In case you love cricket but can't or don't want to always have to head out and play it yourself or wait for another championship to take place, you can indulge in your favourite sport in a different way – playing cricket in online casinos. Although online casinos New Zealand are banned when it comes to native online gambling operators, luckily NZ players can sign up with one of the legitimate international gambling providers.
All about cricket: online casino games
There are a few fun cricket-themed games you can enjoy in an online casino as a New Zealander. Here are some of them.
Cricket Star
Cricket Star is an online cricket-themed slot game that you can play in a good online casino. This fun game features 243 different pay lines from left to right, and the visual themes featured in Cricket Star will appeal to all cricket lovers out there.
God of Cricket
This cricket-themed slot game features five reels, which come up to 243 possible ways to win. Naturally, all reel symbols are related to cricket. Unbeknownst to some, God of Cricket features a bonus game that can double your winning chances. Like the joker in a pack, God of Cricket is the wild symbol of the eponymous game. You can substitute the God of Cricket for nearly any other symbol.
Lord’s Balcony
Here we have something for those of you who follow Indian cricket leagues. Lord’s Balcony is another cricket-themed slot game, a five-reel, with a 20-payline reel. Yet another slot game where you get 243 ways to win. So how does it relate to cricket? It features symbols representing famous players from the Indian and English cricket league teams.
Cricket Heroes
Cricket Heroes is a slot game for experienced players where you match different cricket symbols to win money. Similar to Cricket Star.
Basic cricket rules to get you started
Watching a game of your favourite sport is one thing but playing it yourself is another. This section is for those of you who may love cricket but want a better understanding of basic rules.
Cricket rules are set internationally. These are the most basic rules:
- There are two teams playing against each other.
- Each team consists of eleven players.
- The teams take turns batting or bowling.
- The stage a team is in (batting or bowling) is called an innings.
- The inside team has two batters on the field at a time.
- One of the batters must hit the pitcher’s ball out onto the field.
- Both batters need to run to the other gate before someone on the other team catches the ball and throws it back to the gate or the gatekeeper.
- If they manage to do this, they score a point.
- The goal of the team batting is to get as many runs (another name for points) as possible. Four runs can be scored if the batsman hits the ball on the pitch and the ball then goes out of bounds. Six runs can be scored if the batsman hits the ball off the pitch.
- The aim of the team throwing the ball is to burn all but one of the other team's players.
- When this happens, the teams change places.
- Each time a batsman fails (wicket), he is out and replaced by another.
How to approach playing cricket slots
Now that we know the basic rules of the game, here are a few tips for those of you excited to try their luck with cricket slots at an online casino.
- Play for fun: The house has a mathematical advantage, and you can't change that. So, you should keep that in mind when you start playing and expect to lose, but hope for the occasional win.
- Join a slots club: Almost all casinos have loyalty bonuses, discounts, and offers for players who are regulars with them. They may give you a card that you insert into the machine, so they can keep track of how much you've bought at the casino.
- Share tips within a group of cricket fans: Know a local as passionate about cricket as you are? Get to know the same cricket slots and discuss your findings!
- Skip the progressives unless you're set on winning a life-changing amount: Because the wins on progressives are so high, they pay out less frequently. Luckily (or unfortunately), most cricket slots aren’t progressive slots.
- Don't play for money: This should be common sense. Same goes for betting on cricket – do it because you love it, not because you need to win.