Last updated: May 2026 — Daniel Whitaker, Stiksfood
At Stiksfood, every review you read is the result of genuine, hands-on testing carried out by Daniel Whitaker. Daniel is an independent gambling industry analyst with years of experience evaluating online casino platforms for New Zealand players. No site pays for a review, no operator influences a score, and no rating is published without Daniel personally signing off on it. This page explains exactly how that process works so you can trust the recommendations you find at stiksfood.com.
Before a single word of a review is written, Daniel goes through a structured, multi-stage testing process. This is not a desk exercise based on marketing materials. Daniel creates a real player account, makes real deposits using payment methods available to New Zealand players, claims available bonuses, plays a selection of pokies, contacts customer support, and attempts a withdrawal. Only after completing this full cycle does the scoring process begin.
The process follows these steps:
Each site is scored out of 10 in six categories. A weighted total is then calculated to produce the final overall score. The table below shows each category and its contribution to the final rating.
| Category | Weighting | What We Look At |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and Safety | 25% | Valid licence from a recognised authority, SSL encryption, responsible gambling tools, and fair-play certification |
| Bonuses and Promotions | 20% | Welcome offer value, wagering requirements, bonus terms fairness, ongoing promotions, and free spins availability |
| Game Selection | 20% | Number of pokies titles, software providers, RTP transparency, jackpot availability, and quality of NZ-popular games |
| Payment Methods | 15% | Deposit and withdrawal options for NZ players, NZD support, processing times, and fee transparency |
| Customer Support | 10% | Availability hours, live chat response time, email response quality, and support agent knowledge |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | Mobile browser performance, app availability, game load times, and navigation on smaller screens |
All sites are scored on a scale of 1 to 10. The overall rating is a weighted calculation based on the six categories above. Here is what each score range means:
Independence is the foundation of every review published on stiksfood.com. Daniel Whitaker is not employed by, contracted to, or financially incentivised by any casino operator. Where affiliate relationships exist and commissions may be earned if a reader signs up via a link, this is disclosed clearly on the relevant page. Crucially, affiliate arrangements have no influence over scores or editorial content. A site that pays a higher commission does not receive a better rating. Scores are determined solely by the testing methodology described on this page.
Reviews are also updated regularly. If a site changes its terms, loses a licence, or degrades in quality, the rating is revised to reflect the current experience. Daniel revisits each reviewed site at least once per year, and any significant change triggers an immediate re-evaluation.
If you have questions about how a specific site was rated or want to report a concern about an operator listed on stiksfood.com, you can contact Daniel Whitaker directly through the contact page. Transparency matters, and every rating can be accounted for.