New Zealand Online Pokies Guide

Playing online casino games can be a stimulating and enjoyable experience, especially when they pay out large amounts. The problem is, some of the games can be deceiving. Often, the machines’ jangling sounds and flashing lights lure players to try them even though those players lack a full understanding of the games’ mechanics and how the odds are calculated. With little knowledge of how to play these games, many players complain that they didn’t enjoy the experience.

A good number of players simply sign up online (without considering security and safety factors) and start playing the games, hoping to land massive wins at a go. However, knowing exactly how the machines work will greatly improve a player’s chances of winning the elusive jackpot, as well as enhance the overall gaming experience.

This article is aimed at solving a few problems that online casino slot players often come across. Whether you are a new player or often play slots online, by the time you finish reading this article, you will have a better understanding of how to play and enjoy pokies games.

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Popularity of Slot Machines With Bonus Games in New Zealand

 What features make players from across the world, including New Zealand, want to hit the buttons continuously or even spend thousands playing them? If you are wondering what’s the charm behind online slots, here is one of the main reasons – players can play slots for fun and win real money in the process. Though most players realize that other games offer better chances of winning, most players still prefer slots to other online casino games.

So, what’s the secret? What makes slots such an attractive and appealing game to players? We’ve highlighted the most common reasons why slot machine games are popular.

Factors that make slot machines popular:

  • Players can play slots for fun and win real money in the process. Casinos such as Rizk,  and Dunder offer free-to-play games that players can use to unwind.
  • Anyone can play slot machine games, as they are easy to understand. There are no complicated rules, unlike with games such as blackjack or poker
  • Some games offer millions in cash prizes, which can be won from a bet of NZD $0.50. This is often too tempting for players to ignore.
  • Slot games generate an adrenaline rush. Some players enjoy the thrill that near-misses generate.

Different Types of Pokies Online

Classic Slots

The noisy, jingling-jangling, coin-operated slot machines at brick and mortar casinos are considered to be the first classic slot games. They are the prototypes of the modern-day, flashy looking, five-reeled video slots. The first classic slots featured three spinning reels and one payline. These games have evolved over time. Nowadays, it’s no surprise to come across a classic slot game with up to five reels and multiple paylines. Most newcomers to the slots world opt to start with traditional slots. The reason is simple: They are fun and easy to play. In addition, the rules are not complicated and no skills are required. The main reason why classic slots have gained in popularity is the presence of progressive jackpots and lucrative promotional offers. Although these games are known by different names, like fruit machines or online pokies, they are more or less the same. Classic slots are widely played not only by the older generation but also by the younger one. Some popular titles include Break da Bank, Jackpot Jester, Triple Diamond, and Bar Bar Black Sheep.


Video Slots

Video slots are with no doubt the most popular casino games in the market today. Although some players still consider the antique 3 reeled slots, the modern version is on higher demand. They are characterized by fine graphics and visual animations, excellent sound effects and numerous opportunities for winning. Most video slots come with 5 reels and multiple paylines. But you will also find a good number with 7 or 9 reels. The paylines are designed to run across the reels, and every payline that is activated increases chances of winning. These games come with appealing themes and interfaces. Additionally, they have game control options to help you adjust coins when betting. Before you start playing, it is recommended to review the paytable to know the high-value symbols and possible wins. Like the classic slot machines, video slots are easy to learn and play. However, what makes them different from the traditional version is the variety of symbols and special winning features. These games are packed with features like free spins, multipliers, bonus games and symbols like the wild and scatters. Most online casinos offer these games both in free mode and real money.

The first video slots games were released back in 1976 by Fortune Coin, a company that’s located in Las Vegas. This company was the first to include the fruit and bar symbols to its machines. Since then, there have been numerous developments, including the introduction of the games to the online casino scene.

Nowadays, most of the video slots games constitute of the modern 5 reel slots and progressive jackpot slot games all of which feature state of the art graphics; superb animations and some use themes adopted from trends such as Emoji Slots; from movies such as Planet of the Apes or comic books such as Jack Hammer Slot.

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Which are some of the popular New Zealand video slots?

Following are some of the most played video slots in New Zealand. This conclusion is based on the number of New Zealand casinos offering them, plus the number of reviews that New Zealand players have written about the slots.

Starburst: This is a NetEnt slot production. It features a simple and straightforward theme based on a space expedition. The game has a top prize of NZD $50,000 and has the ‘both ways’ feature.

Gonzo’s Quest: It’s also a popular video slots game from software giants NetEnt. The game is based on Spanish explorer and treasure hunter, Gonzo Pizarro, where he goes in search for long lost treasure in El Dorado. Are you willing to help him get the lost treasure trove and get rewarded with the NZD $40,000 top prize?

Mega Moolah: Mega Moolah once held the record for the highest payout in a video slot game when it awarded a British soldier with a whopping €13 million while playing on his mobile phone. This Microgaming slot has a progressive jackpot that’s made hundreds of players from across the world millionaires. Will you be one of the lucky ones?

What are Progressive Jackpot Pokies?

Usually, modern-day pokies offer players big wins based on what symbols they land on the screen. Some of these games also offer fixed jackpots, in most cases amounting to 500x the top bet. As a fixed jackpot, the prize remains the same regardless of the number of players who choose to play it.

However, there are also progressive jackpot games, which, as the name suggests, grow progressively in value until the amount finally falls. The jackpot’s growth depends on the number of players playing the game, as each bet made usually contributes a small percentage towards the overall jackpot.

Do progressive jackpots cost more to play?

It’s understandable to think that you have to spend extra money to win the game’s massive progressive jackpots. However, this is a misconception, as progressive jackpots don’t come at an extra cost. To win, you just have to play the normal way. However, to increase your chances of winning, it’s advisable that you bet the maximum.

 243 Ways of Winning Pokies

If you play 243 ways pokies games, you’ll have 243 unique ways to win (in other words, 243 paylines). Usually, pokies slots come with 10 to 25 paylines; however, with advancements in technology, it’s not possible to have 243 paylines confined to the usual five reels. You are probably wondering: With up to 243 paylines, a lot must have changed, right?

On the contrary; everything else remains the same, including the gameplay, symbols used, and even the number of reels. The only notable change is that you’re now able to register frequent wins, as the 243 paylines make it possible to land smaller wins.

Why Are They Called 243 Ways Pokies?

The number 243 isn’t just a random amount that the software developers came up with. Well-calculated mathematics are behind it. For example, if the game has two reels, it offers up to nine possibilities (3×3). If the game has five reels, your probability of winning is 3×3×3×3×3, which equals 243.

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Real Money vs Free to Play Slots

From the names themselves, you can already tell what these two types of pokies offer. Real money pokies are those with which you use real money to play and can win real money in the process. You can withdraw your winnings whenever you wish. As for free online casino games, you play them using ‘virtual’ currency awarded by the casino. Any winnings resulting from the session are virtual; you cannot withdraw them.

Odds in Pokies – What are the Odds of winning?

The odds of winning slot machine games differ from one game to another in terms of bet amounts and, in some instances, in terms of denominations and different games on the same slot machine game. However, the odds for specific games are never advertised or posted on the games themselves.

The best thing you can do to estimate your odds of winning while playing real money slots is to examine the casino-wide averages of pokies of the same denomination. For an estimate, let’s consider the New Zealand real money online casinos market, in which each site must report its average percentage returns to the New Zealand Gambling Commission.

The figures vary from one site to another but an overview of paybacks for real money slots and other games looks like this. Slot machine games have higher payback percentages with bigger bets. Following are some of the figures we found online.

  • 1-cent games have an RTP of between 84% and 87%
  • 5-cent games have an RTP of between 88% and 90%
  • 25-cent games have an RTP of between 90% and 93%
  • 1-NZD games have an RTP of between 93% and 95%

Note that the RTP values increase each time the size of the bet increases. Players who spend more on high-limit pokies games get back a larger percentage as compared to their counterparts. This also affects the probability of winning.

Does this mean you should rush to place bigger bets on online slots? No. You might get bigger portions of your bets back by playing the expensive games, but equally, you might lose more because there’s more at risk. As a rule of the thumb, let your bankroll determine how much you wager.

How to Play Pokies Online

  • Step #1 : From the get-go, the most important thing to do is decide how much you’d like to wager on the slot game. You can do this by choosing the number of pay lines and the coin value. These two figures are used to calculate the total bet amount
  • Step #2 : Now that you’ve chosen your bet parameters, you can spin the slot’s reels by clicking on the spin/play button. If you are lucky enough, your winnings will be displayed in the ‘Win’ field.

Some online pokies have fixed paylines. In this case, you simply choose the coin value. After this, you can click on the spin button to play the game.

New Zealand Online Pokies – Are They Legal To Play?

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The rules that govern and regulate the New Zealand online pokies platform are somewhat strange. All the online casinos that offer services to New Zealand players must be located outside the country. They also need to be licensed and regulated.

Casinos such as Spin Casino, Jackpot City and Royal Vegas are legally allowed to offer services to New Zealand players. The only thing that’s illegal for such casinos to do in the country (a prohibition that causes most players to believe the casinos themselves are illegal) is to advertise their services to players.

Conclusion

While brick and mortar pokies are thriving, online pokies are also available to New Zealand players, just as they are to players in other countries. Though it’s illegal for casinos in New Zealand to offer services to players in the country, players can easily access these easy-to-play games on online casinos located in other countries, such as Malta and the UK. To avoid security issues, ensure that you visit only sites that are licensed and regulated. If you wish to start spinning for your life-changing treasure trove, try some of our recommended sites.