About Merlin NZ

What we do

We publish three things:

1. Reviews of the casino brands New Zealand players actually use, with the licence paperwork

laid out and a clear note about what we could and could not verify.

1. Explainers on the maths and mechanics of gambling: RTP, volatility, wagering requirements,

payment routes and the New Zealand legal position.

1. Sport betting guides for the competitions New Zealanders follow, published on the basis

that only TAB NZ may take sports and racing bets from people in New Zealand.

Who we are

Merlin NZ is a small editorial project run for a New Zealand readership. Content is written and reviewed by humans; we do not publish auto-generated reviews, and we do not accept paid placements in our rankings.

Lead editor: Daniel Whitcombe, Lead editor, New Zealand. Daniel Whitcombe has worked in online gambling content since 2019 and covers New Zealand regulation, offshore licensing and payment systems.

How we are funded

If you open an account with an operator through a link on this site, we may receive a commission. That is how the site is paid for. What that money does not buy:

• a rating, or a change to a rating
• a position in any ranking table
• a favourable verdict
• the removal of a criticism

We publish our scoring weights and the evidence we collect on the How we rate page. If a brand's paperwork is unclear, we say so in the review — including for brands we cover in our top positions.

What we will not do

• We will not claim any offshore operator is licensed in New Zealand, because none of the brands

we cover is.

• We will not run "how to win" content, because no honest site can promise that.
• We will not hide the harm side. Every page on this site carries the helpline number, and our

responsible gambling page is as detailed as our product pages.

• We will not use urgency language, countdown timers or fake scarcity.

What we are not

We are not a gambling operator, a bookmaker, a financial adviser or a lawyer. Nothing on this site is gambling, financial or legal advice, and our ratings are editorial opinion based on published evidence rather than guarantees of anything.

Corrections

We get things wrong sometimes, particularly in a market where licence details and bonus terms change without notice. If you spot an error, contact us with the page and what is wrong. Corrections get a visible note and update the last-reviewed date.

Where we stand on the New Zealand market

New Zealand is building a licensed online casino market under the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026, with full implementation expected in 2027. We intend to cover the licensed market properly when it arrives, including the operator conditions that come with a New Zealand licence. Until then we cover what New Zealand players are actually using, and we are explicit about the limits of an offshore account.