Land-based casinos in NZ vs online casinos: accessibility and affordability
Last Updated on February 25, 2025
While some pioneers in casino gaming viewed online casinos as a new frontier of possibility, there were others, primarily those in the land-based casino sector, who were not as keen on the rise of online casinos. It’s easy to see why, really. Land-based casinos had it all their own way for a long time. In some parts of the world, they dominated the market for 70 years.
Due to their locations and the fact they rarely faced other significant competition (unlike online casinos), they could tailor their services to maximize their profits and long-term business models.
Moving on from land-based casino dominance
It’s challenging to believe that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the broader public opinion of the internet fell into the bracket that AI does today – it was very much the unknown, promising but limited. While an army of tech experts said it was the future, few people understood how or why.
Obviously, in 2025, this argument is redundant. Online casinos have become the choice for millions of people worldwide. While New Zealand is a microcosm of this enormous global market, the behaviors, attitudes and patterns that Kiwis have when weighing up the pros and cons of land-based casinos and online casinos mirror many of the same approaches we see in other Western countries.
The online casino market is vast, and various factors determine which casinos new customers will seek out. These include casinos whose main selling point is the quality of the bonuses, those with quick withdrawal options, or those specializing in minimum deposit offers.
How minimum deposit casinos changed the game
We can’t talk about affordability in casino gaming without exploring how minimum deposit casinos have transformed the competition between online and land-based providers. They allowed users to obtain an idea about what a platform offers, for a small, minimal deposit, creating a real, viable alternative for casino gamers.
While some providers may offer around NZ$5, some minimum deposit casinos can go all the way down to NZ$1. It’s created such stiff competition in the sector that expert reviewers have moved in and have ranked the best minimum deposit casinos by using a range of different criteria.
For instance, BetKiwi.co.nz is one site that painstakingly reviews and ranks these casinos and the quality of their minimum deposit offers that are available in New Zealand. Although the volume of online casino platforms has meant that they have proved to be more than a serious challenge for the land-based casino sector, with minimum deposits being one area where they excel, it’s not an open-and-shut case that automatically makes online casinos superior. There’s still a colossal market for brick-and-mortar providers, too, and they use similar promotional ideas to try and claw back some of the market they’re losing to online platforms.
Tackling the accessibility and affordability enhancements
Whatever way you look at it, online casinos have created a whole new dimension of casino gaming, one that caters to customers who prefer to stay at home and access tables and slots without having to get ready and travel to a land-based casino.
The challenge for land-based casinos is proving they are a viable option in an increasingly crowded digital world. A significant portion of New Zealanders access their news through social media, with a growing trend of people opting for more convenient, digital alternatives for entertainment and everyday activities. Online gaming fits neatly into that category, offering easy access and a wide variety of options. So, how have land-based casinos adapted? Here are some of the most evident differences:
- Land-based casinos are used as entertainment venues, hosting cabaret shows and residencies for world-renowned stand-up comedians and singers.
- They offer packages that include access to conjoining hotels and the most luxury suites within the hotel.
- Land-based casinos often offer prizes attached to specific games – for instance, win a car if you trigger a progressive jackpot on a particular slot terminal.
These are just a few examples of how online and land-based casinos compete in New Zealand. This approach is not specific to Kiwis; it is common worldwide and boosts the competitive atmosphere between land-based and online providers. While tourists may associate a trip to New Zealand with an excursion to the world-renowned Hobbiton, it also has a healthy and vibrant casino gaming industry, both online and land-based.
Joining forces?
More land-based casinos, especially those with a considerable presence in the Kiwi casino gaming market, have started moving more of their operations online. Although their land-based operations are their main income stream for business, increasing numbers livestream their table games, such as poker and roulette.
By allowing customers registered with their land-based businesses to play online, land-based casinos are also adapting to the accessibility and affordability that has emerged through online casino gaming, looking to carve off more of the market for themselves.
Online casinos have shown little to no interest in branching into the world of land-based casinos – why would they? They enjoy the luxury of not paying expensive overheads like rent, or the costs of security staff and entertainers that land-based providers need. From a user perspective, online casinos cut the time of getting ready and the costs of travel, and will often launch bonuses and promotions for new customers.
