We have quite a number of criteria we use when we rate online casino sites. After all, online casinos in the New Zealand market are vast, with varying qualities and different ranges. So, we have a checklist of main features which we use to make accurate comparisons and assessments. This checklist assists us in determining the best casinos in New Zealand and those just coming up.
Read along as we take you through the major points in how we rate online casinos.
We know that bonuses and promotions appeal to New Zealand players a lot, so we will start this article with how we rate casinos based on promotions and bonuses.
We begin by looking at the free spins and welcome bonuses the casino offers. Then, we extend our search to cashback deals and reload bonuses after which we also look to see if the casino dedicates bonuses to mobile users or live casino players. Unlike some other review websites, however, we do not just focus on the headlines but rather make certain that the wagering requirement on the casino site matches industry standards. Because what use will it be for a player to receive a large sum of bonus cash and not be able to complete the wagering requirements?
Aside from the welcome bonuses, we also look at other promotions the casino offers throughout the year. This sometimes includes seasonal slots tournaments and promotions. In summary, we ensure to check every possible bonus and promotion offer and only rank those casinos that perform exceptionally in these areas high.
It is one thing for a casino to boast a wide variety of casino games on offer, but players will not get the best experience if the casino’s payout percentages are low. This is why we focus so much on the RTP (return to player) ratio the online casino offers. We look for slots that have an RTP percentage of 90% or more. It is sometimes understandable to see high-paying progressive jackpots with low RTP percentages, but non-jackpot slots cannot afford the same.
Similarly, we want to see that the casino offers a reasonably low house edge on classic table games such as baccarat, blackjack, and roulette. We will likely rate casinos that fall into these categories very high.
As you know, there are several casino games out there, and the best casinos are those that parade a wide range of casino games because players spend most of their time playing them. We recommend only casinos with a great selection of slots, live dealer titles, progressive jackpots, and table games. We also look for additional gambling avenues like player-vs-player poker, scratch an wins, virtual sports betting, and sports betting.
Furthermore, we also check that the casinos we recommend have some of the best game providers in the world behind their titles waiting and ready for players. For instance, such casinos should have one or more top names like Playtech, Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, or Microgaming. What’s more, when many options are available, the casino must provide a way to make searching and filtering through them less difficult. On our part, we rate New Zealand casino sites high if they can boast of all the things mentioned above.
When players see a preferred casino site to play with, the next thing that comes up is the issue of payment when they want to add funds to their playing account. Casinos with more payment method options are rated high in this regard because they give players choices. This implies that players do not have to be disadvantaged because they only have access to a particular payment method. Hence, we always advise our users to choose wisely.
In addition to the number of banking options available, we also consider the small print on the payment pages of the casino site, such as withdrawal and deposit limits, processing and transfer times, and other additional fees.
For example, the number of withdrawal times of slot titles can negatively the experience a customer gets from an online casino. So, we regard this in high esteem when rating and assessing an online casino.
We know that easy-to-use and navigate casino sites are players’ favourites. This is because no one wants to surf endlessly before they can access basic commands on casino sites that will take them directly to their preferred page.
New Zealand casinos we rate high are those that are easy to search through, easy to use, easy to filter through games, and have their main pages available within a click because New Zealand players like to have the most essential things at their fingertips.
For instance, it should be seamless to access the cashier area to make a deposit and withdraw winnings. We also remove points from casinos that do not make it easy to locate information about a promotion. Unfortunately, some gambling sites in New Zealand fail in this category, which is why we only rank those that excel higher, because New Zealand players deserve the best.
Customer support is often overlooked in many casino rating sites even though it is perhaps one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a casino.
Great customer support is essential to all the best online casinos in New Zealand. While playing in an online casino, things may not always be as smooth as expected as players might run into an unforeseen problem. Players will have to run to customer support for help when this happens. These problems could range from depositing problems, game restrictions, or an active bonus. These problems can kill the gambling excitement and give players a bad experience.
Thus, we only give top marks to casinos that offer efficient and effective customer support to New Zealand players. We also rate highly casinos with punctual, friendly, and knowledgeable staff who make themselves available to attend to players’ needs via email, phone, and live chat. This ensures that problems are quickly resolved before they escalate. In a nutshell, customer support is a primary criterion when we rate casinos.
Reputation and ownership of an online casino is one other aspect that many casino players in New Zealand do not often consider. However, we assess New Zealand online casino sites for their reputation to guarantee that players will have a great time on the online casino site.
We always focus on gambling forums, online casino blacklists, and social media to see if a casino site is improving or in the bad books. It takes only a second to ruin the great reputation an online casino might have built over the years, so we take reputation very seriously in rating online casinos.
In addition to a good reputation, we always check the ownership of an online casino site because many of them are often part of groups. Once something goes wrong with one of the companies in this group, it can affect the entire group. If we spot a casino that belongs to a group with questionable history, we don’t rank it high. To rate casinos rightly, we always carry out thorough research.
Another extremely important thing we consider is the safety of New Zealand players. Players need to feel secure and safe when they play online. Therefore, we first look out for the coveted approval seal from one of the key licensing authorities. We also check the license details to ensure its legitimacy while we take time to find out if there is an open and robust policy that focuses on protecting the financial and personal data of New Zealand players.
Lastly, we check the casino site at large to see if it is protected by the latest encryption technology, which should be either TLS or SSL at least, and it must be applied to every page in the online casino. So that players can safely enjoy playing games on their favourite sites.
You can find each game's RTP (return to player) information in the game. Players can find this when they click on the "I" icon, settings, or rules, and it will take them directly to where they can get the RTP information. Return to player is expressed in percentages, and it is better if it is closer to 100%. For instance, games with RTPs of 96% and above are considered better than those with 88% or less. Players can also find information about volatility using this same "I" icon.
Yes, it is. Although we earn some commission via affiliate links on our platform, we do not compromise our standards. We retain control over editorial content, including our opinions about any casino we review. Doing this ensures that users will always find transparent, factual, and honest data about all the casinos we review and rate.
It's quite easy to test the casino's customer support. We first examine the contact pages and other avenues to reach out to the support team. The ideal customer support for players is available 24 hours, so we look for this and check for other contact methods. We then send some test questions via live chat or email to test their knowledge and response time.
You will mostly find this information in the footer area of the online casino site. Most gambling sites will have a logo for the licensing authority that will show players more details about the casino's license. Alternatively, there may also be a text link in the footer area of the casino site, together with the license number.