Update for 2022
We first heard about SkyCity launching an online casino back in 2019. They managed to scoop the Best Online Casino in NZ award from BestNewZealandCasinos.com in the first year of operation. The big question is whether or not SkyCity have managed to keep this momentum and hold their place as the best casino for Kiwi’s to play at online with hot competition coming from Casigo casino. SkyCity have a great bonus currently of 100% match up to $100 and 70 free spins that still brings them new players everyday.
SkyCity Online Casino
SkyCity online casino has gone from strength to strength since first entering the NZ online casino market. The casino did have some initial teething problems when it launched back in 2019 but most of these have been rectified.
In the time since SkyCity Malta launched their online casino offering they have changed the way in which Kiwis view online gambling completely. The professional approach taken by the team in Malta with regards to player protection and service has many other online casinos that offer services in New Zealand running scared.
Signing Up at SkyCity Online casino in 2021
SkyCity launched with a very strict registration process that required customers to complete all their KYC (Know your Customer) checks upfront. This registration process is a little slower and far more invasive than its online casino competitors. SkyCity Online Casino have maintained this thorough onboarding process but have managed to improve their approval times with a team operating 24/7 verifying customer details. The reason SkyCity give for this strict process is that they take customer security and player protection seriously and want to ensure that customer are protected upfront. We go into this in a little more detail later in the article.
New customers to SkyCity can now also avail themselves of an additional no deposit bonus if they sign-up to SkyCity through BestNewZealandCasinos.com. This allows customers to receive 20 free spins on registration that they can play with whilst waiting for their account to be verified. This is an extremely generous top-up bonus and more than makes up for the slightly laborious registration process.
Pro Tip: To speed up the registration process use your drivers license as this speeds the authentication process up.
The SkyCity approach to online casinos
SkyCity are the first online casino we have come across in New Zealand that has proactively put player protection mechanisms in place to ensure that players that suffer from problem gambling get the support they need. This is accomplished through a stringent registration process where SkyCity ensure that every account is verified prior to allowing players to deposit or actively play any real money casino games.
This approach is completely different to that of other online casinos in New Zealand where KYC documents are often only requested when players withdraw from the casino for the first time. This is because most online casinos see KYC as a fraud prevention mechanism as opposed to a player protection mechanism.
This approach of putting the player first is followed through, throughout the online casino experience. The SkyCity welcome bonus is not some crazy $1000 free but a far more reasonable $100 free plus an additional 70 free spins (to get 20 more free spins sign-up via BestNewZealandCasinos.com), that are distributed in increments of 10 on your first 7 days. Winnings on free spins do not require players to meet wagering requirements to release winnings either.
A safe online casino
SkyCity Aukland was opened in 1996 and has been servicing New Zealanders for the past 24 years. The casino was refurbished in 2013 to make it the most modern land based casino in NZ. The SkyCity brand and logo were redeveloped in 2019 to coinside with the lanch of their new online casino brand.
The tenure and continoius work on building and improving the SkyCity brand add a huge amount credence to SkyCity Online Casino being credited with the status as NZ’s safest online casino platform. The active role SkyCity has taken in helping the New Zealand government address the lack of online gambling regulation should also be taken into account when looking determining the safety and security of playing at the SkyCity online casino.
How to play at SkyCity Online
Going directly to the SkyCity casino webiste will allow players to signup and play at the online casino but after doing a little more research we have determined that the best way to at SkyCity casino online is to go via the BestNewZealandCasinos.com website and signup via the link on that site. This will ensure that you get an additional 70 free spins on top of the standard $100 welcome bonus.
The future of online casinos in NZ
SkyCity are pushing for a comprehensive bill to regulate online casino games in New Zealand that will help protect Kiwi players and ensure that profits made from New Zealands are taxed in New Zealand. This will add a large amount of money to the tax man’s coffers and protect local online casino players from preditory practices.
There have also been moves to ban the use of credit cards as payment methods at online casinos in the UK and Australia in recent months with New Zealand expected to follow suit soon. This is a great move to protect problem gamblers from spending more than they can afford to gamble.