bet365

bet365 New Zealand Review (2023)

As one of the biggest betting brands in the world, bet365 is a top option for anyone who is looking to join a sports betting site right now.

Not only does bet365 run one of the world's largest sportsbooks, but the operator also offers a variety of other options such as poker and live casino games.

Based in the UK, bet365 is available in a range of countries and has aggressive expansion plans to become an even more dominant player in a competitive market.

Here is our complete guide to bet365 New Zealand, which will tell you everything you need to know.

A Brief History of bet365

The history of bet365 can be traced back to 2000 when it was founded by Denise Coates, the daughter of Peter Coates, who had a suite of betting shops in the UK.

Denise spotted an opportunity to provide sports betting online, having worked for years as the managing director of the betting shops. Borrowing £15 million, Denise set about building a sports betting empire online - she is now the UK's top-paid executive, banking millions every year.

At first, bet365 was a small operation with a trading team working out of a portable building in Stoke-on-Trent. But now, with a revenue of almost £3 billion in the most recent financial results released by the company, it is clear just how far bet365 has come in the past 20 years.

Sports fans around the world will be familiar with the name bet365 as the company is both the shirt and stadium sponsor for Stoke City football club, a team that until recently played in the Premier League and is now bidding to make a return to the top flight.

Though bet365 is a giant of the industry, it remains somewhat of a family affair. Denise runs the company alongside her brother John, who is the chief executive, while Peter is the chairman.

What Products Does bet365 Offer?

While primarily a sports betting business, bet365 has a range of gambling options for its users. Among the most popular products that are offered by bet365 are the following categories:

• Sports
• Casino
• Live casino
• Games
• Poker

bet365 NZ Casino Review

To make it on the top shelf of online casino platforms in Aotearoa New Zealand, operators must earn their stripes.

Sure, it’s the worst-kept secret that bet365 is the most popular foreign online sportsbook for Kiwis (behind the locally owned TAB) but it also has a global reputation, so it’s easy to overlook the operator’s cutting-edge online casino experience.

Established a year after the turn of this century, bet365 entered the New Zealand market with its online casino offerings in 2010 on the foundation of serving more than 150 countries, comprising more than 63 million subscribers. More than 100,000 players a month try to tame its more than 850 Playtech network-powered games as well as Swedish developer NetEnt’s range of online pokies, including progressive ones building towards a larger jackpot. With prizes and jackpots that crack the $NZ1 million mark, bet365 woos its flutter seekers with more than 200 casino games.

The accolades heaped on bet365, as early as 2010, speak for themselves on how the industry rates the operator’s custom:

EGR Awards

• Operator of the Year
• Casino Operator of the Year
• Best Website Performance

For New Zealanders, it’ll come as no surprise that bet365 ticks all the boxes of safety and security. Registered with casino network Hillside Gaming LP, bet365 holds licences from the Government of Gibraltar, the Malta Gaming Authority, and the United Kingdom Gaming Authority (UKGA). The operator’s sense of fairness will also liberate Kiwi bettors because independent watchdogs iTechLabs and Gaming Laboratories International verify the Random Number Generator (RNG) that bet365 uses to remove any doubts of any non-live games yielding unplanned outcomes. 

Range of Games

New Zealand players keen to enter the bet365 site will find popular developers — Aristocrat, Bally Technologies, Belatra, BetConstruct, and 1x2 Gaming — form the brains trust that provides the template for games, including bingo, card games, jackpots, live dealer games, pokies (slots), table games, and video poker, to name a few. They can select the games via the bet365 Casino instant play mode or do so by downloading the software from the website

bet365 Pokies

The history of pokies (slot machines) goes a long way in explaining why the online format also is popular across the board in New Zealand. You don’t have to be clued in technologically or require too much background knowledge of games to start playing pokies. Charles Fey, of San Francisco, had developed the three-reel slot machines in the late 19th Century which had gone on to find traction in bars. Hotels in Las Vegas had embraced them in the 1960s to keep the wives and girlfriends entertained while their men took to the card tables. With the onset of the internet in the 1990s, the pokies are in just as much demand, if not more, with the online versions.

On bet365, the Age of the Gods and its affiliate games (God of Storms, Book of Oracles, Norse Legends, Ruler of the Dead) are on the slots window display, alongside the 2021 The Walking Dead as well as the Blue Wizard. For cricket lovers, there’s the lure of the Brian Lara Sporting Legends. Soccer (football) fans will love the Football Star that Microgaming created following the 2014 FIFA World Cup and its 243 ways to win. Among bet365’s classics are the Game of Thrones, Gladiator (with connections to Kiwi Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, even though his character doesn’t feature in the game), Gonzo’s Quest, King Kong, Lara Croft, Pink Panther, Starburst, and Twin Spin.

Finding reputable online casinos, such as bet365, is one thing but having that million-dollar feel on entering its playground is another. With the grunt of Playtech, Microgaming, Novomatic, and NetEnt’s wizardry, the best online pokies offer gamers a flawless operation, compact functions, and stunning graphics that seduce the eyes.

For the Kiwi enthusiasts, the number of online pokies can be quite exhausting to sift through in deciding what to play on bet365. You cannot play the bet365 pokies for free. Here’s a general guide on what to expect from the basic models:

Three-reel Slots on bet365

These traditionally have no more than five rows and are the most basic form of online pokies that adhere to the classic appeal. However, the three-reel slots can offer multiple paylines and unparalleled bonuses. New Zealanders who have a conservative approach to spending money but do enjoy marathon sessions in the hope of nailing a handsome payout on bet365 will find this an attractive proposition. 

Five-reel Slots on bet365

Most elite software developers tend to consider the five-reel design, also referred to as video slots, the standard and contemporary variety. The younger generation, who are game to wager big for handsome returns on bet365, will agree. Fundamentally, the difference with the three-reel model is that the classic version has a three-window grid layout while the other has a vertical drop of five windows. The bigger number of spinning reels means the greater the probability of landing on a winning combination. They come with paylines ranging from nine to a staggering 100.

Progressive Jackpots on bet365

The standard three and five-reel breeds draw more attention to the window display aspects of the structure of the pokie machines. The Progressive Jackpot species, as offered on bet365 online casino, is about injecting more excitement to the format of playing. To use a cricketing analogy, it’s like imposing batting and bowling powerplay, as well as field restrictions, to a 50-over match. 

It doesn’t matter how many reels make up a slot machine, Progressive elements can be added to them. The amped format enables several players and their games to plug into a single jackpot where the winning amount grows progressively based on an individual’s winning combination. It culminates in a crescendo where the winner claims the jackpot. It’s not everybody’s jackpot of joy because coming to terms with losses plays a big part in the enjoyment factor.

Instant Play Slots

This mode means Kiwis who venture directly on to the bet365 website won’t have to download flash-operated games on to their devices. All they’ll require is a robust internet connection.

Mobile Slots

With the advent of HTML web applications, bet365 online casino opens its doors to mobile sites, mobile apps, and mobile-friendly games to offer New Zealand players the best of two digital worlds if desktop sites don’t suit. All bet365 online pokies are accessible via mobile devices such as iPhone, Android smartphone, or tablet. Kiwis can download the bet365 App — which also opens the way to sportsbook betting — on their mobile devices by visiting the operator’s site.

Card & Table Games

When it comes to card and table games on the bet365 online casino you’ll find blackjack variations dominate the selections. It’s not surprising that the Age of God series fever from the pokies has spread to the card and table games.

In the table section, the blackjack derivatives — including “exclusive” All Bets Blackjack to help beat the boredom of those who have been there and done that — dominate the baccarat, craps, poker, Red Dog and roulette versions.

Here are some of the blackjack derivatives:

• All Bets Blackjack
• Blackjack Surrender
• Blackjack Singlehand
• Buster Blackjack
• Cashback Blackjack
• Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Blackjack
• Freechip Blackjack
• Quantum Blackjack Instant Play
• Unlimited Blackjack
• Vegas Blackjack

How prevalent blackjack is around the world isn’t lost on Kiwi gamers venturing on bet365 online casino. The card game, which doesn’t only bank on dragging Lady Luck to its corner but demands a level of skills not from just the players but also the dealer, isn’t a flutter for weekend digital warriors. The aim of the game is to beat the dealer using two cards, inching as close as either party can to the 21-point mark if they can’t match the full score from successive “hits” from the dealer.

The highest score from a hand wins if either the player or the dealer stays under the 21-point mark. The numeric value of all the number cards mirrors their worth, while jacks, queens, and kings carry a denomination of 10. The other exception is aces that have the dual power of counting either as one point or 11.

Live Dealer Games

Playtech, which was among the initial software gaming giants to spearhead live-dealer technology, provides traction for bet365 online casino where the number of games isn’t that prolific. Two platforms, Asian and Euro, offer a spectrum of live-dealer games via the publicly trading Playtech’s playlist to whet the appetite of New Zealand enthusiasts. All the live-dealer fare comes in high-definition (HD) quality with stunning graphics and crystal-clear sound effects, albeit centred around live blackjack, roulette, and poker.

In the Asian corner are the Live Baccarat, Live Sic Bo, and the Live Dragon Tiger that is modelled on the renowned baccarat, the Macau table version of the game whose roots have been traced back to 14th Century Italy. Unfortunately, Live Dragon Tiger isn’t available to Kiwi players. However, any sense of disappointment will pass quickly on taking stock of what’s in the Euro corner. Stacked on that live-dealer playlist is Live Blackjack, Live 3 Card Brag, Live French Roulette, Live Hi-Lo, Live Casino Hold’em, and the Live Roulette.

The hardcore players on the bet365 online casino will be pleased to know there are no betting limits on the live blackjack table. New Zealanders who enjoy the familiarity of televised games shows will find bet365 yanks out all the stops to provide them with the highest level of engagement in that genre. Playtech’s release of the Fashion TV Jackpot Baccarat is a bold declaration of its first branded title, which wields the power of its technology to revolutionise the industry with glitz and glamour.

Here is some of the live-dealer fare with TV game-show themes:

• Buffalo Blitz
• Deal or No Deal: The Big Draw
• Fashion TV Jackpot Baccarat
• Spin-A-Win
• The Money Drop Live
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Video Poker on bet365

The sky’s the limit when it comes to the software developers’ imagination in concocting games to keep bettors chomping at the bit on online platforms such as the bet365. Broadening their horizon, the tech wizards decided to let two worlds collide to let the fun and games begin, to the delight of New Zealand players. They have conducted an experiment of pokies (slots) versus poker. The outcome? The birth of video poker.

Since then, video poker has combined the best of slots with classic poker to spawn games in the mould of Aces and Faces, Caribbean Stud Poker, Deuces Wild, and Jacks or Better — the only four that bet365 online casino offers to Kiwis. The concept is uncomplicated. The croupier deals cards and the player’s challenge is to come up with the best five-card hand. The higher the wager, the bigger the windfall so don’t hold back gamers. It pays for Kiwis, especially the newcomers, to become familiar with classic poker hands to maximise your returns. That is, royal and straight flushes trump any other hands.

It's hard to go past bet365 online casino’s latest play-in-your-browser poker games. The one that’ll stick out most is the bet365 Winter Games, which is in keeping with the flavour of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics staged in China in February. New Zealand is humming on the success of Zoi Sadowski-Synott who has become the country’s first Winter Olympics gold medallist after clinching the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.

Jackpots on bet365

If New Zealanders enter the bet365 online casino “games” sections and select the “jackpot” site, they’ll find the money meter ticking on most of the 80 games accessible to them. That ticker denotes the compact list of progressive slots, lighting the fuse on the prizemoney. The variety of games on bet365 is enticing.

Here’s a list of progressive jackpots on account of the recent engagement from Kiwi players:

• Jackpot of Giants
• Leprechaun’s Luck
• Beach Life
• Pharoah’s Treasure Deluxe
• Gladiator Road to Rome
• Gladiator Jackpot
• Gold Rally
• Kingdoms Rise (series)

Another new feature on the bet365 site offers the Dual Drop Jackpots that guarantee two exclusive jackpots to the operator’s own Community and Weekly prize draws. The minimum stake is £10 (or equivalent kiwi dollars) on eligible games for a player to qualify for the Community draw. It’s £100 (or equivalent kiwi dollars) to make the muster for the Weekly draw. The £100,000 Community Jackpot prize table splits winnings from a £10,000 one to multiples of four £2,500 ones, and down to 2,000 players pocketing a modest £20 each.

Here’s the list of some of the eligible games:

• Age of Gods (series)
• Alpha Legends
• Berry Fury
• Book of Sekhmet Deluxe
• Colts Law
• Madame Wisdom
• Promise of Persia

NetEnt slots and Microgaming magic, including the progressive elements, find games with Asian, Egyptian, and Irish themes as well as those with a TV game show flavour.

Miscellaneous Games

It’ll strike New Zealand players as odd that bet365 stores a somewhat curious collection of games that don’t give off the aura of a casino flavour in the traditional sense. But bet365’s software developers haven’t let that stop them from going down the exciting path of building it and they’ll come. Heads or Tails and Rock-Paper-Scissors have the potential to make Kiwis go mmm.

Here’s a list of some of the curly ones from bet365 that will lure keen Kiwis off the beaten track of boredom:

• Around the World
• Bonus Bowling
• Derby Day Horse Racing
• Dice Twister
• Heads or Tails
• Penalty Shoot Out
• Rock-Paper-Scissors

bet365 Casino Payout Percentages & RTP

Numbers can cause a lot of confusion when Kiwis play on online casino platforms such as bet365. That’s why it’s so important that bettors must become familiar with online casino terminology to avoid disappointment when they receive payments from winnings that don’t match their expectations.

Payout percentage is a case in point. Often some players will invest $NZ100 in pokies in the belief that if bet365 is championing a 96 per cent payout then they stand to collect $NZ196. That’s not the right assumption. It isn’t how much each individual player will receive from his or her wagering money at all. The payout percentage is the total sum of money a bet356 pokie machine musters from players over a certain passage of time. The operator then pays out that percentage of the total sum as winnings to the lucky pokies player.  On the flip side, bet365 will keep four per cent of the revenue generated from the slots.

Consequently, verification watchdogs like eCOGRA have the task of conducting a series of tests to ensure bet365’s claims are in line with what the spinning reels of the pokie machines are churning out to make sense of the payout percentage. If anything, the pay percentage is there for the benefit of bet365 so that it can work out when a slot should pay following millions of spins of the pokie reels.

The other thing Kiwi players need to understand is the return to player (RTP), which can be a good indicator of what sort of payout players can expect. From a bettor’s perspective, it pays to know the higher the RTP value the better the payout is likely to be from the online casino games. However, other factors, besides RTP, tend to have an influence on payouts. Volatility or variance and the Random Number Generator (RNG) kick in, too.    

Volatility relates to the level of risk involved, the amount paid and the frequency of payouts for online games. It can help you determine whether the online pokies game you choose to play will come with low risk on returns or a medium-to-high risk. Volatility offers a sharper snapshot of how much you’ll win or lose when playing slots on the bets365 site. Those with modest budgets will gravitate towards machines with fewer risks but gift you more time to enjoy playing online games.

Bet365 Sport Review

The sportsbook is the main reason that people join bet365, so let's look at that in detail next.

There are around 35 different sports to bet on at bet365, showing the depth available. Among the most popular sports to the bet365 sportsbook are:

• Football
• Horse racing
• Tennis
• Cricket
• Golf

Additionally, there are markets for politics and regular specials, giving even more options. It is unlikely a bet365 account holder will not be able to find their desired wager on the site. Among the more alternative betting options at bet365 include esports, which are rising in popularity.

Among the key strengths of bet365 is the fact it offers a lot of streaming. Where a user is in the world will impact what live streams are available to watch with a bet365 account. But, for the most part, there is a lot of global football and plenty of horse racing to watch on bet365.

Odds tend to be good value at the bet365 sportsbook too. While some betting sites tend to offer good value on certain sports and markets but are poor in others, bet365 is solid across the board. This is why a lot of bet365 users are loyal to the company, rather than using rivals.

On bet365, players can find some unique offerings to make this bookie stand out from the crowd. The bet365 bet builder is one of them, allowing users to create their own accumulators from a range of popular options. With the odds for the bet365 builder calculated automatically, sports fans can see straight away the amount of potential profit that a bet could make.

Live betting is widely available at bet365 too, particularly for sports like football and cricket where there is so much interest in the changing odds during a big game. For a match in football's English Premier League, for example, there are often more than 100 live bets available.

When betting live, bet365 account holders can also find a lot of detailed statistics that update live and can be used to make an assessment over the right bet to make.

As would be expected from a betting brand that was formed on the internet, mobile betting is an innovation that bet365 has taken seriously from the start. While not everyone will like the way the site is designed, the look is consistent across the mobile site and apps from bet365. The mobile site works very well and offers all the same live streams that are available on desktop.

All in all, the bet365 sportsbook has few weaknesses, other than perhaps a dated design, meaning it can be fully recommended for anyone considering setting up a new account.

Bet365 App Review

Moving on to the bet365 app, this is how this bookie's customers increasingly place their bets. Gambling while out and about or on the move is becoming a lot more popular these days.

Among the first bookmakers to prioritise mobile betting, the bet365 app provides a seamless gambling experience for those who want to place wagers through a mobile device.

Available on both iOS and Android, the bet365 app can be downloaded directly from the App Store or Play Store. This is handy as it avoids the need to go to the bookmaker's website and find a back way of getting the gambling apps onto mobile devices.

Speed is of the essence when it comes to mobile betting. The good news is bet365 thrives here, with it taking mere seconds to place bets through the app, even when betting in-play.

Live streams can be watched through the bet365 app too, so those who have placed wagers on mobile devices can keep up with the latest scores to see if their bet is going to be a winner.

Highlights of the bet365 app for Android and iOS include the Cash Out feature. This gives players a chance to lock in some profit on bets, regardless of the final outcome in a match. However, unlike a lot of its rivals in the industry, bet365 offers a partial Cash Out too.

What this means is that users can opt to lock in a proportion of profit and let the rest of the bet ride, potentially maximising their returns from a wager while minimising their level of risk. Handing over this flexibility to the customer has to be considered a good thing, and bet365 app users will find both Cash Out and partial Cash Out works well on all mobile devices.

The bet365 app also offers access to all of the gambling products that are offered by this operator. This means that if a user is unable to find a sports bet they want to place, they can instead make the most of options such as poker and the bet365 live casino as well.

When using the app, bet365 customers can also see all of the latest promotions, offers and bonuses that are up for grabs. Anyone seeking a bargain bet will be able to see the best offers available from bet365 at any one time by getting the app on their most-used devices.

As mentioned above, the bet365 mobile site is another good way to access the sportsbook, but for a lot of people downloading the bet365 app onto their mobile devices is a no-brainer.

It is fair to say that the bet365 app is definitely above-average and compares favourably with a lot of the alternative options that are available on mobile devices right now. While the design may not seem up to date or state of the art, the bet365 mobile site and app both work perfectly and, for most sports fans, that will be the most important thing in their choice of an online bookmaker.

Security and Regulation

Safety and security is key department for a lot of bookmakers, so how does bet365 stack up?

Due to the fact bet365 is one of the largest online bookies in the world, it is unlikely players will find they have any issues with security when using the site.

In terms of regulation, bet365 is regulated by both the Government of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission.

Additionally, bet365 uses 128-bit SSL encryption technology. What this means is that player data is protected to a very high degree, which should reassure anyone concerned about security.

It is worth pointing out the fact that bet365 was actually the first company in its field to be certified by the accredited testing laboratory eCOGRA for compliance. As a result, bet365 earned the important International Standards Organisation ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for Information Security Management Systems.

Following the move, bet365 was congratulated on its achievement by eCOGRA chief executive officer Andrew Beveridge. He said: "eCOGRA is absolutely committed to ensuring it can provide authorised and approved independent testing facilities in all its clients’ desired licensing jurisdictions, and aims to provide a full suite of compliance services, including ISO/IEC 27001 certification, vulnerability and penetration testing, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), along with typical platform and games certification work."

GamCare and GambleAware are also represented on the bet365 site, so anyone who is having a problem controlling their betting can access the help and support that they need.

bet365 NZ Payment Methods

For New Zealand players entering the bet365 online casino, the kiwi currency will be reassuring because that’ll mean they won’t need to pay levies on currency exchanges when making deposits and withdrawals. The site offers a variety of payment methods via credit cards, e-wallets or numerous other online payment options and transfers.  In making deposits on bet365, Kiwi players will have credit cards and digital wallets are processed at no charge and without fuss. No fees are levied for wire transfers which are processed between 2 to 10 business days. Cheques are also free on bet365, but they can take up to 28 days to clear.

When wagering with “real money” on bet365, a cash deposit must be made into the operator’s account. The smorgasbord of payment options ensures deposits are instant. However, that’s not the case with withdrawals. The processing time depends on the type of banking system the player uses. It also helps to note that it can be tricky because not all payment methods cater to deposits and withdrawals. Some focus on deposits while others accept only withdrawals.

Some of the listed cashier channels bet365 provide include:

• PayPal
• Click2Pay
• Fast Bank Transfer
• Bank Wire Transfer
• Cheque
• Neteller
• Skrill

Because bet365 does not state withdrawal limits, bettors may find themselves under the restrictions of the various payment methods put in place. No doubt, the high rollers welcome bet365’s lack of a limit.

The payment method services come in several languages to cater for clients from more than 200 nations, so New Zealanders can choose their preferred currency in which their deposits and payments will be processed. Most deposit methods will have the funds at your fingertips in the blink of an eye.

Kiwi players can ask for their winnings from bet365 at any time with the promise of a speedy payment process. Winnings via credit cards and e-wallets are often processed within minutes, minus any fees for your withdrawal.

Customer Support Options

New Zealand players can contact the bet365 customer service department via the online chat tool available on the operator’s website. A customer support assistant is available 24 hours, seven days a week. For email support, simply contact support@customerservices365.com

The service is available in 17 languages via live chat, email, phone, and fax for an instant response from a bet365 representative.