like a good land based casino if you ask us. There are a few venues in and around Auckland that are worth a visit and in this guide you’ll discover the very best places in New Zealand’s biggest city. Don’t Aucklanders just love the thrills of a pokie or a table game.
Most New Zealanders will agree that real casinos are still extremely fun which explains why they are widely known as a great place for social interaction, not to mention that casinos are often built around the whole wining and dining experience, with the gambling part being part of a much larger entertainment offer. This makes sure that every visit to the casino becomes an unforgettable experience although it’ll definitely help if luck happens to be on your side. Here’s why to find lots of fun and hopefully a fair share of luck as well.
SkyCity Auckland
There are only 6 land based casinos in New Zealand, with SkyCity Entertainment Group owning 4 of them. The available venues are divided into casinos on the northern island and southern island which means that players that live in remote areas will need to travel quite a bit. SkyCity Auckland is the main attraction on the whole northern island for casino fun. Casinos in the city of Auckland revolve around the well known SkyCity complex in the CBD.
At SkyCity Auckland, you’ll find a lot of bars, restaurants and 24/7 casino tables. Get ready for about 100 tables and 1,600 gaming machines that are waiting for you on a large casino floor, which means there’s always some action to be found here. If you’re new to casino games or games of chance, you’ll be glad to find out that there are Learn-To-Play brochures, as well as friendly and professional casino staff to help you through the basics.
Casino veterans will also have enough places to go to as there are special VIP rooms for some extra attention, which also include free snacks and drinks. For those interested in the complete experience, there are also options to play bingo, watch big sports events on large screens, and enrol into world poker tournaments. To be allowed entrance to this Auckland casino, you will need to be 20 years of age or older.
Hamilton SkyCity Casino
For the most picturesque casino of all the casinos available in New Zealand, Hamilton SkyCity should be your first choice. The good thing is that it’s not too far away from Hamilton and might just be a closer option for people who live between Auckland and Hamilton. Providing a direct view to the amazing Waikato River, this is yet another great offering from the SkyCity group. People who are familiar with other branches of this casino group will know that it comes with the typical responsible etiquette and education rules.
In total, there are 330 gaming machines and 23 table games to be found on the casino floor with games for all levels to enjoy. For people that consider themselves experienced players, there is a members-only VIP area called Salon 8 that caters to the special needs of high rollers. There are 5 different options for grabbing a bite including the Eat Burger, Local Taphouse, Marble Room Cocktail and Whiskey bar, and Zone Sports bar. There are all sorts of events throughout the year so we’re pretty sure you won’t be bored at this casino. Hamilton SkyCity Casino even attracts visitors from the city of Wellington.
About Casino Games in Auckland
True, there are plenty of pubs and clubs in New Zealand that offer TAB machines and other pokie machines, but for serious table action, Aucklanders are mostly limited to either SkyCity location or a couple of smaller casinos in suburbs such as Pakuranga and Manurewa. New Zealanders therefore have a lot more options when they opt for virtual pokies as long as they stick to websites that are operated offshore.
Due to the New Zealand gambling act, it is prohibited to open any new land based casinos in the country. The games that you find in the casinos in and around Auckland, include regulars like poker, pokie games, roulette games, and blackjack games. To make the most of your casino visit, make sure to practise the games you plan to play before you go to the venues in either Auckland or Hamilton. Here are the games that await you:
- Poker: still one of the most popular gambling card games available in the industry that is played all over the world, including New Zealand. There are different types of poker games that are played and enjoyed by different types of people everywhere.
- Blackjack: blackjack is a well known gambling card game that is widely viewed as a strategic casino game that still involves some luck as well.
- Roulette: played with a red-black wheel and a ball and offers 50/50 winning odds if you stick the main bets that involve colours. Roulette might just be the very best example that shows how glamourous a casino game can get.
Pokie games: do note that pokies in land based venues have a lot lower payout percentages than those offered in online casinos. This is the result of much higher operational costs for brick and mortar venues in comparison to online websites. This also explains the growing popularity of online pokies.
