
As of 2025, New Zealand has undergone a major shift in local online gaming regulations. By July 1, 2026, New Zealand will have a locally regulated, fully legal market for online casinos. Until then, Kiwis may still legally access the offshore versions of these brands built for New Zealand players. The new market is essentially for online casinos only - your access to sports betting from New Zealand at these same brands is now off the table, as they've had to halt your access by law. However, if you're a pokies (slots), jackpot or live dealer casino fan, this is amazing news as many of the world's biggest gaming brands will be licensed to offer their online casinos to Kiwis with NZD accounts and payment methods, while directly sharing proceeds with the government and enhancing player protections.
At the moment, literally thousands of online casinos remain open to New Zealand players. Most are totally disreputable brands. Then there are reputable brands that will serve Kiwis, but that require currency conversion toward a casino account in USD, EUR or GBP. We only highlight and recommend the premier online casino brands that offer direct casino play in New Zealand dollars, so you avoid costly, hidden FX fees. Plus, they've all created site-versions just for Kiwis, with payment methods to suit. Lastly, they're all licensed and regulated in a multitude of national online gaming jurisdictions, which should give you peace of mind in knowing that you're with trusted companies, as we await the new local, legal market launch.
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Not all online casinos that serve New Zealand allow free play, practice versions of their games. If you want to try any game at some of the premier casino brands that serve Kiwis with NZD accounts, you need to bet real money. With thousands of available games, you probably won't like every game that you try. So isn't it better to be able to try your pokies and games for free to make sure you like them first? We think so too. The good news is that you can try all the pokies and RNG casino games at Casumo, totally risk free in "Demo" mode, with no sign-up required. At JackpotCity, Kiwi's Treasure and Spin Casino, play pokies or RNG-based casino games for free once you register a no-cost account. |
Casumo was born in 2012. They serve the UK, Sweden and Ontario (Canada) through local licenses, but they also legally serve New Zealand and other key national markets from their international gaming jurisdiction in Malta. Casumo is our #1 pick because even though they call them "slots" rather than "pokies" on their New Zealand version, they are a multiple award winning casino operator with an outstanding interface that really lets players find the games they want. This is key when you have as many games as they have. But crucially, players may try Casumo's slots and RNG casino games for free - without even signing up. You cannot take this for granted everywhere. Like all our recommended casino sites, Casumo offers NZD accounts, so you escape FX fees.
We would call Casumo a "mobile forward" online casino. This means that you get a consistent interface across devices, from your mobile up to your computer. This keeps things super simple, as things feel the same no matter your device. Casumo maintains their casino-first DNA by boasting around 1,600 slot games (pokies), which is an incredible number. If you are big into pokies of any style, this could be a clinching factor for you. They also have an extensive array of live casino games, so you can chat and interact with your dealer and other players. They even offer an array of live game shows. A top casino option for New Zealand.
Want to try their games for free before signing up? Click to visit Casumo, click the "More" icon, then the "Slots" icon. Click or tap any of the displayed game tiles, then click or tap "Demo," or use the magnifying glass icon to search any game to try. We certainly expect Casumo to apply for a local NZ license for the new market launch, so your offshore account can just move over come July 2026. A fantastic online casino option for Kiwis.
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| Casumo New Zealand Review |
JackpotCity Casino for New Zealand is regulated from Alderney, which is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. As part of global online gaming giant, Super Group, the JackpotCity brand is licensed to operate in several local jurisdictions around Europe and North America. JackpotCity was always a casino-only site, so there was never a sportsbook to disable for Kiwis. JackpotCity Casino is in the mix as one of our top recommendations not only because it has an immense number of games with an intuitive layout that allows for free play after you register - they also have a completely tailored site for New Zealand, which includes local terminologies like "pokies" rather than "slots." As with all our recommended online casinos, they have NZD accounts.
As a pokies and casino brand, they have everything you might want. They have a huge array of online slots and RNG-based table games, including so-called "real dealer" blackjack and roulette games that involve recorded video which is integrated into Random Number Generator-based games. They are a sort of middle-ground between pure RNG games with computer graphics, and live dealer games - not every operator offers these "Real" style games. They also have an assortment of live dealer games, including blackjack, roulette and baccarat, where an actual person runs your game, with whom you may interact.
Once you register, you will be able to play essentially any RNG-based game for free in "demo mode", so you can test any game out before playing for real money. This is a real positive point, as not all brands have pre-registration or post-registration free-play options.
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Kiwi's Treasure also comes to you from Super Group, the same large gaming company behind JackpotCity. While JackpotCity is one of their global brands, Kiwi's Treasure, as the name might suggest, is built exclusively for New Zealand casino players. Since the entire site is built for New Zealanders, they use local terminologies on site whereever possible. They actually call pokies by that name, rather than the usual, wider-used term of "slots." So if you like the idea of these familiar terms, Kiwi's Treasure has this edge. Of course, as with all our listed casino sites, they offer NZD accounts.
Kiwi's Treasure essentially offers all the same pokies, live dealer and RNG-based casino table games available at JackpotCity above, so you're not missing out by being with their local brand. Kiwi's Treasure offers its own loyalty program with rewards and surprises even after your initial welcome bonus. Uniquely, beyond their up to $1,000 deposit match offer, Kiwi's Treasure offers 50 spins for $1 on Blazing Bison or Gold Blitz, which is different than their sibling brand above.
Payment methods are slightly different at Kiwi's Treasure, compared to the other Super Group casinos for Kiwis. Rather than Skrill, they support Skrill 1-Tap in addition to those we show graphically. This means you can pay-in via Skrill 1-Tap, but you cannot withdraw by it. So if you want a Super Group online casino with full Skrill capabilities for withdrawals, see JackpotCity and Spin Casino.
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Our last recommended brand from Super Group is Spin Casino. Again, they have taken the time to create a fully tailored site for Kiwi terminologies and tastes. Beyond the pokies and live casino games you can find at its sibling brands above, easily find progressive jackpots or play in free or real-money pokies tournaments.
Again, once registered, you can try out just about any RNG-based game (non-live dealer) for free in demo mode. This is not a feature you can take for granted at online casinos generally, but it's an important one if you want to make sure you will enjoy the gameplay before you risk a single dollar. Of course, as with all our recommended brands for New Zealand, Spin Casino supports NZD accounts so you avoid FX fees. Payment methods include all those shown, plus a prepaid solution called Neosurf.
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Betway was our #2 sportsbook for New Zealand, before they had to shut it to Kiwis in mid-2025. Regardless, they are also in the top tier of online and live casinos for Kiwis as well. If you're not a sports fan, given their name, they might not be at the top of your list. But rest assured, they actually have one of the best live casino offerings available, with a nearly endless array of options, plus branded and exclusive games. You'll find multiple variations of each important game like Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat, but you'll also find lots of live game shows. Interact with the live dealers and fellow players in the chat within so many games from top studios, Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play and Playtech.
When it comes to pokies and RNG-based games, Betway has a huge number for you under "slots," but they also have several "Real" casino games. These games use recorded footage of a real person running your game, as integrated with the Random Number Generation game results. It's a nice middle-ground between "live dealer" games and those pure RNG casino table games that use computer graphics. With "Real" games, you are not really playing with other people, it just looks like a real person is dealing your cards. This could be good if you're a little shy of playing with real people, but like the look of the dealers on video.
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| Betway New Zealand Review |
Don't let the name fool you, BetVictor has also shut their online sportsbook to Kiwis in order to stay on the right side of the new New Zealand laws. Previous to the new laws of 2025, when all offshore gaming was open to Kiwis, BetVictor always had a focus on serving New Zealanders. As a brand focused on the UK, Ireland and Canada, so many things about the New Zealand market made sense for them, especially from a sporting interest perspective. Even though they've had to shut their sportsbook to Kiwis like everyone else, they are still legally allowed to offer their excellent online casino platform. They too have created a bespoke version of their site just for New Zealand, so local terminologies are in force on site, and local payment methods, used only by Kiwis are available, like POLi online debit payments. Few operators support POLi, so if that's a game changer for you, BetVictor is an amazing option, and like all our recommended casino brands, they of course offer NZD accounts.
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The New Zealand online casino legislation, which was introduced in June 2025, aims to create a new locally regulated market and achieve four essential points. 1) Ban unlicensed casino gambling and advertising. 2) Prevent and minimise gambling harm. 3) Protect consumers with things like age-gating (18+), banning of credit card use, establishment of complaint resolution and self-exclusion platforms. 4) Reduce opportunities for crime and money laundering.
Through the legislation, the government may issue up to 15 operator licenses, and no single corporate entity may maintain more that three licenses. Offshore or "international" brands may continue to operate through December 31, 2026 as long as they have applied for a license before July 1, 2026.
So by law, players based in New Zealand may legally continue to play at these online casinos until the new market is open.
The online gaming media outlet iGB has noted that bet365, Super Group (Betway, Kiwi's Treasure, JackpotCity Casino, Spin Casino) Entain, among others have expressed an interest in pursuing licenses.
The 2025 legislation does not outline a fixed casino operator license cost, nor does it confirm the New Zealand Government's share of gaming proceeds. It does however outline a mandatory 1.24% Problem Gambling Levy. However, within a 2024 cabinet paper, we can see that they were settling on a 12% gaming duty. So while we do not know the final figures, it seems as though the total initial New Zealand Gaming Duty will be no less than 13.24%. This is a highly competitive rate that will ensure the best operators have significant interest in joining the market.
No, they don't, but people will logically think they otherwise might have. It's important to ask which trusted online casinos have NZD accounts. When people in New Zealand think about the online gambling brands they could name off the top of their head, most will name bookies based in Australia. This comes as a result of pervasive past and present marketing within major Australian sports leagues. When Kiwis watch Super Rugby, A-League or NRL matches, Aussie bookie brands seem ever-present. However, due to local Aussie regulations, for decades, they only allowed for accounts in AUD, and they only provided pre-match online sports betting - never online casino play.
With new online casino regulations incoming to New Zealand as announced in 2025, all these Aussie operators stopped offering their sportsbooks to Kiwi customers so that their parent companies could eventually enter the regulated New Zealand casino-only market. But you'll need not wait for those new brands to emerge. For now, simply play pokies, jackpots and table games including live dealer ones in New Zealand Dollar accounts at any of our recommended casino sites. No need to wait. They've legally offered casino games to Kiwis in NZD for years and they are legally allowed to continue.
No, so don't take NZD casino accounts for granted, as plenty of "casino review sites" and offshore brands that rank highly in search engine results for queries like "New Zealand Dollar casino sites" can lead you to brands that do not actually support NZD accounts and payment methods. It's a dishonest world in this respect - those websites just want to refer new customers and they will often provide poor information in order to gain a new customer.
We feel your pain. Kiwi online casino fans just want to find reputable operators that offer a great gaming platform, with a wide variety of games, but crucially, also offer NZD accounts, so you avoid wasting money on currency exchange fees that would come in having to play in EUR, GBP or USD. Rest assured that all casino brands that we list indeed offer accounts in your native currency. Just note that none of them offer a sportsbook to go alongside it - they are all casino-only platforms that are legal to play at from New Zealand now, and this lack of a sportsbook option now reflects the new regulations, since TAB remains the only "legal" option within New Zealand itself.
'RTP' stands for 'Return to Player'. This metric is expressed as a percentage. It represents how much money will be returned to the player over a very long period of time, over millions of plays, as found by game testing companies, which report their findings. This is mandated by regulations. It is important to understand that the RTP percentage is not meant to indicate what might happen during an individual's playing session.
For example, if a game displays an RTP of 97%, it is not expected the player would win an average of $0.97 for every $1 staked during a playing session. The RTP can vary widely in either direction due to statistical variance and differs from game to game.
Volatility is another metric used to describe games in the online casino. Sometimes called variance or dispersion, it is provided by the Game Suppliers. This is used to let players know how often they can expect the given slot game to pay out, and how big they can expect that payout might be. A slot game that has "low volatility" will award players with relatively frequent wins for low-to-mid-sized amounts, whereas a slot game with "high volatility" will provide players with much larger wins at a more irregular pace.