Best 21 Live Casinos in New Zealand

The current New Zealand legislation does not allow live casinos to be present within the country. The gambling regulations forbid any domestic online portals to offer gambling services. However, there is no written legislation prohibiting players who are of legal age to access foreign live casinos.

Offshore live casinos are not permitted to promote themselves in the territory of New Zealand, and they face strict penalties if they do so, but they cannot be stopped from attracting New Zealand players from outside the country.

This has completely changed the gambling landscape in the country, as online gambling has proved to be just as popular as land-based gambling in the country, and players are more than eager to place wagers in their favourite foreign live casinos.

Players are also fully allowed to withdraw money from offshore live casinos, and the most popular and the best live casinos have implemented the New Zealand dollar as a form of currency. The only problem the authorities have are live casinos that would try to operate from within the country.

This situation has been more than welcome for offshore live casinos, as they look to attract as many New Zealand players as possible, and they are successful with that. Players from New Zealand love to gamble online, and as the government does not charge them with any criminal offences, they are free to place wagers at any foreign live casino that accepts players from the country.

The gambling history of New Zealand goes way back to the 1830s when Kiwis would bet primarily on the outcome of horse races. The first lottery was conducted in 1877 to raise money, and it was known as the Art Union. During the 1900s the acceptance of all forms of gambling began to decrease and it was seen as an immoral activity. As a result, almost all forms of gambling were illegal under the NZ Gambling act of 1908.

Today, New Zealand is very different when it comes to legal gambling than in the past. Gambling in the country was strictly controlled and regulated until the 1980s when casinos and lottery games were finally approved by the Parliament.

The New Zealand Lottery Commission was established in 1987, and it was a regulatory agency that handled all gambling regulations, issues and governance. Slot machines were legalized in 1991, and they were placed in hotels and bars. The first casino opened a few years later. In 2003 the Principle Act or Gambling Act established the regulatory framework needed for legal gambling in New Zealand.

Nowadays, domestic citizens, as well as tourists, who are of legal age can access the land-based casinos within the territory of New Zealand. When it comes to online gambling, it is forbidden for any operator to start online gambling operations in New Zealand. However, the law does not cover foreign online gambling operators, as they are free to accept players from New Zealand, and those players will not face any repercussions for playing at those sites.

At the moment, on the territory of New Zealand, there are six active land-based casinos, and the first of them opened in 1994. As New Zealand is a major tourist attraction, this helped tourism in the country flourish, as many people that visit the country are also eager to try their luck at some of the casino establishments.

The legal casinos in New Zealand are Christchurch Casino, SkyCity Auckland, Dunedin Casino, SkyCity Hamilton, SkyCity Wharf, and SkyCity Queenstown Casino. These casinos are located in the biggest cities in New Zealand, so tourists do not miss the chance to visit them throughout the year.

As for online gambling, the government's stance is that it should remain illegal within the borders of the country. That doesn't mean that New Zealand players do not have access to live casinos. Foreign live casinos are free to accept players from New Zealand, and the government fully allows punters to place wagers and withdraw money from these sites, as long as they are not located inside the country.

With the latest advancements in technology, online casinos are ever so popular in the world, and players from New Zealand seem to follow this trend. The history of gambling in the country is quite rich, and at the moment it seems it goes in the right direction.

Although land-based casinos are legal, and there are 6 of them based in the biggest cities in the country, the online gambling sector remains illegal, in a way. Despite pressure from the gambling community within the country, the New Zealand government simply refuses to liberalize the market and allow private entities to obtain an online gambling licence.

No operator is allowed to offer online gambling services within the territory of New Zealand, but there is no law prohibiting gamblers from the country from accessing offshore online casinos. This is confusing a bit, as the government does not block or blacklist foreign online casinos, but is not interested in liberalizing the market inside the country.

Because of this, the pressure on the government increases to start with the loosing up of the market regulations covering online casinos, but with little success so far. However, in the future, it can be expected that the New Zealand government will succumb to that pressure and follow the best practices of the most developed countries in the world, and make online gambling legal.

It is a logical step to make, as it can be a good contributor to the economy of the country. The land-based casinos enjoy great success, they are regularly visited by domestic and foreign citizens, so all indicators point that online gambling will enjoy similar, or even better success if allowed in the country.

All of the reliable and trustworthy live casinos across the world have noticed the latest trends in regards to the popularity of mobile gaming. The internet penetration in the world is increasing with each passing day, and people have more access to mobile phones than ever.

This is also the case in New Zealand, as the young population especially enjoys spending time on their mobile phones, therefore they fancy gambling on it. Almost all of the foreign live casinos that accept players from New Zealand have created fully functional apps that are available for both Android and iOS users. They are also optimized for use via a browser, so players don't even need to download the app.

Casinos in New Zealand are legal and are governed under the Gambling Act of 2003 and the amendments of int. Players must be at least 20 years old to enter a brick and mortar casino in New Zealand. Gambling types that are not mentioned in the Gambling Act are considered to be illegal.

Land-based casinos are present in the biggest cities in New Zealand, and at the moment there are 6 active casinos in the country. Residents, as well as foreign tourists regularly visit these establishments and try their luck. Gambling is widely popular in the country, so the popularity of these establishments comes as no surprise.

When it comes to online gambling, there are no legal live casinos in the country, as the government prohibits the creation of any. New Zealand players are blocked from accessing any potential domestic live casinos, but there is no regulation stopping them from playing at offshore live casinos. Regulation is strict when it comes to domestic online gambling, but that is not the case for foreign operators.

The government fully supports offshore live casinos but there are restrictions for advertising foreign gambling operators. They are not allowed to promote themselves in New Zealand, and any media company that does that will face penalties that reach up to $10,000 for each offence.

Players, however, are free to play at any live casino that accepts players from New Zealand without facing any repercussions for it, and luckily there are tons of offshore live casino sites that accept them and have implemented the New Zealand dollar as a currency.

There are a few agencies in New Zealand that regulate gambling in varying degrees: the Parliament, TAB, DIA, New Zealand Gambling Commission, New Zealand Racing Board, New Zealand Lottery Commission, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development, National Government and the second Labour Government.

Some of these agencies have a more important role than others, but smaller regulators also have certain jurisdiction and a say in the creation of legislation for gambling in New Zealand. Some entities are designed to just observe and report the positive and negative aspects of gambling among the New Zealand citizens. These are particularly significant agencies, as their information is the basis for future legislation.

The Gambling Act of 2003 replaced the Lotteries Act of 1977 as the country's primary gambling law, and it had the purpose of harmonizing the regulatory framework for gambling in New Zealand. The Gambling Act was introduced as the Responsible Gambling Bill in Parliament, and it controlled the growth of gambling, together with minimizing the harm that comes from it.

This Act is the official one concerning the gambling game types in New Zealand. Individuals must be 20 years or older to access land-based casinos, and, as mentioned, no live casinos are allowed in the territory of New Zealand.

Live dealer games are very popular among the more experienced New Zealand players, as they require a bit more budget, knowledge, as well as decision-making skills. Players play in real-time against other players, and they cannot control the pace of the games.

Among the most popular live games in New Zealand are live poker, live baccarat, and live roulette. They require a great amount of skill, coupled with the element of luck, so it is no surprise that they are picked as the favourite ones. These games also have many versions of them, so every player will choose their preferences. In these games, players play against an actual dealer, who is a real human being, and they can communicate with that person as well via the live chat option, or the live video stream.

The list of game providers is something any player checks when accessing any live casino. New Zealand players have the luxury of choosing from the best live casinos in the world, as the government does not stop them from attracting players from its country.

Having said that, the most popular live casino sites among New Zealand players have partnered with some of the best, and most advanced game providers in the market, such as NetEnt, Microgaming, Play N Go, Betsoft, Pragmatic Play, and so on. All these providers are known for the best quality and quantity of games, so any player seeing these providers on a live casino site can rest assured of the best gaming experience.

Slots have proven to be the most popular games for New Zealand players, and there are few versions of them. Video slots have more than enough versions for every player's preferences, as each slot has a unique theme, free spins round, or a bonus feature.

Progressive slots are designed for the bravest players, and these require a slightly bigger budget from the players, but they can be rewarding also – anyone playing these slots can win eye-watering sums of money with one single spin. The classic slots are also quite popular in New Zealand, as they are simple to play and to understand.

New Zealand players can choose countless live casinos, and those live casinos look to attract as many players from that country as possible. The bonuses and promotions they offer are always a good way to do so.

When a player registers to a live casino, a bonus package will be awarded to them immediately. The live casino usually covers the first deposit of the players when awarding this bonus. Welcome bonuses have the most terms and conditions, so players need to be aware of them.

Free spins are one of the favourites among New Zealand players, as they can get free spins on certain live slots, or slots from specific providers. This represents a good way for gamblers to earn serious money, without spending money from their account.

Bonuses always have certain requirements, and they can be high, and in that case, the bonus amount doesn't matter. For this reason, before using any bonus, players need to check the terms and conditions attached to it.

As mentioned, welcome bonuses have the most terms and conditions, and only newly registered players can use them. They have minimum and maximum amounts that can be deposited, but they vary from one live casino to another. Free spins are also highly popular, and they are simple to use, the player just needs to check which games it applies to and they can try their luck in winning the big prizes.

As almost all of the relevant and top-class live casinos accept players from New Zealand, it is no wonder that they have implemented the best payment methods in the market. The variety of payment options is key for players in choosing a live casino to register on.

The list of payment methods in the live casinos that accept New Zealand players is long, and it includes Visa, MasterCard, Skrill, PayU, Neteller, and so on. They are very safe to use and have a fast withdrawal request time, so players always tend to choose them, especially the e-wallets.

There are certain payment methods that New Zealand players tend to avoid, and the reason for it is the slow withdrawal procedure that they have. Having instant access to their winnings is of the utmost importance to the players, and payment methods like e-checks and prepaid vouchers do not offer that.

They are pretty safe to use, but it can take up to a month for them to complete a withdrawal request by the players. Apart from these, there is a new trend in the world with using Bitcoin as a payment method, but it is still relatively new in New Zealand, and players are still questioning whether they should use it, even though the best live casinos offer that option.