What is the gambling scene in New Zealand like?
Before looking at the particulars of New Zealand casinos, it is worth just having a quick law at how the market operates in the country. The 2003 Gambling Act covers gambling in New Zealand. The New Zealand Lottery Commission started selling lottery tickets and now provides online casino-style gambling and betting. TAB also provides wagering on horseracing via its websites. These are the only two companies domiciled within the country that are permitted to offer online gambling services.
Checking for licenses
There are no restrictions on New Zealanders playing at online casino sites hosted outside the country. This means they have a great choice of platforms to play on. The advice is to only ever go to sites that are licensed. One of the most robust and experienced licensing authorities is the UK Gambling Commission, and they work with providers to provide safe and secure sites. When you are playing online, make sure you can see that the site is licensed. Otherwise, stay well clear. Your financial security comes first.
PayPal is a sign of approval in its own right
A significant advantage of playing at NZ online casinos that accept PayPal is that you have the reassurance of knowing you are protected by PayPal as well. Among online fintech payment options, PayPal is the daddy of them all. It has been around the longest. It was set up at the dawn of eCommerce and online transactions when the banks had not figured out how to make online debit and credit card transactions safe. Therefore, it comes with its own seal of approval. So if a site accepts PayPal, you can feel confident that the financial transaction is secure.
Disadvantages of using PayPal
No payment system is one hundred per cent perfect, and while PayPal is one of the best, cybercriminals are always on the attack. Because of this, some PayPal users can fall prey to phishing emails where scammers try to get you to divulge your account and personal information. If you do not click on links from unknown email addresses and phone numbers, you should be able to keep your account safe. It is about digital literacy more than anything else, and you need to learn how to stay safe if you are doing any financial or data transactions online.
Online casinos need to be secure and more
Having said that, while security needs to be a number one priority for anyone playing online, it cannot be the only consideration. Not all PayPal casinos are suitable for all people. It depends on your style of play which PayPal casino will be the best for you. No matter how many games a mobile casino has in its library, if the interface to get there is clunky or long-winded, you will probably choose to play elsewhere. In the same way, a casual player who likes to mess around on demo games before making a deposit will have very different requirements from a high-stakes, big-roller gambler.
What do professional reviewers look for
When professional reviewers look at the PayPal casinos that are available, they consider the following factors:-
- Licensing
- Game providers
- Choice of games
- Mobile compatibility
- User-friendliness
- High rollers
Which are the best PayPal Casino sites
In the end, two casino sites came out top of the class across this wide range of criteria. The reviewers judged that there were two particularly stand-out PayPal casino sites. These are Zodiac Casino and Cosmo Casino.
Zodiac was deemed to offer the best experience for:
- Fastest transaction processing
- Best payments interface
- Safest transactions
While Cosmo topped the rankings for:
- Best for withdrawals
- Lowest fees
- Most payment methods
A bit more about Zodiac
Zodiac offers gamblers over 550 different games to play. These include table games like blackjack and roulette, video poker games, progressive jackpots and over 400 pokies. The downside to this site is that there are only two game suppliers, and the site has unreasonably high initial wagering requirements. While these come down from the third deposit onwards, this could be very off-putting for a casual player. However, the level of free spins is attractive nonetheless. The high wagering requirement is not a scam, it is very clear in the terms and conditions, but it does mean this site might not suit every player.
A closer look at Cosmo Casino
There is a decent range of casino games for New Zealanders to enjoy at Cosmo Casino. There are online pokies, table and live games. The choices include progressive jackpot games, video poker and blackjack. There are eight software providers, including Microgaming, Evolution and Gameburger studios. The platform is mobile-friendly, and there is reliable customer support should you need it. There is a welcome bonus, although it is on the small side. On the upside, you get 150 free spins on sign-up. As with Zodiac, check the terms and conditions for the wagering requirements.
How to play at a PayPal casino with free spins
Players need to have a PayPal account to link it to the casino. So if you do not yet have one, you will need to set one up. You must have a bank account and a credit or debit card to do so. If you do not have these, you will need to look for alternative ways to pay, such as a prepayment card like PaySafe.
When PayPal is set up, pick the casino offering free spins and PayPal casino bonus and sign up. Choose the best PayPal deposits as your option. Next, input your email address and password—transfer funds from your personal account to the casino account. You will then need to verify the transaction with PayPal. After a few minutes, you will see the balance in your casino account, and you can start to play.
If you are lucky enough to win when you play, the money can also be withdrawn through your PayPal account. Withdrawals are fast and efficient.