Best NZ Gambling Sites

Ever since betting went digital, gambling sites have been bringing gaming to the comfort of your own home. They promise to whisk you off to the poker tables as you laze on your sofa, or let you have a flutter on the footie while you soak up the sun in your garden. Here, we take a look at what makes the best gambling sites of all and break down the various types of online gaming portals you’re likely to encounter. Get ready to place those bets.

What are gambling sites?

Put simply, gambling sites are websites that let you play online casino games, bet on sports, enjoy bingo, poker and so on.

These days, the top gambling sites cover a whole range of different gaming options.Some will focus on in-play sports, while others specialise in online poker tournaments There are Vegas-inspired virtual casinos with everything from pokies to blackjack tables. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Often, the top gambling sites combine all of the above into a single portal. That means less shopping around for different sorts of betting –  less chopping and changing when you want to wager on the races and enjoy some slots in the same sitting. 

How we choose the top gambling sites

Pinpointing the top gambling sites is no mean feat. There are hundreds of options out there. Small, big, well-known, niche – they’re all vying for your bets. Of course, different styles of online gambling sites suit different players. However, the very best gambling sites often have a lot of features in common. CasinoSelect.co.nz focus on those when we come to handpick our favorites: 

• Enticing sign-up bonuses
• Secure and safe deposits and withdrawals
• Tidy interfaces
• Wide ranges of betting markets
• Good odds
• Variety of betting types
• Good customer service

What makes a good casino?

Top gambling sites are often judged by the quality of their casino games. And that, in turn, is often defined by the wealth of games on offer. Some places will have literally hundreds of different pokies to pick from – who could get bored of pulling the one-armed bandits when there’s everything from sci-fi video slots to retro Vegas slots?

On top of that, we always like to see generous sign-up bonuses. These often come in the form of free spins or no-wager bets, which mean you can start punching away at those fruit machines or trying your luck against the croupier without even risking a cent. 

What makes a good betting site?

The best gambling sites that focus on sport tend to make their reputation on a few factors. These include:

• The variety of sports and markets offered
• Attractive odds
• In-play betting options
• Bet promotions
• The variety of betting types on each market

That means you’ll usually find that the best gambling sites let you place your New Zealand dollars on the horses while also stringing together accumulators for AFL, rugby league, and many more!

On top of that, the very best gambling sites come with a myriad of betting types. Will you try your luck at naming the first goal scorer? Will you go for that number 10 to convert five tries? Or do you go niche and nail the number of corners and free kicks in a single game? It’s up to you.

What makes a good bingo site?

Security, game variations, welcome bonuses – bingo! That’s the recipe for the best gambling sites of the lot when it comes to this tried and tested gaming favourite. You’ll want to be certain your dollars are secure when you place your money on the table. You’ll want to be engaged in every game with different winning line combos and themes, and you’ll want to be tempted and enticed to play with great bonuses.

What makes a good poker site?

The best gambling sites for poker players usually come with a few basic features: 

• Account security
• Lots of deposit methods
• Easy, simple interfaces
• Gaming options

The next most important aspect is the variety of low stakes games, cash tables and tournament options. Beginners out for a bit of fun at the table don’t want to slap down $20 without even playing a card. Similarly, sharking pros will want to be sure there are high-stakes games to get stuck into right away. What’s more, the top gambling sites for poker often involve multiple variations of the game, from much-loved Texas Hold’em to Stud and Omaha. 

Gambling offers

There is a distinct connection between what we consider to be the best gambling sites and the best gambling bonuses. Simply put, the top sites have the latest and greatest online bonuses. This is evident when assessing new gambling sites and their respective offers, since they are attempting to attract customers in an increasingly competitive market. This is why you’ll notice bonuses on new gambling sites tend to be larger, a little more creative and friendlier regarding the terms of the offers. 

For online casino bonuses, you will find a selection of offers like no deposit bonuses, first deposit matches, free spins and even ‘bet $10 receive $10’ style offers. However, for ‘betting sites’, the bonuses tend to be tailored towards sports. That’s why the bonuses can follow slightly different structures. Key betting bonuses you may find include profit boosts, cashback incentives, free bets and enhanced odds, since betting sites allow you to wager on sports rather than casino games.

Best Mobile Gambling Site 

It’s one thing finding the best gambling sites in New Zealand, but it’s another thing entirely when being able to play the best mobile sites. As you’d expect, for us to class a site as among the best, most of the desirable elements must transition from desktop into the mobile offerings, ideally as part of a gambling app. This means the vast majority of games must be available on mobile, the same bonuses must be available and the overall mobile experience must be exceptional. Rest assured, New Zealand’s best gambling sites all tend to satisfy when it comes to mobile gaming.

As for the reasons to pursue mobile gaming versus desktop gaming, we believe there are two which stand out. Firstly, playing on mobile is amazingly convenient. Should you install the respective smartphone or even iPad apps, you can pull out your device, log in and be playing a game in just seconds. Secondly, accessing your account on mobile creates complete freedom of location. With rapid internet connection speeds and extensive data plans these days, you can enjoy mobile gaming whenever, wherever and for as long as you please.

Best New Casino Sites 

Two feelings tend to occur for gamers who are considering joining a new casino site. For some, the feeling is excitement. For others, it’s apprehension. Either way, the fact remains that new gambling sites tend to have a series of positive factors surrounding them, even if they have only recently been launched:

Rewarding bonuses

Here’s a little known secret – the best gambling bonuses are often found at brand new casino sites. These new sites need to attract potential gamers away from other more established casino sites. One of the best ways they do this is to offer larger, more user-friendly bonuses.

Fresh games

Another way in which new casino sites distinguish themselves from more established counterparts is by implementing the freshest casino games. The more modern the games, the more fun and the more excitement you are going to have by playing them. New casino sites are quick to introduce new additions to the gaming portfolio too. 

Bespoke mobile apps

Sites which have joined the market more recently than others also tend to launch with mobile apps readily available. As stated, these apps are truly bespoke, boast incredible aesthetics and the performance of the games on these apps live up to expectations. 

Best New Betting Site

When we speak of ‘betting’, we are specifically referencing sports betting as opposed to casino gaming. For any site to be considered for shortlisting in this category, it has to have an online sportsbook and it must have been introduced recently. But to rank as one of the best, we like to see competitive odds, coverage of plenty of sports, features such as cashouts and streaming, as well as plenty of bonuses. These are fundamentals that New Zealand’s best gambling sites all tend to honour. But there are a couple of other features we’d like to mention too:

Variety of markets

Online sports betting can be pretty extensive. But while there are sites out there which cover plenty of sports and events, only the best new sites will offer hundreds of markets to choose from per event. The more markets available, the more choice you have.

Accessibility of in-play betting

Many punters prefer to wait for live betting markets to open up. Reasons for this can be to get a gauge on how the game is playing out or to take advantage of odds fluctuations, while some bonuses may even be reserved for live markets too. 

Best New Bingo Sites

Bingo has come a long way since the early days. While previously it was solely enjoyed through respective bingo halls, it is now available to play online. The best gambling sites in New Zealand tend to offer a selection of bingo variations for you to enjoy. This can include 90-ball, 80-ball, 75-ball and other specialty bingo games. But in terms of the best new bingo sites, they have reached this status for a few reasons:

Low ticket prices

Playing online bingo doesn’t need to break the bank, as shown by the top bingo sites today. Many sites allow you to grab a ticket for as little as 1 cent, but they also have options to purchase tickets for upwards of $1 too. 

Large payouts

Generally speaking, the higher the ticket price, the larger the potential payouts. But the best new gambling sites will offer high payouts as a baseline, and many games will even have jackpot prizes for those players who gain a full house within a set number of calls. 

Varied bingo rooms

This is different from the actual bingo formats like 90-ball and 80-ball. Of course, these are standard bingo formats, but the best new sites tend to create ‘bingo rooms’ with different themes and unique features to keep things entertaining. 

Best New Poker Sites

Poker is a highly sought after card game at many NZ casino sites. When new sites launch with poker as part of their offering, they are always worth investigating. The very best new poker sites will be fully licensed, mobile-friendly, support a range of games and have plenty of bonuses for both new and existing customers. Of these factors, we consider these to be the most critical:

Availability of live and RNG poker games

Poker can be played in two formats, both live and RNG (random number generator). For us to rank a new site up there with the best in the market, it must offer both variations. But this isn’t enough. The live games must support HD streaming, there must be several games to choose from and they must be listed on mobile. As for the RNG games, we like to see multiple providers available to diversify the games. The gaming interfaces must be player-friendly too. 

Tailored bonuses

Using bonuses to gain an edge on your favourite games isn’t frowned upon. In fact, we encourage it. That’s why the best new poker sites we identify all have bonuses which can then be used to play leading poker games like Three Card, Texas Hold’em and Caribbean Stud.