinos, but the government argues it will generate taxes and add extra safety.
Timeline of gambling in New Zealand
- 1951 – TAB, the world’s first government-run totalisator gambling service, was introduced
- 1987 – The national lotto game is launched – National lotto game is launched
- 1988 – Pokie machines are made legal
- 1989 – Parliament approves the introduction of land-based casinos
- 1994 – The first casino, Christchurch Casino, opens in New Zealand
- 2003 – The Gambling Act was introduced, and the New Zealand Gambling Commission was created
- 2004 – TAB starts offering a wider variety of sports betting options
- 2024 – Government announces plans to regulate online casinos
Top places to gamble offline
Six land-based (offline) casinos are currently operating in New Zealand, four of which are owned by SkyCity. Here are the top three most popular locations.- 1SkyCity Casino in Auckland: This is the largest casino in New Zealand, with more than 150 tables, almost 2,000 online pokie machines and 250 automated table games. The casino includes dedicated poker rooms, ongoing promotions, and a reward scheme, and it offers top-notch live entertainment.
- 2Christchurch Casino: Another well-loved option, with more than 450 pokie machines, 32 table games and a fully-fledged entertainment centre that counts multiple restaurants, bars and daily live events. The Players Club is free to join and rewards members with multiple on-site perks, such as food and beverage discounts.
- 3SkyCity Hamilton in Hamilton: This casino is renowned for its exclusive VIP services, but even casual players will find plenty to enjoy with 23 live dealer tables and 340 pokie machines. The live dealer tables come with multiple progressive jackpots, making them extremely popular on the floor.
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