A huge variety of choices has its own benefits and downsides. While it’s great that currently, NZ players have an opportunity to find anything that fits their very specific taste, it can be a real headache to browse through thousands of titles, trying to determine what’s worth your time. Lucky Green Casino is here to help you navigate the complex world of modern Pokies! Join the casino and discover the new facets of your favorite activity.
There are thousands upon thousands of online games of chance available for players at online casinos. This variety is truly a blessing and a curse. While variety certainly allows players to play games that are almost tailor-made for their tastes, it also makes it overwhelming for the newer players to actually make their first choice.
Lucky Green has a huge variety of slots, table games and live casino games. Our gaming library isn’t even the biggest out there! We hand-pick new pokies, which guarantees better quality, but lesser quantity. And still, even Lucky Green casino library needs a guide, especially for beginners. So, for your comfort, we’ve made a list of the best online pokies in business, so you can have an easier time searching for the perfect slot game.
Fancy a little action adventure? This game by Play’n Go puts you in charge of the main protagonist, Rich Wilde, on his journey to discover ancient artifacts. Book of the Dead is an extremely popular slot in NZ and for a good reason! High Volatility high RTP experience guarantees you an exciting time playing this immaculate slot.
If you've ever been around online pokie circles, chances are, you’ve heard about Big Bass Bonanza and other games from this franchise. Reel Kingdom really struck gold when they released this game. The fishing theme is a timeless classic and combined with 96.7% RTP and easy-to-understand bonuses and gameplay, it created one of the most iconic slots ever.
NetEnt is a developer you’ll hear about again and again when searching for high-quality casino games. Gonzo’s Quest remains one of their biggest hits ever. Why’s that? Well, this game is a perfectly balanced slot. Medium-high volatility, avalanche feature (cascading slots) and an RTP of 95.97% make the game a perfect middle ground for many players.
A slot made by the industry veterans Microgaming in collaboration with Gameburger Studios is simply impossible to miss. The idea of the slot is simple – to get the maximum x2.000 win, you’d have to land all 9 mask scatter symbols on the reel simultaneously. This game will entertain all kinds of players, being the medium volatility slot with an RTP of over 96.2%.
A second NetEnt game on this list, Starburst is a true classic that is simultaneously still growing in popularity in NZ. Starburst is a low Volatility slot, with only x500 max payout, which means you can expect smaller, but frequent wins, while you play pokies. The gameplay is admittedly simple, with no bonuses at all, but if you want to spend an evening playing a relaxing game, with consistent rewards – that’s a game for you!
If you’re looking for a good Hold and Win – Look for 3Oaks! They’re masters of this formula and have been providing high-quality slot games for years. But Hit More Gold is undoubtedly a crown jewel in their gaming library. Gold mining is another classic theme for online games, which some may call boring. What’s not boring is a game full of features, with a max win of x5.000 and an RTP of over 96.6%!
Take a walk through the beautiful mysterious forest with this 3Oaks game. Black Wolf is a beautifully crafted video slot that aims to appeal to most, if not all players. Medium Volatility and x1.000 max win isn’t that exciting, this slot is a great pick for the fans of well-paced and balanced pokie games.
A slot, that kept everyone, during the pandemic in 2020. Playson took an already well-loved theme of buffalo and made a true masterpiece with it. With an RTP of 95.04% and a nice medium volatility. You may be surprised by the slot's 30% hit rate, which is also a pretty nice number for a slot.
A game with a decade-long history of satisfied players, this slot by NetEnt has one of the highest RTP rates in the whole business – 98%. Surprisingly, Blood Suckers is a low-volatility slot, with only x900 maximum wins. But with RTP like this, it’s almost a guarantee that your every spin will be a rewarding one.
Playson is another company with great expertise in Hold and Win Slots. Lion Gems follow a classic Safari theme and feature various bonuses like multipliers, free spins and bonus symbols. With a medium-high volatility and over 95.5% RTP, this slot is pretty universally beloved.
You can try playing pokies online in a free version of any of the online games above, before settling on one. Let us add that the slots above are the best in our opinion. Your preferences may be different from what we consider high quality. In that case, please continue reading as we bring you the most detailed guide to finding the perfect slot for you, the players reading this.
Pokies for real money is not a unified term. Online games come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, which are usually put into several different categories, however, some games may fit into two or more different categories, so the overlap definitely exists. So, what are those types, how do they differ from each other and how do they work?
Also known as classic Pokies, 3 reel pokies are definitely on a simpler side, feature-wise. Classic pokies don't feature any bonus games, but nowadays some of them actually include free spins. This is a turn-off for many gamblers, but if you want to have a long, low-risk play slot session – that's a game for you.
5-reel slots are an organic evolution from 3-reelers. These types of online slots feature more pay lines, and more features, but still do not go off too far from the games' original form.
Who doesn’t love a good visual? Video slots are all about appearances. They are not that different from regular 5-reel games, except for their impressive graphics. Video pokies are often packed with all kinds of different features, all nicely done with beautiful animations and audio design. Video slots not only offer huge wins but also bring aesthetic pleasure to the players.
If you’re an All-Or-Nothing kind of person, you would love games with a progressive jackpot, also known as Progressive Pokies. The game works in an interesting way, connecting several players to a united network, where they place bets and play simultaneously. When players lose, their bets are added to the prize fund — hence the progressive jackpot, growing with each bet. Once one of the players hits the needed combination – they take the whole bank! Progressive jackpot pokies capture the very essence of casino excitement and risk.
Kiwis looking for an immersive experience should definitely try out this kind. They are not simply allowing you to spin the reels, but offer you an experience. Interactive online pokies games will take you on a quest through various min-games, placing you as a hero in a larger story. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s worth trying at least once. You get to experience a good story and win.
Megaways are a relatively new kind of an online pokies game on the market, first introduced only in 2015 by Australian software developers Big Time Gaming (BTG). These online games have one of the most interesting mechanics, with an insanely high variation of winning combinations ( up to 117,649). In fact, the minimum number of ways to win is 243. By implementing the cascading slots mechanic, megaways have basically reinvented the way online pokies operate, while still remaining undeniably true to their roots.
Now that you know all about different kinds of online games, let us make it even easier for you! Gambling and Psychology are intricately linked and your character may very well determine what NZ online pokies are actually best for you. Let’s start this psychological journey together, won’t we?
Done with your survey? The results are in:
If you mostly chose A, you’re a homebody. You value your downtime and don’t want excessive stress. Your go-to games should be classic pokies and low-volatility video pokies.
If you mostly chose B you’re a real firecracker! Your life is full of excitement and you seek the thrills of the world the most. You should definitely try jackpot pokies, specifically progressive online pokies.
If you mostly chose C, then you’re a nomad. You are doing things at your own pace and your own way. You can be flexible with your life and change your preferences, depending on circumstances. You would thrive with any game, but we recommend that you try interactive games.
Do you know that you can guess if a casino is a good one simply by looking at its games? Here’s a secret: big software providers only work with reliable venues, so as to not bring down their reputation. So, if you see certain names of software developers on the main page of a casino, you can easily deduce that this one is a good website for playing slots online.
Experienced New Zealand players already know all of the important names, but if you want to refresh your knowledge or you’re new to the scene, Lucky Green Casino has prepared a list of the big names you should always look for.
NetEnt were amongst the first ever companies to start developing online gambling software. They definitely know their stuff, as evident by their game library, which includes some real heavy-hitter games like Gonzo’s Quest. Overall NetEnt aims to create high RTP games, with some of their titles having a 99% Return to Player rate. You can be sure you’re safe and secure with a pro developer like that.
The real MVPs of the online pokie community, Microgaming actually was the first-ever company to release an online gambling game! Microgaming is a software developer in the online gambling world. You would think they’d slow down or crumble under competition, but surprisingly, throughout the years they have only perfected their craft more and more. You’ve definitely heard of their best online pokies Mega Moolah or dark vampire-themed Immortal Romance.
How about a company from the West Island? Aristocrat has a rich history that covers decades of supplying land-based casinos with slot machines that have now turned digital. You may know them by their popular titles Queen of the Nile or Where’s the Gold.
Another company. That takes its origins in creating brick-and-mortar slot machines, which also cemented itself in an online world with little effort. Novomatic has one of the more diverse game collections out of any company, many of which are remasters of their actual casino floor slot machines into online slot machines. Arguably the most popular Novomatic title would be the Book of Ra game series.
As we have already mentioned before, Big Time Gaming revolutionized the scene with the invention of Megaways. You know the company is worth something when other big players opt to buy licenses to create games the company has already perfected. Games like Bonanza Megaways and Extra Chilli Megaways have set a new level of quality and gameplay in the scene.
Ready to play, but don’t know where to start your journey? Well, you’re already at Lucky Green! We provide high-quality services for Australian and New Zealand gamblers! Top Security, with SSL encryption and an official License, guarantees you and your money a safe cruising with us. Lucky Green Game library has both well-loved popular pokies New Zealand and underdogs, from more than a dozen top-notch providers!
But, if you’re simply not vibing with us, let us show you some other virtual casinos in New Zealand that are worth your time.
Name |
Best Feature |
Downsides |
Our Opinion |
PokieSurf |
Great Bonus system, that fits any playstyle and any player, on top of a superb welcome bonus. Large gaming Library, with a great selection of slots and other online gambling games. |
The wagering requirement of x40, which is a little higher than the industry standard. |
A well-balanced, safe website that has a great reputation with NZ players. Definitely worth checking out. |
Spinstralia |
Fresh player at the scene, with a new and innovative vision of the casino experience. Great selection of games, supported with a hefty welcome bonus. |
Customer support may be taking quite some time to respond. |
Great Online casino, that despite not being in the game for long, definitely deserves a spotlight. |
Pocket pokies |
Best website for mobile use. Designed with mobile users in mind. Safe, and secure, with a ton of games for both mobile and PC versions. |
May benefit from a few cosmetic changes to the PC version of the website. |
This casino is better used on your phone. That’s where it really shines! But you won’t run into any major problems if you use a desktop website. |
777 Pokies |
Beautifully designed website, with a lot of useful information for players. The website is run by a team of experienced professionals and experts in the field. |
Withdrawal limits. |
Overall great casino for average players, but isn’t well-suited for high-rollers. |
Hopefully, these casinos will be perfect for you! You can always search for a casino that fits your preferences more, however, please always be mindful of your online safety. The casinos we’ve picked out have proved to be safe, so we strongly recommend choosing one of them as an option to play.
Now, if you’re still determined to find the casino of your dreams yourself, we’re here to help. Lucky Green casino has a system that helps us choose the best casino websites set in stone and we’re more than happy to share it with you. Here’s what you should pay attention to:
Those are our main Lucky Green casino criteria for choosing a better casino to play games of chance at. You should also implement your personal preferences in your search, as nothing is more important when choosing a casino than your personal enjoyment.
Many of us nowadays can confidently say that PCs are not as important in their life as their phones are. This is only natural, that when technology develops so rapidly and becomes as widespread as mobile technology has – there are bound to be changes in our day-to-day lives. Casinos could not have just ignored this development. Nowadays, every software provider has adapted their game libraries to be suitable for mobile gaming. Mobile games are the same, if not better, than their PC versions. Mobile-friendly pokies allow for freedom of movement, be it a train to work or your own couch – mobile games are here with you wherever you go. That only means that casinos had to adapt too.
There are two main routes when it comes to online casino gambling on mobile devices: adapting the website and creating an app. Both have their perks and downsides. Both methods work and do their job. Lucky Green Casino has made a personal choice to adapt our website, without developing an app. Players can log in from their phones the same way they are used to on PC and simply start playing!
Online pokie players are definitely in luck, when it comes to bonuses, as most of the bonuses modern casinos offer are targeted towards the best NZ online pokies. They simply have the best synergy with whatever bonus feature you might want to use. Below, we’ve compiled a table of bonuses, available at most casinos that will affect your gameplay in the best way possible:
Bonus name |
Bonus feature |
Welcome Bonus |
Available at almost all casinos, the Welcome bonus can mean a whole range of things. Usually, welcome bonuses are split into several different bonuses, each activating after you make your first deposits at the website. These bonuses usually include a free spins and either a fixed cash bonus or a deposit match (when the casino matches a fixed percentage of your deposit). This multifaceted bonus can improve your gameplay in several different ways. |
Free Spins |
A very common bonus used in NZ casinos is made specifically for pokies players. Free spins grant you the possibility to spin the reels without wasting any money of your own. This extends the playtime, which in turn makes a big win all the more possible. |
No Deposit Bonus |
Some casinos generously offer you a bonus, before you even make a deposit. Usually, it’s a fixed small amount of tokens, free spins or money that you can spend on particular games. They don’t offer much, but considering they don’t cost you anything, it is still a nice bonus to acquire. |
You can choose to not use bonuses. That will make you miss out on a lot of great opportunities, but in some cases, it can actually be beneficial for players since you won’t have to deal with wagering requirements.
Nothing comes free. Ironically, even free spins are not free! Every bonus at the casino has wagering requirements attached to them. These conditions dictate whether you should be able to withdraw the money you won, using the bonus or not. This is a necessary precaution to avoid money laundering and fraud that unfortunately affects regular players.
Let’s put it simply. You get a bonus with a wagering requirement of x10. The value of the bonus you’ve got is 20 NZ dollars. That means you’d have to spend 200 NZ dollars on the same games that are eligible for a bonus to work. This may seem unfair, but please remember, that you will get your winnings from this money additionally spent for wagering, too, so it becomes a matter of accurately evaluating how much you can spend on pokies beforehand.
To play the best online games does not require a deep understanding of gameplay, for the most part. If you ever in your life played pokies, you’d be already accustomed to the basics. However, there are some caveats. If you’re only dipping your toes in the gambling world – Lucky Green Casino is happy to provide you with all the information that you might need.
So, almost all new online pokies are separated into a base game and bonus games. You can learn more about Bonus features below, in the Dictionary, as it would take unnecessarily long to describe all of the different kinds of in-game bonuses on their own. For now, let’s focus on the base game.
The base game, as you can imagine, is your starting point. There, you will be able to adjust your bet and jump right into action! Once the reels are spinning, you should be looking out for winning combinations of symbols on the reels. If the symbols align on the payline in a winning combination – you win. If not, you can continue playing until they align.
Now, the bonus features, free spins and other features like multipliers are activated if a special symbol aligns on the payline. The symbols and their meanings can be found in the rulebook of every online game, so please check them out before playing. You should learn how pokies in NZ work beforehand.
Any combinations you may get are completely randomized and you unfortunately cannot predict how the reels spin. But that’s the fun of it!
Online pokies have a feature, called RNG generators, which stands for Random Number Generator. Essentially, this mechanism attaches specific numbers to specific symbols and generates a random order of numbers for each reel. This way, the symbols are never the same and the combinations are endless.
RNGs, however, can be manipulated by fraudulent virtual casinos. That’s why you should always look for a casino to have a plaque, that their online games are being regularly checked, just like Lucky Green!
We all have to start somewhere. You don’t learn all the minute details of a craft in the first few hours, don’t you? So, for all the beginners, we have compiled a list of terms, often used when discussing online games, so you won’t have to search the internet in order to understand the different discussions.
Term |
Definition |
Symbols |
Symbols are the images you see on the reels. Gems, signs, fruits – everything you can imagine! Every symbol has its own value and works in certain combinations only. Your win is determined by the value of the symbol as well as the combination. |
Reels |
The Columns that hold the symbols are called reels. Reels spin and stop to form the randomized combination, determining your wins and losses. |
Payline |
Certain preset patterns that the symbols must fall into are called paylines. Paylines on most online games are variable. The more paylines the online games have – the higher your chance to hit a winning pattern. |
Scatter Symbol (scatters) |
A symbol that triggers bonus features such as free spins rounds, bonus round, etc. Scatters do not need to fall into any particular payline to be activated. |
Wild Symbol (wilds) |
Wilds substitute other symbols, making it possible to activate a combination, without there being all the necessary symbols. If a wild lands in your reel, that increases the chances of you getting a win. |
RTP |
Return To Player is a criterion used to judge online poker. The RTP percentage tells how much money on average p[layers receive back from the slot machine. Theoretically, that means that for every 100 NZ dollars spent in a slot with RTP 95%, you’d get 95 NZ dollars. In reality, it doesn’t work exactly like that, but high RTP guarantees better payouts. |
Volatility |
Often also referred to as variance, this parameter describes the level of risk in online pokies. Low volatility means wins come more often, but they’re smaller in size. High Volatility in turn means that the wins come rarely, but are bigger. |
Bonus Round |
Built-in mini-games that can provide players with rewards. Free spins, in-game credits and more can be the prizes of bonus round; variety simply depends on the game. |
Multiplier |
As you might have guessed from the name, this feature multiplies your wins by a set amount. |
Autoplay |
This feature allows players to sit back and relax when the game spins the reels automatically a set amount of times. |
Cascading reels |
This is a mechanic used in Megaways games, that makes winning symbols disappear, allowing for new symbols to fall, which rapidly increases the potential to hit more wins on a single spin. |
Free Spins |
Free spins can be meant as a casino bonus, or the in-game bonus features. In Both cases, this bonus adds more spins to your game, making the chances of winning reasonably higher. |
If you’re playing, there's no way you don’t want to win. In that case, you should learn to manage your playtime. Winning an online slot is a matter of chance, but how exactly you decide to do so matters a lot. Lucky Green has seen its fair share of huge wins as well as heartbreaking losses. All cases: negative and positive, inevitably teach a lesson to other players. So, here are some tips, that may help you on your way to big wins:
With these simple tips, you should be fine to start playing. Of course, there are dozens of techniques, that players claim have earned them million and minute details, that are only open to the keen eyes of expert players, that we are yet to cover, but this should be a good start.
Free slots are great, there’s no doubt about that. You can play the best online games and experience all the thrills, without actually ever having to pay a dime. At the same time, with free slots you are confined to a set amount of tokens you can spend and could never turn these tokens into a profit. So, let’s simply compare the two and see who will win!
As you can see, real-money pokies win, but only by a small margin. Clearly, it is completely up to you to decide if you want to play for real cash and take risks or simply enjoy the free spins pokies of demo versions of the game.