Travel

The Best Casinos to Visit When You Travel to New Zealand

Have you decided to travel to New Zealand in search of fun activities and gambling but don’t know where the best casinos are? We have consulted an extensive list of establishments to create an inspired short guide for travelers who love gambling and good times!

After visiting key sight-seeing places, you can stop by a casino to rest and test your luck (or mastery).

Beware, though: no casino in this country accepts credit card transactions for gaming purposes!

Without further ado, here are the best casinos in New Zealand!

Christchurch Casino

Christchurch Casino was the first casino to operate in New Zealand. Situated in Christchurch, this astonishing casino should be part of any basic travelling plan to discover New Zealand’s gambling locations.

This monumental historical casino hosts 500 slot machines and over 34 table games. It also offers entrance to three restaurants and two trendy bars. Just remember that you must be at least 20 to enter its building!

Does Christchurch Casino have foreign currency exchange services?

An essential part of being a tourist in a foreign country is exchanging currencies.

Unfortunately, the Christchurch Casino doesn’t offer exchange services, but you can easily exchange your money a few streets away. Or, if you’ve just arrived via plane, you should know that the Christchurch airport offers foreign currency exchange services.

Christchurch Casino’s Player Cards

Player Cards Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Black
Percent of return on purchases 10% on food & drinks cash purchases 15% on food & drinks cash purchases 20% on food & drinks cash purchases Accessible through invitation only Accessible through invitation only
Free parking With ten base points from gaming or 500 base points from food & drinks With five base points from gaming or 500 base points from food & drinks With one base points from gaming or swiping your card at a kiosk
Promotions Available Available Available
Event invitations X Silver members only Gold members only
Dining Dollars – used to buy food & drinks X X Earn Dining Dollars while gaming

Player cards (or slot cards) are common in the best casinos. They are fidelity cards through which casinos track your spending and return a certain amount of your expenditures in casino points.

These points can be used when playing games or buying food and beverages.

Some cards expire after one year or six months of inactivity. During this time, you can come back and gather more points.

Dress Code for Christchurch Casino

Anyone who has ever watched a “James Bond” movie can guess what type of attire is best suited for a casino. However, each of the best casinos has a specific list of clothing pieces that could disqualify you from entering.

So, which items did Christchurch Casino choose to ban within its boundaries?

  • Beanies
  • Dirty or stained clothes
  • Steel-capped boots
  • Clothes with offensive designs
  • Gang insignias or gang patches

Even if you’re not wearing one of the banned items, disrespectful or untidy clothing might get you kicked out.

Grand Casino Dunedin

Founded in 1999, the Grand Casino Dunedin stands as a historical place where New Zealand gambling flourishes. The building itself is a piece of architectural wonder, so you can’t miss it!

As for their games, Grand Casino offers:

  • Blackjack
  • Roulette
  • Baccarat
  • Caribbean Stud Poker
  • Over 180 electronic gaming machines

Does Grand Casino Dunedin have foreign currency exchange services?

Unlike the first casino in this article, the Grand Casino in Dunedin does provide foreign exchange services.

This is an excellent feature since many tourists can go straight to the fun part instead of spending time searching for exchange places.

Grand Casino Dunedin’s Player Cards

Player Cards Rewards Rewards Plus Legend Prestige Elite
Casino discounts 10% discount on food & drinks 15% discount on food & drinks 20% discount on food & drinks Complimentary food & drinks Complimentary food & drinks
Southern Cross Hotel discounts X 10% discount 10% discount Complimentary accommodation Complimentary accommodation
Bonus points Earned while playing Earned while playing Earned while playing Earned while playing Earned while playing
Free Parking X X Complimentary (on availability) Complimentary (on availability) Complimentary (on availability)
Event invitations X X Legend Events Prestige Events Elite Events
Birthday treats Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible

Player cards are a common practice among casinos, so Grand Casino Dunedin is no different in this aspect. You can find the player cards in the “Grand Rewards” section of their top menu.

All of these options provide complimentary non-alcoholic drinks when playing.

Dress Code for Grand Casino Dunedin

As is custom, this section is made to help you to fit better with Grand Casino’s beautifully decorated interior.

Unlike Christchurch Casino, this one doesn’t have a list of banned items. However, one must have tidy clothes with an attitude to match.

SkyCity Auckland Casino

New Zealand may not be the best country to visit for casino hopping, but its SkyCity Auckland Casino is a massive attraction for international tourists.

On their website, the Sky Tower in Auckland is described as “A sensation is every sense.”

SkyCity Auckland casino offers games like:

  • Blackjack
  • Baccarat
  • Jai Sai
  • Roulette, etc.

As for their electronic machines, their number is well over 2000 gaming machines!

Does SkyCity Auckland Casino have foreign currency exchange services?

Their website does not mention exchange services. However, the building is surrounded by currency exchange places you can reach within a few minutes.

SkyCity Auckland also offers a free Quick Pay service. You can activate this option from your player card, which becomes a wallet for gaming machines. Simple as that!

SkyCity Auckland Casino’s Player Cards

Player Cards Ruby Sapphire Gold Platinum VIP Black
Free Parking Available Available Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Premier points Earned while playing. Available across site Earned while playing. Available across site Earned while playing. Available across site Earned while playing. Available across site Earned while playing. Available across site
Promotions Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible
Complimentary non-alcoholic drinks One drink Four drinks Five drinks Various range Various range
Exclusive SkyCity Hotel room rates X Available Available Available Available

Dress Code for SkyCity Auckland Casino 

This casino has a list of banned items, so you’d better be careful to avoid wearing any of these items:

  • Torn or dirty clothes/ footwear
  • Face paint
  • Safety clothing (like safety vests)
  • Gang symbols
  • Hats or caps (except for medical reasons or in the Poker Zone)
  • Sunglasses (except for the Poker zone)

The SkyCity Auckland casino also reserves its right to select its clients, so be on your best behavior!

SkyCity Hamilton Casino

This casino opened its doors to the public in 2002. Although a bit newer than others, its facilities attract many tourists and citizens!

SkyCity Hamilton encompasses 339 gambling machines and 23 tables. Their games comprise Blackjack, Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Roulettes, and more!

Does SkyCity Hamilton Casino have foreign currency exchange services?

Yes, SkyCity Hamilton casino also offers foreign exchange services. This is a great opportunity for those who forgot to exchange their currency before leaving.

Remember, you can always set a spending limit! We wish you the best of luck and responsible gambling sessions!

SkyCity Hamilton Casino’s Player Cards

Player Cards Ruby Sapphire Gold Platinum VIP Black
Free parking Available Available Available Available Available
Premier points Earned while playing. Available across SkyCity sites Earned while playing. Available across SkyCity sites Earned while playing. Available across SkyCity sites Earned while playing. Available across SkyCity sites Earned while playing. Available across SkyCity sites
Promotions Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible
Food & drinks 10% off for SkyCity Hamilton’s restaurant & bar 15% off for SkyCity Hamilton’s restaurant & bar 20% off for SkyCity Hamilton’s restaurant & bar 20% off for SkyCity Hamilton’s restaurant & bar Complimentary drinks & exclusive offers
Exclusive SkyCity Hotel room rates X Available Available Available Available

Dress code for SkyCity Hamilton Casino 

The best casinos in New Zealand require a tidy and decent clothing style, and SkyCity Hamilton is no different. However, it also recommends not wearing the following:

  • Torn or dirty clothing/ footwear
  • Sleeveless shirts on men
  • Safety clothing (like safety vests)
  • Jandals and Flip-flops (from 9 pm to 5 am)
  • Gang symbols
  • Hats and caps (except for religious or medical reasons)
  • Sunglasses

SkyCity Queenstown Casino

SkyCity Queenstown is another casino owned by the SkyCity Entertainment Group. It was the fourth casino to ever open in New Zealand, after some of the ones mentioned above.

Their entertainment plateau consists of Blackjack, Roulette, Midi Baccarat, and a variety of 86 gaming machines!

SkyCity Queenstown also includes the SkyCity Wharf casino, which is momentarily unavailable.

Does SkyCity Queenstown Casino have foreign currency exchange services?

No. Unfortunately, SkyCity Queenstown Casino doesn’t have foreign currency exchange services on its premises. However, like in Auckland, this casino has such a service right next to its building!

SkyCity Queenstown Casino’s Player Cards

Player Cards Ruby Sapphire Gold Platinum
Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages X X Available Available for you + one guest
Premier points Available across site Available across site Available across site Available across site
Discounts X 15% for food & beverages 20% for food & beverages 30% for food & beverages
Exclusive events Available Available Available Available
Birthday gift X Eligible Eligible Eligible

Dress code for SkyCity Queenstown Casino 

Wearing a suit and tie is not obligatory, but a nice and tidy clothing style is a must!

This SkyCity casino has also banned some items you should know about:

  • Damaged or dirty clothes and footwear
  • Safety garments (like safety vests)
  • Sleeveless tops on men
  • Unless motivated by medical or religious reasons, hats and caps are banned
  • Gang insignias

Conclusion

You don’t get to see the top casinos in New Zealand every day. This is why we had to write a guide about these places. We hope this article helped you decide which casino is the best for you!

As tourists like you come from all over the world in search of the best gambling places in New Zealand, a more complex network of casinos will probably rise across the country in the near future.

This means more luxury, more games, and more fun!