Last updated: June 2026 — Liam Hargreaves, Lismoretenpin
At Lismoretenpin.com, every casino and pokies site review you read is the result of a thorough, structured evaluation process carried out by Liam Hargreaves. This page explains exactly how that process works, what criteria we use, how each factor is weighted, and how we ensure our recommendations remain completely independent from the operators we cover. We believe New Zealand players deserve honest, transparent guidance — and that starts with showing our work.
Liam Hargreaves is the author, owner, and sole reviewer behind Lismoretenpin. Every site featured on this platform is personally tested by Liam before any review is published. That means creating a real player account, depositing actual funds, claiming bonuses, playing online pokies, contacting customer support, and requesting a withdrawal — all from a New Zealand perspective. No review is written from a press kit, a promotional brief, or second-hand information. If Liam has not tested it directly, it does not appear on this site.
With years of experience evaluating online gambling platforms for NZ players, Liam brings both technical knowledge and a genuine player's perspective to every assessment. The goal is always the same: to answer the question a real Kiwi player would ask before signing up.
Before a full review begins, each site is checked against a basic eligibility checklist. Sites that hold no recognisable gambling licence, appear on known blacklists, or target underage players are rejected immediately and will not receive a review on Lismoretenpin under any circumstances.
Liam registers a genuine player account using New Zealand credentials. This tests how smooth the sign-up process is, what identification documents are required, and how long verification takes — details that matter to real players.
A real-money deposit is made using payment methods available to NZ players. Any welcome bonus or free spins offer is claimed and evaluated. A selection of online pokies is played across different categories — classic slots, video pokies, and jackpot titles — to assess variety, software quality, and fairness indicators such as published RTP figures.
Customer support is contacted through at least two available channels to assess response time and quality of assistance. A withdrawal request is then submitted to evaluate processing speed, any friction in the cashout process, and whether the experience matches what was advertised.
All findings are compiled into scores across our six rating categories. A final overall score is calculated, the review is written, and the site is assigned a placement in our rankings accordingly.
Each site is scored out of 10 in six categories. The overall score is a weighted average based on the importance of each factor to the typical NZ player experience.
| Category | Weighting | What We Evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and Safety | 25% | Validity of gambling licence, SSL encryption, responsible gambling tools, data protection practices |
| Bonuses and Promotions | 20% | Welcome offer value, wagering requirements, time limits, bonus terms fairness, ongoing promotions |
| Game Selection | 20% | Number and variety of pokies, software providers, RTP transparency, jackpot options, new releases |
| Payment Methods | 15% | NZD support, deposit and withdrawal options, processing times, transaction fees, cashout limits |
| Customer Support | 10% | Availability hours, live chat, email response time, helpfulness, knowledge of NZ-specific queries |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | Mobile browser performance, dedicated app availability, game loading speed, navigation on smaller screens |
Every site receives an overall score from 1 to 10, calculated from the weighted category scores above. Here is how to interpret those scores:
Independence is fundamental to everything published on this site. Lismoretenpin may earn referral commissions when readers sign up to a recommended casino through our links — this is how the site is funded. However, this commercial relationship never influences scores, rankings, or written conclusions. A site with a high commission rate will still receive a low score if it fails our testing criteria. A site that offers no affiliate arrangement at all can still be reviewed and ranked honestly.
Liam Hargreaves does not accept payment from operators in exchange for favourable reviews, inflated scores, or guaranteed top placements. Sponsored content, if ever published, is clearly labelled as such and kept entirely separate from editorial reviews. No casino operator has editorial input into any review published on Lismoretenpin.
Our scoring methodology is published here and applied consistently to every site we evaluate. Readers are always encouraged to read the full review — not just the score — before making any decision about where to play.
This methodology page reflects the review process used by Lismoretenpin as of 2026. Criteria weightings and scoring standards are reviewed periodically to ensure they remain relevant to the current NZ online pokies landscape. Any significant changes to our methodology will be noted here with an updated date.