How We Review NZ Online Casinos

The editorial team at DashTickets.nz, led by editor-in-chief Mark Dash, totalling over 16 years of experience in the industry, is committed to producing independent and unbiased reviews of NZ-facing online casinos.

Casinos that accept New Zealand players come in all shapes and sizes, from those that operate exclusively in regulated markets to those that prefer to swim in murky waters. They’re all competing for their share of the liberal New Zealand market and for the wallet of the Kiwi player, so we took it upon ourselves to say which ones deserve to be here. We do that by focusing on what matters: how will the player be treated and will he get paid.

We combine thorough background research with our own personal experiences as players at the casinos we’re reviewing. We produce reviews that are insightful and valuable to the Kiwi player that is about to play at a specific casino, as he’ll know beforehand what the playing experience will be like.

Important Note

We don’t want to say anything bad about other websites you may read, but most of them will cut corners and simply republish the information that is freely available on the Internet, without doing their own research or making any effort to dig for the truth. Some even use AI.

You’ll notice such websites by the vague terminology that is used throughout the article, by general descriptions of the customer service without detailing their own experience with it, by listing the payment methods without explaining which one is the best for a New Zealand player specifically, and how fast the payment time was.

Why NZ Players Trust the DashTickets Review System the Most

1. Your Personal Mystery Shopper

We run a no-nonsense approach that tells it as it is. Reading the DashTickets reviews is like having your own professional gambler who is acting as a mystery shopper at a given casino on your behalf. The experienced gambler, who knows exactly what to look out for, will then proceed to explain his experience in detail. This is probably the same thing you’ll experience when you play at that casino yourself.

2. No-Nonsense Approach

The casino may have a strong licence. Or a weak one. Or none at all. It may be wildly popular or it may be a casino no one heard about. It may be a multinational brand or a project built by a group of friends. We don’t care about any of these intangibles that, for many players, serve as a proxy for trustworthiness. The only thing that we care about is how will a Kiwi player be treated when he plays there, will he get paid, and how fast.

3. Legal Matters

Our legal team goes through the casino’s Terms & Conditions, looks for fine print and any oddities, and compares the quality of the T&Cs and of the casino’s business practices against other casinos and the usual norm. We know what the norm is, and what T&Cs are considered predatory. We do this research so you don’t have to, and we warn you if there’s something you should be warned about.

4. Company Background Research

The background check of the casino is equally, if not more, important than all of the above. We examine the company information and background, the key people if known, the licencing, and the general reputation of the brand or the group in the industry.

Our Reviews in Numbers

No. of live accounts for each casino review1
No. of experts consulted about each casino3
No. of team members who work on the review5+
No. of NZ players consulted about each casino10+
Total team experience in the casino industry50+ years
Average playing time for review purposes10 hours
No. of games tested10+
Average deposit per casino reviewNZ$30
Average withdrawal per casino reviewNZ$1-NZ$30

Our Step-by-Step Casino Review Publishing Process

  1. We register a new player account at the casino and verify the account.
  2. We examine the bonus offers and the procedure for claiming the bonuses.
  3. We contact the customer support with some question about the bonus or the payments, noting how knowledgeable and helfpul the support staff was, and how long did it take them to respond.
  4. We make a deposit using one of the payment methods and note the payment speed and ease.
  5. We claim the bonus and note how the process went.
  6. We navigate the website on desktop and mobile devices, to test the responsiveness and usability for both desktop PC and mobile users.
  7. We examine the games offer of the casino and count the providers and the games, noting which ones are there, and which should be but aren’t present.
  8. We play 5-10 various games from various sections of the casino that are representative of the casino offer as a whole. We use third-party tools and our own playing experience to determine if the games pay well or not.
  9. We make sure to meet the bonus playthrough requirements, if possible.
  10. We pass the customer verification and note how the process went, how long did it take, and what documents were needed.
  11. We make a withdrawal if there are funds in our account, and note the speed and ease of the process.
  12. We make a background check of the company behind the casino.
  13. Our team reads all the Terms & Conditions, noting the ones that stand out and that might be important for the player.
  14. We consult other NZ players via forums to learn more about their experience at the casino, and have a look at any complaints that may have arisen against the casino in the past.
  15. We compile all the information from the 14 steps above to produce a thorough written review of the casino. We put important information in boxes so they’re easy to read.
  16. The review is edited by two different members of the staff, and is published on DashTickets.nz together with screenshots that were made during the casino playing phase.

Our Review Key Points and Criteria

All casinos that appear on DashTickets.nz must meet the same criteria for inclusion, and must not get an Awful rating at any of the Key Points we examine. The following reference list is what our reviewers use when they form their opinion – and possibly yours too – about the casino.

Payout Speed

Deposits & Withdrawals

Customer Verification

Terms & Conditions

Bonuses

Games Offer

Look & Feel

Customer Support:

DashScore

Using the key points and criteria listed above, we come up with grades for Usability, Deposits & Withdrawals, Games, Bonuses and Customer Support. The average of all those grades is the DashScore, which is our final verdict about a casino, represented with one simple number.

Important: affiliate links never influence DashScore.

How To Use Our Expert Casino Reviews

  1. Read all of them.
  2. Listen to what is being said, pay attention to the player’s experience and comments.
  3. Take the legal matters seriously, especially when it comes to bonuses, account verification and payouts.
  4. Apply the review to your own personal preferences when it comes to games and payment methods.
  5. Check the advantages and disadvantages of the casino and see which matter more to you personally.