While Australians love playing pokies at land-based casinos, RSLs, pubs, and clubs, they don't really have to travel all the way to a land-based location to play their favorite pokies. This is because they have similar and at times even better alternatives at reputable online casinos.
There are a number of reputable online casinos such as Play Amo Casino, True Blue Casino, and WildCard City Casino that accept Australian players and allow them to play in Australian Dollars. To get started players only have to create a real money casino account at these online casinos and make a real money deposit. Most of these casinos allow players to play the pokies for free without having to register an account or make a deposit.
Here is a selection of best online alternatives to the pokies available at RSLs, pubs, and clubs:
Mister Money is a Real Time Gaming (RTG) online pokie that serves as a great online alternative to the Aristocrat's land-based Show Me the Money. Both pokies are based on the theme of wealth, but Mister Money offers several free spins.
Mister Money is a progressive pokie with 20 paylines, five reels, and a betting range of 0.01 to 0.25 per line. If players land five white diamonds, which also serve as the wild substitutes, they will win the top fixed jackpot of 5000 coins. The online pokie's best feature is its free spins with multipliers.
Players may feel that there are too many land-based as well as online pokies based on the theme of ancient Egypt. The simple truth is most Egypt themed games are disappointingly similar, but there are few games that stand in a class of its own. Players who enjoyed playing Aristocrat's King of the Nile at any pub or club will definitely enjoy its online alternative, Gamomat's Ramses Book.
Ramses Book has five paylines, three rows, and five reels, all set within an ancient Egyptian temple. Thematic symbols of carved stones, flowers, statues, and cats adorn the reels along with playing card symbols. The Ramses Book symbol serves as a wild symbol as well as scatter symbol. The pokie comes with a free spins feature that can be re-activated during a free spin and an optional gamble feature that gets activated at the end of every winning spin.
Pandas are adorable creatures that are loved all over the world. Pokies based on the panda theme enjoy a lot of popularity, especially among animal enthusiasts. Australian players who have enjoyed the experience of playing IGT's 100 Pandas slot at clubs and pubs will definitely enjoy playing Rival Gaming's Panda Party, which is just as good.
Panda Party is a non-progressive online slot with a house edge of 3.5% and a top fixed jackpot of 100 coins. The slot has five reels and 20 paylines. Although it revolves around the panda, the slot also features Chinese culture and a Chinese jungle. Players can use special features such as a wild symbol, a free spins round, and a Pandemonium bonus round to boost their bankroll. During the Pandemonium bonus round, players can win a multiplier value of as much as 64x.
Players who have watched shark-themed movies such as the US thriller "Jaws" will definitely appreciate online pokies based on a similar theme. Aristocrat's Jaws pokie is easily available to Australian players at RSLs and pubs. However, if they want to enjoy a shark-based thriller pokie in the comforts of home, they just have to sign up at an online casino to enjoy RTG's Shark School online pokie.
Released in 2014, Shark School is based on the theme of the underwater in general and sharks in particular. The reels feature symbols of an octopus, four species of sharks, and several small fish that live in fear of being swallowed live by the sharks. The online pokie has 50 paylines, five reels, and three bonus games, which translates into great winning potential. Shark School is not only lucrative, but also packed with action and adventure.
Diamonds are not just a girl's best friends. They are also popular among pokie players as they deliver the experience of living a luxurious and lavish lifestyle. Diamond themed pokies have always been a hot favorite among land-based and online casino players. Ainsworth's Royal Diamonds is one of the most played pokies at clubs and pubs all over Australia. But for players who are not in the mood to leave their homes, iSoftBet's Diamonds Wild is a great online alternative.
Diamonds Wild is also a great pokie for players who prefer the traditional pokie experience. The reels feature traditional pokie symbols of bells, cherries, bars, and sevens. Although the pokie looks like a classic pokie, it comes loaded with special features such as five progressive jackpots, wild symbols, and free spins. The pokie comes with 20 paylines and a top fixed payout of 2500 coins, which goes to the player who lands a combination of diamond symbols along a payline. The free spins come with doubled wins, and the smaller diamond icons give players an opportunity to win the five-level progressive jackpot.
Australian pokie lovers may wonder why they should play online when they can choose from hundreds and thousands of pokies at their land-based RSLs, clubs, hotels, and pubs. Playing online pokies is an experience that stands in a class of its own. Also, there are plenty of advantages to playing online pokies.
To give you an idea as to how popular poker machines are with Australian players, let’s take a look at some stats. Based on a report created by Australia Institute, a progressive think tank, 241,000 poker machines are available at non-gambling venues worldwide, and a majority of these machines, around 183,000, can be found in Australia’s local clubs and pubs.
The authors of the report say that 0.3% of the world's population resides in Australia, but the country has 18% of the world's pokies (link to free pokies page) and 6% of its traditional gaming machines. For example, Sydney, one of the biggest cities in Australia and the capital of New South Wales (NSW), has several clubs, RSLs, and pubs with pokies. Some of these land-based pokie venues are Oasis on Beamish, Railway Hotel, The Sly Fox Hotel, Sir John Young Hotel, Twin Willows Hotel, and Club Hillsdale.
Pokies in Australia's local RSLs, pubs, and clubs deliver an enhanced gaming experience. They strongly resemble the pokies found at online casinos. However, pubs and RSLs do not offer free pokies in the free, fun, demo, or practice modes. Players have to wager real money on them. Well-known providers such as WMS, Bally, and IGT have developed slots not only for land-based venues, but also for online casinos.
RSLs and pubs in Australia offer pokies based on a variety of themes, including ancient history, crime, fantasy, treasure, and many others. Some of the most played pokies at RSLs, pubs, and clubs are Haunted House, Greedy Goblins, Pirate's Treasure, Chests of Plenty, Deal or No Deal International, Family Guy, Jeopardy, and many more. There is also a great selection of pokies or online slot games available at Australian friendly online casinos.