Surfplay casino review: up to NZ$6,500+ 225 Free Spins in welcome bonus

Ramona Depares, Content Writer

Surfplay casino is a new addition to the NZ casino market, but it has the full might of Dama N.V. behind it, which is a huge company with many sites, so I had high expectations.

The bonus is generous, offering up to NZ$6,500 and 225 free spins on two extremely popular pokie titles. The NZ$45 qualifying deposit feels like a tough ask, given that I usually play with a more modest budget. However, the games library of 4,000+ titles tempts me back, especially when I see that withdrawals are mostly completed in 24 hours.

Here's my full Surfplay casino review to help you decide whether this is your next favourite casino or whether you’re best served elsewhere. I will analyse everything from payment terms and limits to customer support, games, bonuses and more.

Here's exactly how the bonus is divided:

• 1st deposit - 100% up to NZ$3,000 + 100 free spins
• 2nd deposit - 50% up to NZ$1,000  + 75 free spins
• 3rd deposit -  100% up to NZ$2,000 
• 5th deposit - 50 free spins
• 10th deposit - 30% up to NZ$500

I had three days from registration to activate the offer, which is pretty standard. However, I did find it tough to complete the playthrough in seven days, as I had to fork out more than NZ$1,800 in that short time span. 

For this reason, if you're a low-roller, I'd advise you to look at the LeoVegas welcome bonus. With a minimum deposit requirement of NZ$10 and a 20x playthrough, I managed to cash out my winnings at just NZ$200, a fraction of what it would take on average at Surfplay.

Surfplay casino's welcome bonus - an overview

Bonuses for returning players at Surfplay

Once I had used up my initial deposit and bonus money, I found three ongoing loyalty promotions:

• Daily cashback of up to 20%

  I received 5%, as I was still on the lowest rung of the VIP club. I was taken aback to discover that I needed to make a minimum loss of NZ$30 the previous day to qualify for this cashback. There is also 3x wagering on cashback, which was a shock, as this is a return on money that I've already lost. Industry-standard is usually 1x for cashback offers, like at Legiano, for example.
• Tuesday free spins

  I was offered 40 free spins for a minimum deposit of NZ$45, with a wagering requirement of 40x. If you have a better budget, you'll receive an even bigger reward of 100 free spins for a minimum of NZ$75 or 200 free spins for a minimum of NZ$150.
• Weekend reloads

  Surfplay offers a 50% match up to NZ$300 every weekend. You just need to deposit at least NZ$45. This bonus also comes with 40x wagering requirements and a three-day expiry.

Compared to older brands like BetVictor, which only offer 1,500 games, you can see why I was positively impressed by Surfplay's library. I tested all categories and found them equally well-equipped: the live dealer section, in particular, is never-ending. As for the pokies, I enjoyed finding the evergreen player favourites like Buffalo Trail and Big Bass Splash.

Try free games before you deposit

I always like to give the games a go without investing money before launching the real-money version. At Surfplay, top titles like Dog House Megaways and Lady Wolf Moon are available for free, as well as the entire 3,000-strong selection of pokies and RNG table games.

You can also practice leading casino games for free at Casino.org. We have more than 19,000 to choose from, so you can get comfortable before you make a deposit.

The best software providers - 58 of the leading names

Surfplay casino is populated by leading software providers in every game category. Pokies offer the largest variety, and I found award-winners like NetEnt, Playtech, and Betsoft present with their entire collection of games. The total number of providers is 58, so it's a safe assumption that you'll find what you're looking for.

I'd have liked to find more pokie categories or filters for easy access, but this is a minor gripe. Despite not being grouped, themes like candy, movies, Ancient Egypt, and Greek Gods are all there - you just need some patience to find them. I found the best way to source games is by the provider or the search bar at the top. The provider menu is excellent; it took me straight to the entire collection of games by the software studios I love.

Live casino: find more than 1,000 live games at this casino

Finding such a huge collection of over 1,000 live dealer games is very unusual. Even the most well-known New Zealand casinos, like Tonybet, typically offer only a few hundred. No fewer than six live software providers are available including Ezugi, Alg, 7 Mojos, Evolution, Pragmatic Live, and Beter Live hosting. 

Scrolling through the selection revealed a number of top games like Sweet Bonanza Candyland, Auto Roulette, Salon Prive Blackjack and XXXTreme Lightning Roulette. There are also rarer games like Pachinko and several specialist language tables like Japanese, Indian, and Spanish. 

I also enjoyed the live streaming from various casino floors worldwide, such as Portomaso Casino and Oracle Casino in Malta and Casino de Guadalajara in Mexico.

I was especially pleased to see that both Google Pay and Apple Pay are accepted for deposits. This is quite unusual at online casinos in New Zealand. Neither Ruby Fortune nor Royal Vegas have added them, and they've been in business considerably longer than Surfplay.

How to deposit in 5 steps

Making your first deposit at Surfplay casino is easy, and the money will instantly appear in your casino account. Here’s what you need to do:

1. 1
   Sign up – Register or log in to your account at Surfplay casino
2. 2
   Go to the cashier – Click on the blue deposit sign at the top of the page
3. 3
   Choose a payment type – Pick your preferred deposit method from the menu on the left
4. 4
   Enter the amount – Key in your deposit amount 
5. 5
   Verify and play – Verify the transaction as requested by your payment provider and start playing immediately

Minimum deposits and withdrawals

The minimum deposit at Surfplay casino is NZ$30 for all payment methods, which is higher than the average of NZ$10 to NZ$20. However, even though deposit and withdrawal limits are higher than the standard, Surfplay will deliver your winnings quicker than most sites. 

Withdrawals typically take around one day, although the precise timings depend on your chosen method. Bank transfers will likely take a few more hours, but e-wallets and cryptos are finalised on the same day. This gives Surfplay casino an edge compared to sites like Casimba, where payments can take up to 5 days.

Surfplay casino offers all the responsible gambling tools expected by the industry nowadays. All games are authenticated and provided by highly reputable software providers, so there’s no need to worry about fairness.

Safety and security overview – 100% on point

I honestly couldn't find any genuine downsides to the safety and security features at Surfplay casino. You'll notice that my only complaint is the lack of independent game fairness testing.

In practice, this doesn't actually detract from my ranking of the casino's security because all the games here are provided by highly reputable and licensed companies with an excellent track record in the industry. 

Many casino game providers at Surfplay are licensed by multiple gambling regulators. This means they have undergone more than one independent auditing process, so you know you are in safe hands.

Finally, I was extremely happy to see that Surfplay takes responsible gambling so seriously and that all efforts have been made to ensure that any struggling player finds the support they need. This makes a nice change from other sites like JustCasino, which also belongs to Dama N.V. but appears to be skirting these responsibilities.

HTML5 technology has made casino games accessible on regular mobile browsers, so the time and money needed to create an app has become redundant. I accessed Surfplay, logged into my account with zero hassle, and immediately found the entire library of games at my fingertips. However, Jackpot City is rated 4.5 on the Google App Store if casino apps are your thing.

Did I enjoy my experience on Surfplay mobile?

Absolutely. The site ran ever-so-smoothly on my iPhone 16. I signed up for an account straight from my phone, and the process was not fiddly at all. Thanks to a quick Apple Pay deposit, I was able to start playing within less than 2 minutes. 

All the game categories were instantly accessible, so I had thousands of games waiting to be tested. I spent a long time putting Auto Roulette through its paces, as I've had some experiences where the platform couldn't cope with the game's speed. It wasn't the case here, and Surfplay acquitted itself beautifully on my phone.

The live chat was a hell of a ride. It took me about four rounds to get past a bot, which greeted me by asking if I was a VIP member. Upon replying 'no,' I was regaled with a list of reasons to make larger deposits and climb up the VIP levels.

That done, I circumvented the bot's attempts to fob me off and kept asking for a human agent. 'Jack' entered the chat, and I suddenly found myself chatting with what I suspected was another bot that scrambled to find an answer to my no deposit bonus query. 

I was asked about my day, so I asked Jack about his. Before I knew it, I had read about Jack's plans for Christmas. While I appreciate the ambition to be friendly, the bot had already put me in a bad mood.

How we tested the customer service

I enlisted my colleagues' help to see if they had a similar experience with customer support at Surfplay. We all tested both email and live chat with a variety of questions. My question about whether the site offers a no deposit bonus was answered efficiently, and it also directed me to the list of current promotions.

All my colleagues reported a similar experience, where they had to go through several steps before being connected to a live agent. Once they got through, their questions about payments, games, and bonuses were all answered expertly, with an average waiting time of three to five minutes.

One downside was that the games lobby could do with more menu categories and filtering options. As things stand, sourcing games of a specific genre or category is cumbersome, and you need to know the name of the game or the provider. Maybe the site can take a page from Revolution Casino's excellently laid out categories, which make scrolling through the lobby a dream.

How to register at Surfplay 

This was one of the fastest registrations I've enjoyed at any online casino. Here's what you need to do to start playing:

Smooth and intuitive experiernce, but needs more filters

After spending around two weeks testing every nook and cranny of Surfplay casino, I feel confident in recommending it. The site has not only lived up to Dama N.V.'s reputation but has also managed to improve on it from a safety aspect. I was very heartened to note all the responsible gambling efforts.

The welcome package is generous, with reasonable wagering requirements. The minimum deposit required is on the high side, pointing to the fact that the site caters mostly to serious rather than casual players. This doesn't make the casino any less attractive, but it is good to keep in mind if you're a low-roller.

The games lobby is awesome, despite the lack of filters. At the end of the day, what matters is the choice and quality of games, and both are top-notch here. Payment options are above average, and the withdrawal time takes less than 24 hours in most cases, so I have no complaints. All these elements contribute to a highly positive Surfplay casino review, and I have no hesitation recommending this site to Kiwi players.

About the casino in New Zealand

While Surfplay may be a newcomer, its owner, Dama N.V., certainly isn't. The organisation is known for being the name behind at least 112 of the 'newer breed' casinos, embracing cryptocurrencies and providing thousands of games to players. Like Surfplay casino, all Dama N.V. sites are licensed in Curacao.

Other interesting facts

Dama N.V. was established in 2019. Although information about its exact ownership is difficult to track, it's likely to be part-owned by Softswiss, another giant casino provider.

Some of the sister sites of Dama N.V. include BitStarz, Oshi Casino, and RocketPlay.