Last updated: May 2026 — Liam Hartley, Planafarewell
```htmlAt Planafarewell, every online pokies review you read has been built from the ground up through hands-on testing. Site owner and lead reviewer Liam Hartley personally registers an account, deposits real money, plays actual pokies, contacts support, and requests a withdrawal before a single rating is published. There are no shortcuts, no sponsored placements, and no ratings handed out without direct experience. This page explains exactly how that process works so you can trust every score you see on planafarewell.com.
New Zealand players face a crowded market of offshore casino operators, and not all of them deserve your trust or your New Zealand dollars. A transparent, consistent rating framework means you can compare casinos on equal footing. It also means Liam cannot quietly inflate a score because an operator reached out with a partnership offer. The criteria, the weightings, and the process are set in advance and applied the same way to every site reviewed in 2026.
Before signing up, Liam checks the operator's licensing credentials. He looks up the licence number directly on the regulator's public database rather than relying on the casino's own claims. Any site that cannot produce a verifiable licence from a recognised authority is removed from consideration immediately.
Liam registers a real player account using his own details. This tests how smooth the sign-up flow is, whether KYC requirements are clearly communicated upfront, and whether any red flags appear during onboarding.
A genuine deposit is made using payment methods available to NZ players, including cards and e-wallets where supported. Processing times, currency conversion fees, and minimum deposit thresholds are all recorded at this stage.
Liam spends meaningful session time on the pokie library, testing game variety, software providers, load speeds, and RTP availability. Both desktop and mobile play are tested to assess the full experience.
Where a welcome bonus is available, Liam claims it and works through the wagering requirements. This reveals whether the terms are fair in practice, not just on paper.
Liam contacts the support team with a genuine query via at least two channels, such as live chat and email. Response times and the quality of answers are logged.
A withdrawal is requested to test processing speed, document requirements, and whether any unexpected fees appear. This is one of the most revealing steps in the entire process.
After completing all testing steps, Liam applies the weighted scoring system described below and writes the review based solely on his direct experience.
Every casino reviewed on Planafarewell is scored across six categories. Each category carries a specific percentage weight that reflects how much it matters to the overall player experience for NZ pokies players in 2026.
| Category | Weight | What We Assess |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and Safety | 25% | Regulatory licence, SSL encryption, responsible gambling tools, fair play certification |
| Bonuses and Promotions | 20% | Welcome offer value, wagering requirements, bonus terms fairness, ongoing promotions |
| Game Selection | 20% | Number and variety of pokies, software providers, RTP transparency, new releases |
| Payment Methods | 15% | NZD support, deposit and withdrawal options, processing times, fee transparency |
| Customer Support | 10% | Availability hours, response speed, quality of answers, number of contact channels |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | Browser-based play quality, app availability, loading performance, full feature access on mobile |
Planafarewell uses a 1 to 10 numerical rating scale. Each category receives its own score out of 10, and the overall site rating is the weighted average of all six category scores. Here is what the final scores mean in plain terms:
Independence is the foundation of everything published on this site. Liam Hartley funds all test deposits personally and does not accept payment from casino operators in exchange for reviews or higher scores. Where affiliate relationships exist, they are disclosed clearly on the relevant pages, and those relationships have no influence over the rating a casino receives. A casino that pays a referral commission receives the same honest scoring process as one that does not.
Scores are reviewed and updated whenever a casino makes significant changes to its terms, game library, or payment processing. A high score earned in early 2026 will be revisited if player feedback or new testing reveals a decline in quality. Planafarewell publishes only what Liam would genuinely recommend to a friend playing pokies with real New Zealand dollars.
If you have a question about how a specific casino was rated, or if you have spotted something that should be re-evaluated, you are welcome to get in touch through the contact page at planafarewell.com. Reader feedback has directly triggered re-reviews in the past and remains a valued part of keeping this site accurate and trustworthy.
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