Live casino games are a great way to experience the magic of a real casino from the comfort of your home computer or smartphone. On this page, we’ll look at some of the most popular live casino games as well as top NZ sites.
Casinos With Live Casino Games NZ
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What is a Live Casino?
A live casino is an online site that offers a selection of live games. This is a genre of casino games that features a live dealer or host, along with real tables and sometimes, props. It is broadcast live to New Zealand from professional studios located across the globe and is hosted by professionally trained staff members.
When you join a live casino table, such as live Blackjack online, you’ll play alongside other real players and watch the cards being dealt by a real person onto a real table. In addition, the best online live casinos include background sounds and effects to provide an even more realistic experience.
Live casinos are just as safe and fair as virtual online casinos. Card games, such as live Baccarat online, use mechanical shufflers to ensure that cards are properly shuffled in an unbiased way. Other live games, including Roulette, use real wheels that are audited by independent test labs periodically to ensure that they are not rigged in any way.
In recent years, top live casino providers, including Evolution and Pragmatic Play, have developed a range of live-action games. These offer players the combined thrill of becoming the protagonist in a tv show and having the chance to win live casino payouts. There are several popular examples of these games in NZ, including Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt and Deal or No Deal Live.
The best live casino sites, such as the ones featured on this page, offer a varied selection of live dealer and host games for you to enjoy. Apart from traditional casino table games, many top sites offer several variants, such as Immersive Roulette, where they make use of the latest technologies to provide you with an unrivalled ultra-real experience.
Best Live Casino Games to Play
Live casino games offer you a fun and interactive gaming experience. There's often good banter with the live casino dealers and presenters, plus you can also chat to other players via the in-game chat systems, making you feel fully immersed in the games. Below are a selection of some top live casino game reviews to try:
How We Test Live Casino NZ
Before we list any live casino operator on this or any other CasinoGuide page, our team of writers carry out an in-depth analysis. Using similar criteria to what we use when carrying out research for casino reviews, we ensure that we separate the best live operators in New Zealand from the rest.
Here are a few of the features and characteristics that we analyse:
● ✔️ Live Casino Welcome Bonus
● ✔️ Terms and Conditions
● ✔️ Live Game Offerings
● ✔️ Safety and Security
● ✔️ Payment Methods
● ✔️ Ease of Use
● ✔️ Mobile Friendliness
Types of Bonuses Available
The vast majority of live casinos that accept Kiwis offer welcome and ongoing promotions. We look beyond just the value of the bonus to ensure that it includes fair and reasonable terms. As part of our commitment to delivering expert advice, we also highlight the best ways to make the most out of your deposits.
Jackpots
Live casinos offer a range of in-game and tournament-style jackpots that you can win once you’ve registered an account. The value of these jackpot prizes varies from one operator or game provider to another, but it is always important that the best sites offer a fair environment to all players.
Software
When talking about live casinos in New Zealand, it is impossible not to mention Evolution Gaming. This is the single largest brand that offers one of the widest choices of table games, live Roulette online, and live-action titles. However, at top NZ sites, you can also play live games by Pragmatic Play, Authentic Gaming, Ezugi, and Playtech.
Stream quality
One of the vital ways to ensure an ultra-realistic live casino experience is to offer smooth visuals with no lag or buffering. Whilst a few seconds of delays might not impact your online pokie experience, a reliable and high-definition stream quality is essential for top operators of live dealer casinos.
Casino security
It is important to stay safe when playing live casino games with real money. One of the best ways to protect yourself is to only use licensed platforms. New Zealand does not offer casino licenses, so the next best option is to use sites that are licensed by renowned offshore jurisdictions, including Malta, Curacao, and the UK.
Casino reputation
Part of our research includes looking at how a particular live casino treats existing and past NZ players. If there are numerous unresolved complaints or a significant animosity towards a particular platform by a large number of users, this raises concerns that the site should not be recommended.
Payment methods available
The best live casinos in New Zealand let you pay using several convenient payment methods. You can deposit and withdraw funds in NZD using Visa, Mastercard, ecoPayz, Skrill, Neosurf, Paysafecard, or any other popular banking option. In some cases, you can also use cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, to fund your account.
Things to Look Out for When Choosing a Live Casino
We understand that you might wish to carry out some of your own research to decide which live casino best matches your preferences. Here are some tips to help you:
Any operator can engage Evolution gaming to instantly offer a range of live casino table games. However, the best live casinos in NZ partner with multiple providers to ensure that their platform offers a comprehensive choice. Some of the most popular live games providers, apart from Evolution, are Authentic Gaming, Pragmatic Live, and Ezugi.
The range of live games featured on the best casino operators is truly comprehensive. You would normally find classic games, such as live Roulette, live Baccarat, or live Blackjack on most platforms. However, due, in part, to the country’s relative proximity to Asian cultures, you’ll also be able to play live Andar Bahar, live Sic Bo, and live Teen Patti.
All the software providers we’ve mentioned throughout this page are renowned for featuring live dealers that have been professionally trained and are able to handle the challenges of live games. The result is a seamless player experience that includes entertaining interactions whenever time allows.
Using live casinos and software providers that are proven to be legitimate and fair provides you with numerous advantages. A high level of security is certainly one of them. All featured casino operators and their software providers are not only licensed but must undergo periodic checks to ensure that they can protect players against online threats.
Step by step guide to start playing at a live dealer online casino
If you’ve never played at a live casino in New Zealand, you should find the following section helpful. The licensed online sites require that all players register and verify their accounts in order to reduce the possibility of scams or underage gambling.
However, in a bid to reduce your hassle, the best operators have streamlined the entire registration process, and you can complete it within just a few minutes.
Depending on the live casino, you might be asked to select your first deposit welcome bonus whilst placing your payment or right after the transaction is complete.
Live dealer games on mobile apps
All of our recommended NZ live casinos offer a mobile-optimized website that you can use to access the full library of live dealer games. A small number of these sites also provide dedicated apps that you can download onto your Android or iOS devices.
Both options give the opportunity to play live games in comfort and safety. However, when it comes to overall user experience, it is difficult to beat mobile apps. These are designed specifically for your mobile operating system and provide the ultimate user-friendly experience.
Live casino apps make full use of your device’s CPU and GPU along with other resources. You can, for example, receive push notifications to inform you of new games or the latest live casino bonuses. In addition, it only takes a couple of taps to load your favourite live dealer game.
Nevertheless, there are some advantages to using live casino mobile sites rather than apps. With no software download necessary, you can access games from any device, including Windows and Huawei. This is particularly convenient when you use multiple devices to play live dealer games.
Moreover, due to the increased costs of developing games that are suitable for dedicated apps, many software providers prefer to focus their investment on broad-range mobile optimization instead. This sentiment is shared by live casino operators which prefer to offer multi-device access through a single website.
The pros and cons of live dealer casinos and regular games
Live dealer and virtual casinos offer a number of benefits to most Kiwis. The use of new technologies and payment options make them far superior to most land-based establishments. Moreover, you are more likely to benefit from generous bonuses from online platforms.
Live Casino Pros
Live Casino Cons
Are Live Casino Games Better Than Traditional Online Casino Games?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. What is better for you may not be so for another player. In most cases, it’s all a matter of personal preferences and choices. Both live casinos and virtual platforms offer a variety of games and opportunities to gamble and win real money.
Live Online Casino Games Pros
- You get to enjoy an experience that’s only second to visiting a real Vegas casino.
- Live dealer games make use of the latest technologies to provide an immersive and ultra-realistic environment.
- Gives shy or introverted players the opportunity to play table games without needing to keep up a conversation with other players or the dealer.
Live Online Casino Games Cons
- You get to enjoy an experience that’s only second to visiting a real Vegas casino.
- Live dealer games make use of the latest technologies to provide an immersive and ultra-realistic environment.
- Gives shy or introverted players the opportunity to play table games without needing to keep up a conversation with other players or the dealer.
Traditional Online Casino Games Pros
- Top online casinos offer 1,000+ titles, with new games added monthly.
- You can access a greater variety of bonuses to use on pokies and other traditional online casino games.
- Virtual casino games can accommodate a broader range of betting limits, including so-called penny and high limit pokies.
Traditional Online Casino Games Cons
- After a while, games can become repetitive and somewhat boring.
- It is easier to burn through your bankroll in a shorter time since each round only lasts a few seconds.
- Pokies and other traditional casino games deliver a video game experience rather than an immersive one.