Fansbet

A jam-packed football stadium greets Aotearoa New Zealand gamblers to the  FansBet Casino New Zealand website landing page for a fleeting second but that’s enough to paint a vivid picture. The online casino operator’s forest-green, virtual doors default to a fertile football-heavy sportsbook. The throbbing site lends to a rolling digital billboard that champions Sir Kenny Dalglish, MBE, as the FansBet ambassador and a cluster of betting promotions.

However, don’t shy away from the online casino segment of FansBet because it puts the “cart before the horse”. The operator uses its sliding promotions to pitch at least four casino sweeteners among the dozen sports-betting ones. That bucks the trend among operators in New Zealand because most of them make their online casino segment the hero and the sportsbook a feather in the cap.

A relatively newcomer to the online gambling space in New Zealand, FansBet has been plying its trade since 2017. Rush Gaming Ltd, which has connections with White label provider Viral Interactive, holds a Malta Gaming Authority licence as well as British and Swedish gaming authority ones. The operation comes under the bigger umbrella of iGaming software and services supplier Finnplay Technologies. It’s synonymous with Finnplay founder Martin Prantner.

What captures our imagination is FansBet’s mission statement to “revolutionise the sports betting industry as we believe that fans are the heart of the industry”. It offers fans leeway to influence how its platform should mutate into an enjoyable iGaming experience. By giving them the power to influence the platform's evolution, FansBet empowers Kiwi supporters to become the ultimate architects in bolstering their own interests, making it one of the most exciting sports betting sites in the online Aotearoa market.

That commitment extends to giving back a percentage of FansBet’s sports-betting profits to “Fan Partners” through a variety of initiatives, including charities. That’s why we feel the online casino operator doesn’t need a loyalty club or programme. The 200% welcome bonus of up to $NZ400 for the casino speaks volumes but on engaging, that balloons to $NZ1,000. You have to register to find out the full extent of FansBet’s commitment to New Zealand.

Again, in all that euphoria it’s easy to lose sight of a FansBet mobile site that’s easy on the eye, opening its iGaming lounge to an exhausting catalogue of pokies (slots) and table fare. However, it’s not always easy to navigate when finding details. In our review, we’ll look at daily bonuses, efficient payment methods, as well as 128-bit SSL encryption measures on a trustworthy platform.

Range of Games

It’s a breeze to find what you’re looking for despite more than 1,600 games on the FansBet platform, making it stand out among other top online casino brands. Two filters — “most popular” and “by provider” — make the shuffling of games an elementary process. The former drops down to the “newest” and “A-Z”. The latter offers an array of game developers.

Just let the mouse scurry over the colourful thumbnails of each game to discover which one is in “try-for-free” mode. Kiwis do note that, in keeping with most marquee online operators, the live-casino selection is exempt from the demo games because of the cost game developers face.

A “Big Winners” horizontal strip works as a second-tier reminder to New Zealanders of the potential boost in their earnings in euros and krona but even one or two successes in kiwi dollars will help direct more traffic to the FansBet site. The bracketed numbers in each category are helpful. What bamboozles us is the “Feature Buy” (99 titles) segment that requires an explanation on what’s special about it because the titles are also present in other categories. Having video poker or “other games” (it’s unclear if FansBet offers Bingo, Keno, and scratchies) categories would also help.

Pokies:

That the top tier belongs to the “popular slots (pokies)” shows FansBet has its finger on New Zealanders’ pulse, catering to their love for online pokie sites. Here are the different levels with the number of games in brackets when we had taken a peek on the mobile site.:

• Popular (30): Titles include Aztec Gold Extra Gold Megaways, Book of the Fallen, Dead or Alive II, Finn’s Golden Tavern, Jack and the Beanstalk, Pirates Plenty Battle for Gold, and The Dog House.
• New games (52): FansBet makes it clear its range of pokies won’t bore Kiwi customers. It’s a resounding statement of commitment to ensuring nine iGaming manufacturers are updating their library catalogues. Titles include Aquatic Treasures Coast 2 Coast, Book del Sol, Diamond Royale, Footy Frenzy 2020, Lady Forest, Mayan Mystery, Voodo Temple, Wild Link Cleopatra, and Zombie Carnival.
• Drop & wins (41): This is Pragmatic Play’s baby. It amps up Kiwis’ adrenaline with prizes and jackpots attached to individual games. At the time of writing this article titles included Big Bass Splash, Cash Patrol, Gates of Olympus, John Hunter and the Book of Tut, Queen of Gods, The Hand of Midas, and Wolf Gold.
• Jackpot slots (15): While it’s a small count, that’s a lot of jackpot titles to optimise players’ interest. Titles include classics such as Mega Moolah, and its popular derivatives in Immortal Romance, Juicy Joker, and The Witch’s Moon. It’s the domain of JFTW, Microgaming, and NetEnt.

Card/table games:

FansBet has 61 thumbnails, including variations, in the card/table game category. Among these options are classic baccarat, blackjack, and roulette selections, tailored for fans of Kiwi blackjack casino sites. The department is spearheaded by the random number generated (RNG) blackjack, which places FansBet among the premier and reputable online casinos in New Zealand. Additionally, the roulette section features popular variations like American, European, and French versions, ensuring an enjoyable experience for players seeking the top online roulette casinos.

Craps and 3D Baccarat are also available for those who enjoy dice games or are newcomers seeking basic engagement. Furthermore, poker enthusiasts will find games and variants such as Casino Hold’em, Mississippi Stud, and Triple Pocket Hold’em Poker on the platform.

Live casino:

In the numbers game, FansBet’s 20 titles belong to the minor league, but the thumbnails do justice to the operator’s decision to have a special drop-down category along the top horizontal bar. This is without doubt Evolution Gaming’s playground and, for reasons outlined earlier, no demo games are available.

Kiwi players have the benefit of engaging with croupiers and dealers in real time while playing baccarat, blackjack, and roulette. Game-show titles provide some break from the traditional monotony. However, it isn’t clear if FansBet has bet-behind options, hot numbers, side bets, and other wicked twists to the traditional table games often offered by the best live dealer casinos in New Zealand.

Here’s a snapshot of some live-dealer games:

• Auto-Roulette La Partage
• Baccarat Controlled Squeeze
• Blackjack Party
• Caribbean Stud Poker
• Deal or No Deal Live
• First-Person Dream Catcher
• Lightening Dice
• Monopoly Live
• Super Sic Bo
• Three Card Poker

Payout percentage

The overall payout percentage at FansBet Casino NZ tends to float between the 95%-to-97% mark. It’s within the comfortable cut-off threshold of many trustworthy online casino operators. The best ones tend to nudge the 99% vicinity. This is where we advise Kiwi gamblers to read the online casino operator’s terms & conditions.

To fully understand payout percentage, New Zealand players need to comprehend what the return-to-player (RTP) percentage is. RTP is the result of comparing the money paid out from wins against the sum of cash wagered at any casino. At FansBet, for argument’s sake, an average RTP of 96% comes with the understanding that for every $NZ100 a Kiwi gambler wagers, the online casino will fork out $NZ96 in winnings. However, it’s important to note that this is, in theory, a six-figure number of gamblers wagering over an extended time, rather than some perceived sense of religious returns on spontaneous individual bets. Only some lucky New Zealanders will share those returns.

What complicates things from New Zealand players’ perspective is the absence of an auditing verification list on the FansBet website. However, we’ve considered the RTP (return to player) of individual titles of game developers, such as Microgaming, NetEnt, and Pragmatic Play, to provide Kiwi gamblers with a yardstick of averages.

Here’s the list of individual-game RTP categories at FansBet:

Note: Game providers determine the RTPs of individuals, so the averages may fluctuate depending on the addition of new titles to the FansBet catalogue.

We’re not suggesting that FansBet is unfair, but it leaves us trying to figure out why the online casino operator doesn’t have a third-party seal of approval, such as eCOGRA, on top of the Malta Gaming Authority’s credentials to endorse its integrity and sense of fairness with RNGs to protect Kiwis. If it does, then it isn’t sporting the eCOGRA logo next to the MGA one at the bottom of its website landing page.

The 200% welcome bonus of up to $NZ400 — for those New Zealand newcomers who accept it on placing a minimum $NZ10 wager — has to meet a wagering requirement of 30x within seven days of taking up the offer. Also referred to as the playthrough, rollover, or turnover, Kiwi gamblers have to meet the requirements before they can withdraw any winnings from the bonus. We recommend Kiwi players read the promotion rules before signing up for bonuses.

Winnings from a Casino No-Deposit Bonus will be limited to 10x the amount of that bonus credited to the Kiwi customer’s account. Barring any casino exemptions, those claims will be subjected to a 50x rollover.

The great news is withdrawing winnings from a free-spin promotion won’t have any wagering requirements and will be credited to a customer’s account. However, that will be capped off at $NZ100.

FansBet Casino games will contribute towards any playthrough requirements, but baccarat doesn’t count. If pokies titles, or other category games, are exempt from turnover, we couldn’t find a list. Here’s the percentage of contribution from online casino products:

Software providers

Unlike other top operators, FansBet Casino NZ doesn’t champion the emblems of its game manufacturers at the bottom of its website landing page. Instead, the operator dedicates a drop-down link on the top horizontal bar to Megaways and NetEnt. The former has 89 titles while the latter chimes in with 119.

It’s refreshing to see FansBet tee up other game providers rather than the award-winning giants of Evolution Gaming and Microgaming. Can the online casino operator make more noise? We believe it can. It’s no secret that NetEnt, for instance, is forging ties with 20th Century Fox™ and Universal Studios™ to bring filmdom’s lovable characters to life in the gambling industry.

If that’s not enough, NetEnt will take New Zealanders into the rock ‘n’ roll realm of Guns ‘n’ Roses™, Jimi Hendrix Online Slots™, Motorhead™, and Ozzy Osbourne™ themes. Its hero titles with the Kiwi gamblers include Gonzo’s Quest™, Jack and the Beanstalk™, and Reef Raider™.

We believe FansBet should also blow Pragmatic Play’s trumpet for creating games like Gold Train which has an RTP of 97.16% and can be wagered on for NZ1 cent. It nudges the RTPs of the likes of Microgaming’s Immortal Romance at 96.9%, as the best in 2022. Pragmatic Play also adds buzz to the iGaming playground with its Drops & Wins titles.

The other iGaming software providers working their magic to keep FansBet maintaining a cutting-edge digital presence in the gambling industry are:

• 2By2
• Ainsworth
• Big Time Gaming
• Booming
• Blueprint
• Fantasma
• Genesis Games
• Golden Rock Studios
• iSoftBet
• JFTW
• Leap
• Leap Branded
• Merkur
• Old Skool
• Playson
• Rabcat
• Red Rake Gaming
• Red Tiger
• Skill Games

Loyalty Programme

Well, FansBet doesn’t have a loyalty programme or VIP rewards scheme. However, we thought when an online casino operator establishes a “Giving Back” segment, then New Zealand gamblers will back its campaign to help charities, good causes, and what matters most to fans. While they may not offer the best casino bonuses, FansBet's dedication to supporting charitable initiatives could resonate with players who value making a positive impact through their gambling activities.

“Once I found out what FansBet was really about, I was very keen to get involved as I felt it was such a fantastic idea, so new and original,” FansBet ambassador and former England football star Sir Kenny Dalglish, MBE, is quoted as saying on its site.

“Amen,” we say. With so many indigenous Māori, Pasifika, and Asian players vulnerable in gambling we believe New Zealanders will support FansBet’s campaign. After signing up, Kiwi gamblers can nominate their charity or cause.

Besides, FansBet has ongoing promotions and tournaments throughout the working-day week. On Mondays, Kiwi players can opt for 10 free spins on Book of Dead with a minimum deposit of $NZ10 on pokies. A code deposit unlocks a $NZ20 bonus and the following day New Zealanders wake up to a $NZ5 casino bonus if they have been placing a minimum $NZ10 bet on the sportsbook.

Kiwis will have to meet a 10x playthrough before claiming winnings on the promotions amid a $NZ2 betting ceiling.

Sportsbook in a Nutshell

Like it or not, the sportsbook is FansBet’s hero and has elevated its fans' experience to that of the top online betting sites in New Zealand. The online casino is an afterthought to offer dedicated Kiwi gamblers an opportunity to enter its iGaming casino lounge when there’s a lull in the sporting arena. Its roots are, after all, as bookmakers in Britain. As a fledgling enterprise, it won’t surprise us to discover FansBet investing in the future to raise its casino platform to marquee status.

• Bonuses and promotions: The welcome for Kiwi newcomers in sports betting is no different to the casino one — 200% up to $NZ1,000. Akin to the casino, FansBet backs that up with a weekly 200% up to $NZ400 offer. As always, we advise NZ sports lovers to read the sports promotions carefully before diving in. Deposits have a 10x wagering requirement. Qualifying bets also have to meet selection and odds criteria. The bookie dangle free-bet offers on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. However, what turns our heads is the $NZ15 Wednesday. It’s valid for seven days on activation and the cash is returned if the bet doesn’t win. We found the thumbnails’ “read more” links enlightening pertaining to terms & conditions.
• Betting markets: When the operator pledges to plant its fans on a lofty perch, then it must deliver to a good cross-section of them. FansBet bookmakers do that with aplomb. Its betting markets are up there with some of the notable rival frontrunners. Soccer football sets the tone with close to 120 leagues from around the world, albeit European-heavy. Our gripe is that you can have the Indonesian President’s Cup and Australian state leagues, but not any New Zealand ones. Our national summer league and Chatham Cup (NZ knockout cup) will see Kiwi soccer punters flocking to FansBet. On the flip side, Kiwi players can fully enjoy betting on rugby leagues as the platform offers rugby, its league and even Aussie Rules on the betting-market list. It’ll disappoint the field hockey (Black Sticks) and netball (Silver Ferns) faithful that the bookmakers don’t consider them worthy enough to make the muster. What’s encouraging is that FansBet bookies may consider some add-ins for the benefit of New Zealanders when it finds better traction as an established sportsbook. As for peripheral codes, FansBet shows it is open to ideas in embracing futsal, E-Sports, and politics. The first one is confined to Argentina and Brazil while E-Sports has an Asia and Indo-China bias. Now politics limited to America, Europe, and the UK (Ireland) can be better. New Zealand and Australian general elections can be just as enthralling. Kabaddi (Indian professional wrestling) will be an interesting addition, too, considering the number of Indian nationals living, working, and wagering in New Zealand.
• Odds: Any New Zealander with a thread of betting fibre in their genetic makeup will tell you that they’re aware of how sportsbooks use odds as a magnetic tool. “Tell us more?” they may cry. We intend to after some serious digging. It’s fair to say FansBet’s odds stack up well against its rivals. It’s never clear cut, simply because the codes dictate variation in odds, even within the marquee leagues of codes.

Here’s an RTP cross-section of some of the mainstream codes to put odds in perspective (note these figures can and will fluctuate from the time we post this):

On occasions, we have noticed bookies tend to have exclusives that raise the stakes against rival sportsbooks’ odds although a handful of codes’ levels are languishing. Go to (place link here) on our site to have a better grasp and understanding of what method of odds suits Kiwis best on certain platforms and how to work them out. Fansbet has a handy drop-down option to pick the American, decimal or fraction methods.

• Live streaming: It comes as a huge surprise to us that FansBet doesn’t have a live-streaming feature. But don’t despair because it’s not all doom and gloom. The bookmakers have a data-display window on the top right-hand side of the game that tracks the progress of an encounter in “real time”. It projects the turning points that can potentially influence the outcome of a match.
• In-play betting: Also known as live betting, it will lift the spirits of New Zealand gamblers in the face of the absence of a live-streaming facility. FansBet allocates an “In-play” drop-down link to this feature, which enables punters to ride the roller coaster right through to the dying seconds of a live match. At strategic intervals, bettors can wager on “1X2”, “double chance”, “total goals”, and “both to score” predictions. You can see which team has collected yellow/red cards, among other key features such as free-kicks, penalties, and corner kicks.
• Cashout: It’s not available on every code or every match for that matter, but this cashout feature will please Kiwi punters. Also known as “buy out”, it makes way before kick-off or during a live game for you to exit with your money. This feature provides an escape clause for when you’re ahead or when it looks like the team you’re backing is losing its mojo. The percentage amount a player can withdraw is at the discretion of the bookies. A cashout moniker will switch on to display where it’s applicable.
• Accumulators/multiple bets: For those who need multiple adrenaline rushes, FansBet has created an ideal cocktail mix for Kiwis. Those who have placed bets on an accumulator before keeping a tab on their heartbeat will know how enthralling it can be to watch each prediction fall into place. For those who haven’t tried what is also known as “acca”, consider giving it a go. This bookmaker’s selection isn’t in the hundreds of other marquee rivals but the 20 or so at your disposal is ideal for those who are new in this facet of play. Our advice is to read the betting rules on the FansBet website before entering the domain.
• Betting ceilings: For the newbies, this is a must-check feature, not only for FansBet but any bookmaker they engage with. Minimum and maximum betting limits — as well as ceilings on wins — should be routine. We couldn’t find the actual nuts and bolts in the terms & conditions or the betting rules. Our advice is if you’re a casual punter this bookie is a godsend but if you’re into making investments for lucrative returns, then go to other marquee online sports betting platforms. On the flip side, the operator has listed explicit sts to discuss any concerns.
• Virtuals: FansBet only offers 13 virtual matches via software gaming manufacturers Leap, and Leap Branded. It’s predictably soccer and racing-heavy, with the latter including the Kiwi favourites of gallops, greyhound racing, and trotting. The bookies offer one each of speedway, tennis, and velodrome cycling. FansBet should take its hat off for its vision here.

Every casino operator and bookmaker entering the New Zealand playground knows that the most important knock on their virtual door is from customers. Poor custom equals bad business and reputation. FansBet acknowledges the need for customer service despite not offering an 0800 phone service. It has a charcoal live-chat icon on the top left side of a second-tier horizontal bar menu as well as its signature forest green live-chat bubble on the bottom right-hand side of the website landing page.

Click on the green help centre button on the second-tier horizontal bar menu and it takes you to six icons of support topics — My Account, Deposits, Withdrawals, Account Verification, Responsible Gambling, Bonus, Payment Methods, and Contact Us. The Contact Us icon transports Kiwis to a form-filling window for personal details, picking a category that’s bothering them, including an “other” option, before asking them to describe their pain points.

However, a click on the live chat icon at the bottom flicks you back to the landing-page bubble. Another tap there says: “Sorry, we can’t chat right now but send a message using the form below.” Sigh … you find yourself back at the starting point after the runaround. And, no, that means it’s not a 24/7 live-chat service. The Customer Service Team responds no later than two days after receiving any complaint.

Our advice to New Zealand gamblers is to go to an operator’s frequently asked questions (FAQs) link before approaching the support staff for help in several languages. We struggled to see one on FansBet but, eventually, figured out that it lives in the Help Centre icons. FansBet is a fledgling bookie, but it’ll have to lift its game to provide the customer service of marquee rivals. What it does have is an email service via its complaints procedure at the bottom of its landing page.

• Email: support@fansbet.com; for complaints — support.mga@mga.org.mt 
• FAQs: The green “Help Centre” button doubles up as a frequently-asked-questions section in different categories. It includes details on know-your-customer (KYC), responsible gambling tools, and bonuses.
• Live chat: It’s not an around-the-clock immediate response from a widget or support crew member. The “Contact Us” bubble guides you to a form-filling routine for a casino username, email address, and first/last name.
• Telephone: +35627761318 for complaints (note, that’s a Malta number so international charges apply).

Payment Methods

The best news from the FansBet bookmakers is that it doesn’t charge processing fees although the service providers may levy them. We advise Kiwi gamblers to visit the payment-methods link to become familiar with the terms and conditions that will not see them trip on third-party wires, resulting in the online operator freezing their account.

Every transaction comes with the assurance of the 128-bit digital SSL encryption technology to protect Kiwis’ financial data from cyber scammers. However, one of the things that hit us between the eyes is the absence of the PayPal option. A “country” window reveals payment providers available to New Zealand punters in the form of credit/debit cards, e-Wallets, mobile payments, and virtual vouchers:

• AstroPay Card
• Payz
• MasterCard
• MuchBetter
• Neteller
• Skrill
• Skrill 1-Tap™
• Visa

Note: All payment providers, bar AstroPay, have a minimum of $NZ10 deposits. However, their maximum withdrawals differ from $NZ10,000 to $NZ25,000 but it fails to specify over what duration (day, week, or month). FansBet prefers the same method for deposits and withdrawals for transactions to safeguard Kiwi players’ interests. AstroPay Wallet is good for withdrawals but NOT AstroPay Card.