Online Gambling in New Zealand
Our experts have discovered the top online casinos in New Zealand for 2020, and we’ve covered some important points that can spare you lots of headaches when betting online from the island nation. You’ll discover a safe selection of casinos that accept the NZ dollar as a currency to play with and a great variety of casino games like slots, roulette, live card games, and more!
You’ll even find a way to play online pokies from NZ on your mobile phone because many online gambling venues in New Zealand offer mobile casino games!
Unlike Australia, where online gambling is heavily regulated and extremely restricted, you can easily find venues to play online pokies in NZ. Opportunities to have online slots fun are limitless.
Joining a New Zealand casino is quick and easy, and often comes with some of the best bonuses. Remember that you can use the NZ dollar to play online slots or live casino games if you’re a Kiwi.
But you always have to keep in mind, that no matter your geo-location, you’re still potentially threatened by ending up on a bad online casino. That’s what we’re trying to avoid here by compiling a short guide of what the best online casino in New Zealand should look like and offer.
Our team has gone through and explored dozens of places where you can join an online casino if you’re from New Zealand. We aim to make gambling safe and fun. That’s why, if you’re a Kiwi ready to play online pokies in NZ, keep reading!
New Zealand Casino Regulations
Despite applying softer regulations, New Zealand casino legislation is still very strict and you need to make yourself familiar with it if you’re to have a pleasant and fun experience gambling online from NZ.
Gambling is deemed illegal unless it’s authorized under the so-called Gambling Act of 2003. The Act categorizes gambling in four distinct classes, each requiring its own license to be legal. They are divided according to the prize turnover.
In reality, the Gambling Act of 2003 bears down only on local gambling venues. If you want to play at online casinos based overseas, you will not have a problem with that. You can freely play there, as long as their operations are based outside of New Zealand. That’s why Europe and Canada online casinos are extremely popular among the Kiwis.
Good to Know!
New Zealand doesn’t have a gambling commission that can issue licenses. Gambling operations are regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs but they do not license venues. If you come across a casino that claims to have a license in New Zealand, it is probably not safe at all! Stay away from them!
Best Online Pokies in NZ & Other Casino Games
The online pokies need to be just as good as the casinos you play at. If you’re a New Zealander, then you know your pokies. For everyone out there, who’s not a local, pokies are the well-known and globally loved slots. They are extremely popular among the island nation.
There is no end to the great online slots you get to play as a New Zealander. If your online casino of choice accepts players from the island, rest assured that you’ll have access to all important slots. Enjoy classics like Starburst and the excitement of the Immortal Romance slot.
Maybe you prefer to play specifically Microgaming slots? Or you’re looking forward to Pragmatic Play’s approach and fun design? The best New Zealand casino would have those for you.
But if you’re a gambler and you are looking to join an online casino from New Zealand, you won’t be limited to slots only. We’ve discovered the best places to join if you’re from NZ, and they offer a huge variety of opportunities to bet on and play.
If you like table games or are looking for the thrill of a live adventure, you can play craps, poker, blackjack, american online roulette, and so much more. Your location wouldn’t be a problem, as we mentioned already, you can easily join and play at an overseas casino.
If you want hands-on experience with the best online pokies in NZ, you can simply visit our free slots room and take a couple for a free spin. This will be quite helpful when deciding on the online casino to join, or just for fun.
Taxes on Online Casino Wins in NZ
To stay on the safe side and never have trouble with local authorities, make yourself acquainted with whether or not you have to pay taxes on your online casino winnings when playing from New Zealand.
The good news is that you can play at the online casino of your choice using the NZ dollar as a currency. This is not 100% guaranteed for all places where you can bet, but the best online casinos for New Zealand you will most definitely be able to place bets in your own currency.
But that’s not all. New Zealand has accepted gambling to be a hobby and treat all online casino winnings as a result of a hobby. That’s why New Zealanders are exempt from taxes on their winnings. You know what that means, right? No losses from taxes! When playing at an online casino that accepts New Zealand-based players, you keep everything to yourself.
The party that pays taxes is the online casino itself but that doesn’t concern you as a player.
How to Choose a New Zealand Online Casino?
Our carefully thought-out methodology for online casino selection has worked well for us so far. But if you want to be able to choose a New Zealand top online casino on your own, keep in mind to look for the following elements:
1. Regulation
Remember that New Zealand doesn’t issue casino licenses, so don’t get misled by such claims. If you come across any of them, it is probably an unreliable casino. Better look for casinos licensed from Malta or UK gambling authorities.
2. Deposit Options
Given you’re probably located in New Zealand, you’ll have to carefully consider the deposit options. It is best to choose an online casino that accepts the NZ dollar as a currency to bet with. In addition to that, look for casinos that accept various payment methods to ensure you will be able to deposit money the way you want to.
3. Free Spins & No Deposit Bonuses
The sweetest part of betting at an online casino is probably not winning, but the bonuses you can get and turn in your favor. Bonuses for New Zealand players will vary, especially if it comes to free spins and no deposit casino bonuses. This is determined by the games that are available for playing in New Zealand. You’ll probably get the no deposit bonus and free spins additions for the most popular and best online pokies in NZ.
4. Match Bonuses
Carefully read the terms of the bonuses. Most casinos operate in the most popular currencies – USD and EUR. When a matching welcoming bonus is offered by the online casino of your choice, you might be required to deposit a different amount from the announced minimum to get the bonus, simply because you’ll be depositing in a different currency.
5. Customer Care
In addition to regulations, another sign that the online casino you’ve chosen is reliable, is the availability of 24/7 customer support, preferably through live-chat. Keep in mind that your location, in this case – New Zealand, will determine the time-zone difference is the support is not active 24/7.
6. Game Variety
As we already discussed, not all games will be available to players in New Zealand. This is due to regulatory restrictions for providers, depending on their licensing. But don’t worry, it is most likely that you’ll find the games you want to play at the online casino of your choice. The best gambling sites have huge selections of pokies and big enough selections of table and live casino games so that you can confidently play from New Zealand. To get a taste of the games you could play, don’t forget to come across our lobby! There all the games are in demo and free-of-charge to play!
Gambling Responsibility in New Zealand
Online gambling in New Zealand is considered to be a hobby, a generally pleasant activity that can have a positive social and community effect. But the authorities are not blind to the dangers we’ve discussed as well in our Responsible Gambling section.
Information on how to get welp with gambling problems in New Zealand can be found both on their Department of Internal Affairs page and on the website for the Ministry of health. Helplines are divided between urban-specific areas.
In addition, you can reach out to the nationwide Gambling Helpline service. It is available 24/7, and you can always contact them if you feel like you need help with restricting the habit before it’s become an addiction. Here’s how to reach them:
- Call: 0800 654 655
- Text: 8006
- Fax: +64 9 909 8775
- Maori Gambling Helpline – 0800 654 656
- Vai Lelei Pasifika Gambling Helpline – 0800 654 657
- Youth Gambling Helpline “In Ya Face” – 0800 654 659
- Gambling Debt Helpline – 0800 654 658.
It is possible that a specialist counselor won’t be available at the time you call, but you can schedule and request a call back ASAP once you reach the helpline.
Remember that it doesn’t matter if you’re playing from New Zealand or somewhere else in the world. What matters is to act responsibly and aim to gain only the positives of online gambling. Playing online pokies shouldn’t be a dangerous addiction. It should be fun and enjoyable! It’s up to you to ensure that 100%.
