Last updated: June 2026 — Rachel Ngata, Reshapers
At Reshapers (reshapers.co.nz), every casino review you read has been personally researched, tested, and written by Rachel Ngata. We do not publish ratings based on hearsay, promotional materials, or third-party summaries. Our goal is simple: to give New Zealand players an honest, detailed, and independent view of every online casino we cover in 2026.
This page explains exactly how we evaluate casinos, what criteria we use, how much weight each factor carries, and how we arrive at a final score. We believe you deserve to know the process behind every rating before you trust it with your money.
Before anything else, Rachel verifies that the casino holds a legitimate licence from a recognised regulatory body. Casinos operating in New Zealand are checked against authorities such as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the UK Gambling Commission, and Curaçao eGaming. Any site that cannot demonstrate valid licensing is immediately removed from consideration.
Rachel personally creates a real player account on each casino using her own details. This means she experiences the sign-up process exactly as a New Zealand player would, including identity verification steps, welcome screens, and any initial restrictions.
A real deposit is made using payment methods commonly available to NZ players. This tests the accuracy of advertised deposit options, processing times, currency handling, and any hidden fees. Rachel does not rely on screenshots or operator-supplied information for this step.
Rachel plays a representative sample of games across different categories, including slots, table games, and live dealer options. This confirms that games load correctly, run smoothly, and perform as advertised for players accessing the site from New Zealand.
Where available, Rachel claims the welcome bonus and reads all associated terms in full. She tests wagering requirements, eligible games, time limits, and withdrawal conditions to give you an accurate picture of real bonus value.
At least two contacts are made with each casino's customer support team, using different channels such as live chat and email. Response times, accuracy of answers, and overall helpfulness are recorded.
The casino is accessed on a mobile device to assess the quality of the mobile experience, including navigation, game availability, and deposit functionality on smaller screens.
Where practical, a withdrawal is requested to verify payout speed, the verification process, and whether the casino honours its stated processing times.
Each casino receives a final score out of 10, calculated from six weighted categories. The table below shows exactly how each category contributes to the overall score.
| Rating Category | Weighting | What We Assess |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and Safety | 25% | Valid licence, responsible gambling tools, data encryption, fair play certification |
| Bonuses and Promotions | 20% | Welcome offer value, wagering requirements, ongoing promotions, fairness of terms |
| Game Selection | 20% | Number of titles, software providers, variety of categories, live dealer quality |
| Payment Methods | 15% | NZD support, deposit and withdrawal options, processing speeds, fees |
| Customer Support | 10% | Availability, response time, quality of answers, contact channels |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | Mobile site or app quality, game availability on mobile, ease of navigation |
Reshapers may earn a commission if you sign up to a casino through one of our links. This is standard practice across review websites and allows us to fund the real-money testing described above. However, our ratings are never influenced by commercial relationships. Casinos cannot pay to improve their scores, request changes to reviews, or purchase a higher placement in our rankings.
Rachel Ngata operates Reshapers independently and is not employed by, affiliated with, or editorially directed by any casino operator. Every score reflects real testing outcomes, not negotiations. If a casino performs poorly during testing, that result is published regardless of any affiliate agreement in place.
We also update reviews regularly. If a casino changes ownership, withdraws a licence, alters its bonus terms significantly, or receives a pattern of verified player complaints, Rachel revisits the review and adjusts the score accordingly. You can find the last-reviewed date on every individual casino page.
No casino reviewed on Reshapers will receive a top rating unless it provides meaningful responsible gambling tools, including deposit limits, session time reminders, self-exclusion options, and clear links to support organisations such as the New Zealand Problem Gambling Foundation. Player safety is a non-negotiable part of our licensing and safety scoring.
If you have questions about our methodology or want to report an inaccuracy in one of our reviews, you are welcome to contact Rachel directly through the contact page on reshapers.co.nz.