Captain Cooks Casino Review NZ

It’s not every day that an online casino comes along that compels me to write a review. I learned Captain Cooks is very popular among Kiwi players looking to gamble for real money. Having several years of experience and being somewhat of an expert was reason enough to compel me to investigate what makes it tick.

Like always, I start by putting myself in a player’s shoes by signing up and claiming the welcome bonus. Along the way, I document my experiences, record my thoughts, and provide up-to-date and relevant information. This can all be found in my Captain Cooks Casino review, intended to provide a helpful guide to make a player’s gambling experience as positive as possible.

Casino Review of Captain Cooks Casino

2000-established Captain Cooks Casino is managed by Apollo Entertainment Limited, licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. The manager is also licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission license (38620) and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) under authorisation number MGA/B2C/164/2008.

Additionally, Captain Cooks Casino is certified by UK-based eCOGRA for game fairness, player safety, fair dealing, and deposit safety. The website uses SSL encryption to protect information and payments, making Captain Cooks safer and more trustworthy. The casino site has a responsible gambling page, which provides resources and tools to help players stay in control.

Captain Cooks’ website is part of the Casino Rewards Group alongside other popular brands like Yukon Gold Casino and Grand Mondial. This means that players can enjoy benefits, get an opportunity to win bonus money daily and enjoy the perks of a six-level VIP loyalty program.

The online casino is built on the Microgaming platform that offers over 550 online casino games: slots, progressives, table games, video poker and live games.

Captain Cooks Welcome Bonus

After completing the Captain Cook Casino sign up process, the login was automatic, and I was taken to the promotions page. Although I wasn’t offered a no deposit bonus, It presented a colourful welcome package starting with a $5 minimum deposit casino offer.

I was pleased that I wouldn’t need to spend much money to participate. My first $5 deposit promised me a chance of winning big-time prizes that could turn me into an instant millionaire. My subsequent four deposits of  $10 or more each awarded me a match bonus:

• 1^st: $25 bonus for 100 chances on Mega Moolah progressive jackpot slots
• 2^nd: 100% casino bonus of up to $100
• 3^rd: 50% casino bonus of up to $150
• 4^th: 25% casino bonus of up to $125
• 5^th: 100% casino bonus of up to $100

Captain Cooks Casino Bonus Wagering and T&Cs

The welcome offer is for new players only and cannot be used in tandem with any other promotion. Bonuses remain valid for 60 days from sign-up.

Each of the 100 free spins on the Captain Cook casino $5 bonus has a value of $0.25. Surprisingly, these bonuses have 200x wagering requirements, among the highest I’ve seen at gambling sites. This is important for players to pay attention to because it impacts the likelihood of transforming bonus money into cash.

Captain Cooks games can have different contributions towards the playthrough requirement on casino bonuses:

• 100%: Slots, Parlour games, Deal or No Deal Live, Lightning Dice (live)
• 50%: Casino War, Sic Bo and Table poker
• 10%: Blackjack’s excluding classic blackjack, baccarat, craps, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat and Top-Card (live)
• 2%: Vid. Poker excluding All Aces, classic blackjack, roulette, Caribbean Draw Poker, Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Gold, Triple Action Hold’em Bonus Poker Gold, Live French/American/Auto Roulette, Super Sic Bo (live), Live Caribbean Stud Poker, Live Casino Hold’em, Live Three Card Poker, 2-Hand Casino Hold’em, Side Bet City
• 0%: All Aces Vid Poker

For example, a player at Captain Cooks who makes a $50 real money deposit can collect $50 in bonus money on the 100% match bonus. To convert bonus money into cash, they would need to cumulatively wager the bonus money depending on game type:

• $50x200x100%/100%= $10,000 [ex. slots]
• $50x200x100%/10%= $100,000 [ex. baccarat]
• $50x200x100%/2%= $500,000 [ex. Live Three Card Poker]

Ensure to read the Captain Cooks bonus T&Cs, as some actions are prohibited, which can lead to the loss of bonus and winnings. For example, even money bets on roulette are not permitted.

Casino Rewards, VIP Lucky Jackpot and Sweepstakes

Captain Cooks casino rewards for returning players include a six-tier rewards loyalty program. Players climb levels by earning status points with wagers. A sufficient number of status points increases their status: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

The Time Of Your Life Sweepstakes is an opportunity to boost the exclusivity of rewards based on player level. A Captain Cooks player chooses their ideal prize at each level and earns tickets towards a sweepstakes, which can award exclusive prizes.

The VIP Lucky Jackpot is available at each level, increasing daily until it is won. A player can unlock each jackpot by raising their status.

Captain Cook also offers a changing monthly promotion, where players can win double points playing a video slot. For example, the August 2023 Captain Cooks promotion applied to Cat Clans 2. The game featured free spins, wild multipliers and ministry prizes of 50x bet.

Captain Cooks Casino NZ Registration

Setting up a casino account at Captain Cook Casino NZ takes just a few minutes to complete. We’ve summarised the steps below:

• Press the red “CLICK HERE TO PLAY” button to begin.
• Enter your first name, last name and email address on the first screen.
• Next, select your date of birth and gender.
• Choose a password between 4-30 characters on the third registration screen.
• Enter your full address, city, postal code, state and preferred account currency on this next screen.
• On the final account registration screen, enter your mobile number. You must also confirm that you can legally gamble and accept the T&Cs. Players also have the option to claim welcome bonuses and promotions at this stage.

A fact of life at online casinos is the KYC verification policy. The purpose is to avoid underage online gambling and to verify a player’s identity and location. Captain Cooks Casino NZ may request documents after a deposit or before a withdrawal, which may include any of the following:

• Government-issued photo ID like a driver’s license or passport
• A bank statement or utility bill less than three months old
• Proof of ownership of the source of funds account, like a photocopy of the front/back of a card or eWallets/bank account statements

Although this may seem like a nuisance, you can make your life easier by preparing the information before it’s requested. It’s in your interest to supply the information to Captain Cook Casino as soon as possible, as it can delay receipt of your money by several days.

Casino Games

It wasn’t surprising to find so many games from Microgaming, considering the platform is built on its casino software. In fact, I counted at least 550 online casino games at Captain Cooks. Among these were games organised into player-friendly categories:

• video pokers
• tables
• slots
• tables
• live casino

Each game has a “Help” menu, which presents an in-depth guide explaining how to play it, the features, payouts and more.

Slot Games

Captain Cooks Casino pokies can be refined according to paylines, including up to 20 paylines, 25+ paylines, 3 reel classics and 5 reels. While these can be helpful, I would have liked to see filters based on themes, RTPs, volatilities, features, etc.

I found and played several quirky favourites at Captain Cooks, like 10,000 Wishes, Tiny Gods, 777 Mega Deluxe, 25,000 Talons and 5 Star Knockout.

I also got to have fun on player-favourites, like Blood Suckers and Thunderstruck II. Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones were two of my favourite branded slots at Captain Cooks Casino.

Progressive Jackpot Games

I counted nearly 15 progressive jackpot games at Captain Cooks, including the progressive jackpot slot Mega Vault Millionaire. Captain Cooks Casino has several Mega Moolah jackpot games, like Atlantean Treasures and Immortal Romance.

Table Games and Live Casino Games

I noted that the casino has many card games, including blackjack variants. These included my favourites like European Blackjack and Vegas Strip Blackjack. I could play some of these with limits as low as one dollar.

Likewise, I found American, European and French Roulette table games and variants like European Roulette Gold. Interestingly, the casino also offers a branded Mega Moolah roulette game containing the slot title’s signature jackpot.

I also enjoyed playing live blackjack, live roulette and others with table limits for the average player or high rollers.

Another area that makes this one of the best casino online NZ sites is the choice of 20+ video poker games. These included my favourites like Jacks or Better and Aces & Faces.

Captain Cooks Casino for Mobile

In today’s fast-paced environment, people are constantly on the go. This makes them more reliant on their devices for communicating, organising and entertainment. Therefore, busy players want to enjoy online gaming even when away from their casino desktop version.

In response, the gambling industry, including Captain Cooks, has optimised their sites for instant play browsers on Android/iOS. Thus, a player can enjoy the same exciting online casino games on his or her mobile device.

Although Captain Cooks doesn’t offer a downloadable casino app, its mobile online version delivers the same exceptional gaming experience. There’s no need to download bulky software to a smartphone or tablet, saving time and device storage space.

The Captain Cook Casino NZ login step is no different than on a desktop browser. Captain Cooks Casino players can still find the casino rewards $5 deposit bonus. They can also access identical promos, casino games, banking, loyalty rewards, etc.

Deposit and Withdrawal Payment Methods

Banking at Captain Cook is safe, fast and secure using a choice among bank cards, eWallets or prepaid cards, including the following payment options:

• VISA, Mastercard and JCB
• PaySafeCard, Payz and Neosurf
• Neteller, Skrill, MuchBetter and Google Pay

Captain Cook payment providers accommodate a low minimum deposit in NZ dollars. Captain Cooks Casino does not apply its own handling fees. Still, it’s best to check whether your chosen payment method applies charges and, if so, how much.

I found it easy to find deposit information, such as the minimum deposit. However, I found it odd that the same wasn’t true of withdrawals. I couldn’t access the Captain Cooks withdrawal section to get information. Although I looked through the Captain Cooks Casino T&Cs, it was unclear whether these applied to all countries. Therefore, the withdrawal policy is not nearly as clear as the deposit policy.

I spent considerable time scanning the Captain Cooks T&Cs and other parts of the website, looking for withdrawal information. The terms and conditions state that daily withdrawal limits may apply. However, it doesn’t provide additional clarity. I was unclear about several other withdrawal-related topics, which left me frustrated:

• Minimum withdrawal amount
• Withdrawal options
• Casino withdrawal fees, if any
• Captain Cooks withdrawal processing time

Discovering any withdrawal options or info takes some time, which can be inconvenient to many NZ gamblers. Considering this, I’ve spent lots of effort locating all available withdrawal methods and summing them up in a comprehensive table below.

Customer Service

Captain Cook Casino customer support is available 24/7. It comprises an English-speaking team of trained professionals, reached via live chat and email [email protected].

Using the chat function is the fastest way of getting a hold of a representative. I waited about 60 seconds when I tested the service. Email response time is up to 24 hours, which isn’t great but not unusual for casinos. Unfortunately, Captain Cooks Casino does not have telephone support, which would have been more helpful.

Conclusion

With licenses from three different regulators and eCOGRA certification, Captain Cooks has the makings of a trustworthy and safe place to play. The lack of transparency around the withdrawal terms was my only significant hangup.

This website will appeal to New Zealanders who enjoy the Microgaming platform content, including classic slots, jackpot progressives and video pokers.

Despite the low first-time $5 minimum deposit requirement, the 200x playthrough requirement at Captain Cooks Casino is unreasonable. Therefore, I would understand if some players decide not to opt into the welcome promotion. Instead, they can benefit from more than 550 games and fair regular promotions, including the VIP loyalty program and monthly offers.