Best Mobile Casinos in New Zealand for December 2024

The scope of mobile phone use has been growing steadily over the past years. Online gaming and gambling definitely is one area where the use of mobile devices has significantly increased. There are a number of factors that contributed to this, including continual technology improvements in smartphones, readily available high-speed internet and easy-to-use payment methods, online casinos in NZ are booming like never before. I personally play on my mobile a lot more often than on my laptop.

In fact, statistics show that the majority of players in 2024 are accessing their chosen casino providers from a mobile device. The term mobile casinos itself comes from a time when mobile casino gaming was rare. Nowadays, all online casinos are mobile casinos, as all relevant casino sites are available on mobile, as well as on desktop and in fact there is no difference regardless of whether you're playing on a mobile device or a desktop.

Moreover, the best mobile casinos will have perfect versions of all your favourite casino games, including pokies, roulette, blackjack, poker and more. So if you want to play while on the move, sign up with an online casino in NZ today!

Advancements in mobile technology over the last decade has been the driving force behind the mobile casino boom. As more players now are accessing casino brands via their phones than on their desktop, this number is only going to continue to rise. And the range of games and options available on mobile is growing too. There are hundreds of online pokies NZ players love at the contemporary mobile casinos.

We are starting to see casinos not only offering mobile options, but even starting life as a mobile-focused entity and then base the desktop version on mobile version. That's the exact opposite of what we've been seeing in the past. 

There is little doubt that this is progress for the casino sector, but at the same time, there have been teething issues. At Casinos.com we have created reviews that consider where mobile casinos currently are and where they should be.

Throughout this article, I will tell you how an online mobile casino works, but also what to look out for and how to access the best mobile casinos in New Zealand. This includes things like what to consider, mobile games, mobile casino bonuses, how to find the best mobile casinos, and banking options that are an essential part of any casino.

How We Review the Top Mobile Online Casinos

At Casinos.com we have brought together what we think are some of the best casino minds in the industry. Me and the rest of the team are not only based around mobile casinos, but all areas of casino from pokie games to banking.

Between the team, we have over 50 years of online and mobile casino experience. They’ve been hand-picked, and with that comes a level of expectation that we demand from our reviews.

However, this is all to aid you, the reader. We want our reviews to be the best they can be, so we invest dozens of hours with each mobile casino to see how it works and ultimately decide if it’s any good.

We talk about this a lot, but it’s crucial to note that what works for one player might not work for another. Just because a casino has a rating of “X” doesn’t necessarily mean it will be right (or wrong) for you. The reviews are in place to allow you to decide if the casino is a good match for your playing needs.

Each review has criteria that we like to work through. However, no two sites are ever the same, so we make sure to accent the site's strongest assets, as well as the areas in which it might be lacking.

Game Selection

An obvious place to start is the selected games on offer and how they copy across from online to mobile. The number of games that copy across to mobile is exceptionally high these days and we would estimate that around 90% of the online casino is now accessible on mobile, including live dealer games. In fact, just like casino operators employ mobile-first approach, so do game developers. Big software companies know that most players now are on smartphones and tablets so they make sure that the games are developed and designed to look and feel good on mobile screens primarily. 

Platform

We then switch our attention to the platform for the casino. This includes app-accessibility on iOS, Android and other mobile devices. This then moves into the mobile online casinos, accessed via your smartphone’s browser. Often, they are pretty much identical to the app, but not always, so it’s important to note what is happening across each platform. Most mobile casinos these days are web-based, meaning you'd just need to access the site in your mobile browser without downloading any apps. And if you like to have quicker and more direct access to the casino of your choice, you can add the site to your home screen, name the shortcut as you wish and your favourite site will be one click away.  

Bonuses

Bonuses and promotions are our next stop and we first look to see if there is anything mobile-specific here. If so, how does this compare to the main offers at the casino? Most offers are now clearable across all platforms of the casino, so mobile-specific offers are few and far between. Still, since all players like a casino bonus, we make sure to include this information. In most cases, the bonuses that are available generally, are available regardless what sort of device you're using, but there are instances where casinos offer a mobile-specific bonus, to players who either register, deposit or log in from a mobile device, or when they use a mobile payment method and we make sure to note and highlight these bonuses and present them to our readers.

General Elements

Finally, we then start to look at more general areas of the casino that cross both mobile and online. This includes things like banking, customer support, licensing and features.

As we have stated, no two mobile casinos are the same, so we need to be prepared to mix things up a little bit where needed.

As the number of mobile casinos continues to increase, the list of things that you need to look out for will start to increase. However, don’t worry too much about this, because that is exactly what we're here for. Allow me to present you a number of top mobile casinos and pick the one that suits your needs the most.

The first thing that we would suggest is that a casino player needs to try and work out what you want from new casino sites they join. It might be a certain game, a bonus, a banking option or even a specific promotion you want to take advantage of. It generally depends on the players preferences, but most players like the same or similar things. 

When you break it down like this it rules a lot of sites out, which makes your job that little bit easier. Conversely, if you’re just looking for a change of scenery or not sure exactly what you want, then we have a few guidelines for you.

Game selection is an obvious place to start. Take a look at what’s on offer and see if that fits with what you’re looking to play. For example, if you want to find online roulette casinos, you'll find that all good mobile casinos feature roulette as well as other table games. 

We then move onto the bonus or promotions section. Some may say this is the most important area, but we think that this is the range of games. The reason for this is that the games are going to be around a lot longer than the promotions will be. You should see promos as a nice additional extra, not a make or break reason for joining a mobile casino.

With bonuses and promotions, you have to take a good look through the terms and conditions. These will tell you how accessible that offer will be for the games that you want to play. The small print is always important and we always make sure to note if there's anything you need to know.

A good example of this is when it comes to table games or live casino games like live blackjack. Most of the time a casinos bonus offer won’t allow you to clear said offer with table games. However, if you're a fan of the game, you would still be looking for the best blackjack sites even if you can't claim the bonus. 

Finally, we would be looking to see what banking options are on offer. We like casinos with fast payouts and are dead against having to pay fees to get your money in or out, so these are generally to be avoided. Aside from that, just make sure that they provide a service you are comfortable with using and check their processing times.

As a new player, you’re on good ground with many mobile casinos as they try and lure you through the door. But take your time before making your pick as sometimes if it seems too good to be true, it often is.

New Mobile Casinos

One of the best things about the industry at the minute is that it’s constantly changing. Mobile casinos are still relatively new and with that comes new features, games and even products that continue to be released all the time.

We strive to make sure that we test and review as many of these as we can. This then allows you to make as informed a decision as possible when it comes to a new or existing feature.

What we will add here is that new doesn’t always mean good. Some mobile casinos and the features that are newly launched take a bit of time to bed in and reach a certain standard.

Comparing Mobile Casinos vs Land-Based Casinos

The differences between mobile and land-based casinos are, as you may have guessed, quite significant. They may be built on similar foundations, but the way the two products differ is something that can hardly be compared.

Flexibility

The most obvious difference here is being able to play on the go with a mobile casino site. You can play from anywhere in the world (some countries may be prohibited based on gambling laws) whereas, with a land-based casino you need to physically go to the location.

Range of Games

Game availability is something that differs greatly here as well. Online has thousands of games to choose from with the bigger brands, but a land-based casino might have under 100. They are often much more limited in terms of the choice of games as well, given that most have some costs with running, be it dealers or even engineers to fix things when they break.

Social Interaction

A land-based casino is going to give you the social interaction that mobile just cannot replicate. Yes, you have online casinos with live dealers, but it’s not the same as being actually in a casino playing poker for example. Some people may prefer this, but there is nothing quite like winning as a group and beating the casino. Mobile Casino gambling just cannot replicate this sort of camaraderie when playing.

Mobile Casinos Vs. Online Casinos

Another important factor to consider here is the difference between mobile and online. We have to say that there isn't that big of a difference, it is more of a difference how it looks and feels depending on the size of the screen of your devices, otherwise it's pretty much the same. 

Portability

The most obvious, as with land-based, is that of the portability of the mobile online casino. You need computer access online, and yes, you can use a laptop, but it’s a lot more convenient to just get your mobile phone out than a large laptop.

Game Selection

Games are another section that needs to be compared. The differences here are much less than they used to be, with most online games being copied across to mobile now. It is safe to say that all new games are automatically available on mobile devices. This has been the norm for quite some time and many of the older games have also been mobile optimised. There might be a few odd games that are not available across smartphones and tablets, but that's quite rare. 

To summarise, the future of online casinos in NZ is with mobile. The trends are already heading that way with more people now playing on mobile than on laptops. The next five years will almost certainly see that number surpassed, and games will start to be mobile-focused and then adapted for online instead of vice-versa.

What we can’t do is say that one is better than the other. What we will do is provide you with all the facts, the differences, the features and the games that you can expect, but then you need to decide which is best for you.

The number of games that are now accessible on mobile casinos is growing. They’ve gone from around 40% coverage of the online casino to over 90%. Some mobile casinos even have more games than online, which is a trend that we expect to continue.

What we are seeing is that most companies who are releasing mobile pokies and other casino games are doing so with mobile in mind first and then adapting them to online. This isn’t the case with all games, but it’s increasing. You may be wondering why there is still a drop-off between online and mobile, and the answer to this is that for some games, it’s just not worth the effort to get them converted.

If you think a game provider such as NetEnt has hundreds of games at their disposal, some of those games will likely get little to no traction. These are generally older, classic pokies for the most part. The graphics and the software for these games just can’t keep up, and therefore, it doesn’t make sense to have them accessible both online and via mobile.

The evolution of HTML 5 has meant that games are much easier to copy to mobile. This has revolutionised the mobile sector, making it much easier for a game developer to create one product and then have the software direct the game on different devices.

What we’ve also seen is an increase in one-finger gaming. This means that the games have been designed to be played with one hand or just one finger. So, instead of operating your phone like a game from a console, you can just use it as if you were sending a text.

The mobile casino games have been able to move buttons and change features to fit this. In a lot of cases, they are minute changes, and most won’t notice them, but they make huge impacts as to how the games are both accessed and played.

We wanted to add that when we review a mobile casino, we pay a lot of attention to the ratio of games on mobile compared to online. There might be a slight discrepancy, but anything above 10% difference is too much. Most top online casinos would offer the same number and generally the same range of games on the mobile and the desktop version. 

Casino Apps

Most of the mobile casinos that we test also come in the form of a casino app. They work just as any other app would in that you download it, install it and then open it.

Apps are readily accessible on most iOS and Android devices. iOS is usually available from the App Store and most Android apps from the Google Play Store. However, Android still has issues with the Google Play Store not accepting casinos, so the casino companies have been able to create APK files that allow you app access, direct from the casino.

It’s very rare that we ever see any differences between Android and iOS apps. In fact, the best casino apps always support both operating systems. If there are any differences at all, they are usually small features like Touch ID for login or Google/Apple Pay for banking.

Best Mobile Devices for Online Gambling

1. iPhone – The iPhone is one of the most popular mobile devices in the world, so it makes sense that it’s one of the favourites for mobile casino players. They are reliable, readily available and accessible for all mobile casinos that we have tested.
2. iPad – Apple’s tablet is another great product to visit mobile casinos on. Apps do sometimes struggle with the larger screens, so the mobile site can sometimes be a better pick here.
3. Samsung Galaxy – One of Apple’s biggest rivals in the mobile sector and mobile casinos sector is that of Samsung Galaxy. This is a hugely popular phone on Android and can access a wide range of mobile casinos.
4. Xiaomi – This Chinese brand is becoming increasingly popular and many NZ casino players now own a Xiaomi which makes it one of the most popular mobile casino devices. 

Finding the Best Mobile Casino Games

As new games are released for mobile casinos every week, finding the best mobile casino games can be relatively tough. There are a few key things that you can look out for.

• RTP (Return to Player) – This is the rate that the game returns to the player. The higher the percentage the more it pays back. Generally, anything over 96% is deemed to be pretty good, but the best games are 98%+ with some at even 99%. 
• Progressive jackpots – These are the great payout games and have huge sums for when the jackpots randomly drop. The biggest games have millions on the table here.
• Sounds and graphics – Gameplay is hugely important on mobile and these games not only need to look good, but sound good as well. Some of the best games have a feel of being in a real casino or with pokies, they take you through a story rather than just pressing a button repeatedly.
• Features and bonus rounds – This is generally linked to a pokie game more than anything, but a game that includes a good range of features and bonus rounds will make them infinitely better than those without. Ideally, you want several of each and you want them appearing frequently enough that they are very accessible and you can win some bonus funds easily.

When you are playing pokies, especially if you are playing real money pokies you need to make sure that the games you choose are both fun, but also fair and trustworthy and that's what we're going to help you with.

Before we move on, we wanted to state that a lot of older games are being updated and refreshed as they make their transition from online to mobile. At Casinos.com we will re-review all games and casinos that have little tweaks to make them mobile-ready so you can be sure you’re getting the most up-to-date info available, regardless if you're looking to play pokies, or you're searching for the best poker casinos.

You will find that almost all casino bonuses are accessible on mobile devices. Very few differentiate much here whether a player signs up online or if they sign up via the app in terms of what promotions are available.

The only thing we will note here is that some games are not always available on mobile, therefore, you are a little more limited as to what games that you can clear a bonus with.

Welcome Bonuses

Welcome bonuses are going to be most common here. This will allow you to get access to things like deposit matches where you deposit a certain amount of money and you get given a deposit bonus up to a certain amount that matches your deposit.

You will then need to wager through these offers, which again, you can do on a mobile device.

Free Spins

Free spins are another promotion that you can expect to claim via a mobile casino. These are where the casino gives you a set number of spins to use on one of their pokies. The game will be chosen by the casino and the amount you can win will likely be limited. It's still worth watching out for as everyone loves a these bonuses, especially if they are free spins no deposit - i.e. where you can get your spins without even making a deposit first.

No Deposit Bonuses

Mobile casino no deposit bonuses are rare in the industry these days, but still accessible, so worth talking about. They are bonuses that are applied to your account regardless of whether you make a deposit or not.

The money should be used to get a feel for how the mobile casino works and also test out some new games. Most come with a large wagering requirement (35x wagering is very common), so it’s hard to get money as a withdrawable balance from these no deposit offers.

That being said, if you can find one of these, snap them up, as they often don’t stick around for too long.

Loyalty Bonuses

It’s also worth noting that things like loyalty points and VIP rooms can prove to be one of the most lucrative parts of any mobile casino. If you are dedicated to one casino or play a considerable volume, these sections of a site are areas that you need to target.

Rewards include cash, bonuses, free spins, electronics, holidays, VIP events, concierge services and personal accounts managers. Here VIP Players can be offered promotions with a threshold well above the usual max bonus amount.

Mobile Casino Deposits and Withdrawals

The casino payment options caused a lot of issues in the early days of mobile gambling. They were limited and they were often not very user friendly. Generally players will have to match a minimum deposit requirement of some sort to play with an online casino.

Thankfully, those days are long gone and it’s now easier than ever to move money about using your phone. The most common for New Zealand players are going to be the likes of Visa and Mastercard. Given that most people own at least one, they are highly accessible, but PayPal casinos are also quite popular, as well as sites that support other e-Wallets.

You then move to mobile payments, with the likes of Apple Pay and Google Pay being two that are increasingly popular. Given that these are linked to your handset, it saves having to upload any information to the casino, which is a bonus.

The majority of the mobile phone casino brands are now able to accept payments that are linked to your mobile provider, and these are known as pay by phone casinos. So, you deposit your phone and then it comes off your monthly phone bill, whatever network provider you are with.

Three companies do this better than most, and these are Pay By Phone, Boku and Payforit. E-wallets have been about since the start of the online era and they have managed to thrive for mobile payments as well. Standout names include the abovementioned PayPal, then also Skrill, Neteller and Paysafecard.

Finally, cryptocurrency is the buzzword on a lot of people's lips right now and the mobile casino sector has got in on the action. Several different cryptocurrencies are accessible, with Bitcoin being the most common.