The standard Buffalo pokies machine. Buffalo pokie is one of the most-played pokies games of all time. This is a fast-paced and exciting game where you have to fill the screen with Buffalo symbols to win. This game is a part of the Xtra Reel Power feature of some Aristocrat games, and you have 1024 ways to win in this no-paylines pokies game. Pokies Odds: The Reels are Random. If you have ever wondered if a Pokies machine is fixed against you, you can think again. This is because there is no one in charge of how the reels work, aside from the computer program behind the machine or the game. See, the Pokies rely on what is known as a random number generator. “Pokie” is Australian slang for a slot machine. The word is believed by experts to have been derived from poker machine sometime in the early 1970s, probably in the province of New South Wales. How it morphed into a slang term for slot machine games is an interesting line of inquiry, although no one knows for sure. In pokies, a high volatility machine may have long losing streaks and enormously lucrative payouts, while a game with less volatility might instead pay out more frequently, but generally offer lower payouts. It’s important to understand that all pokies have some measure of volatility. Pokie: noun an erect nipple visible beneath clothing. Usually in the plural. See more words with the same meaning: nipple, nipples.
Generally, there is nothing complicated when it comes to playing pokies, except just a few rules that are needed to be followed to get you track. In fact, this is one of the reasons pokies is very popular among Australian players because all that’s needed is put a coin in a pokie machine then pull the lever and off you go! So, if you are new to playing pokies and you are wondering what the rules are there, we hope today’s exclusive post will be of great help. But before we proceed, keep the following two things in mind;
✔ In every pokie machine, there is a limit to what amount of bet that you can place. If the pokie machine you are playing on has a number of coins set to be the, don’t exceed it
✔ There are other pokies, that have unique betting structures, thus, it’s vital that you first understand how to work the unique features before proceeding.
Are there special types of pokies that have higher chances of winning?
All pokies are produced with a slight house advantage, and that is how the casinos get their profits. So, collectively pokies tend to have almost equal winning or losing odds, but there’s a slight variance from one machine to another. For instance, pokie machines that accept deposits of $5 or more, usually have very high payouts.
Moreover, our recent research confirmed that single-payline pokies give the player better chances of winning as compared to multi-payline pokies.
Furthermore, pokies which have smaller jackpots are the ones that you are more likely to be won, compared to larger progressive jackpots pokies. So, if you are just looking for a few quick wins and not the mammoth sum in the jackpot reward, you are better off spinning the reels with much smaller jackpot rewards.
Above anything else, you should look at the RTP of the pokie machine that you are about to play; the higher the Return to Player rates (RPT), the higher the chances of winning in that particular machine. By taking Aztec’s Millions for instance, it has very high RTP percentage of 95%, and thanks to wild symbols, multipliers, free spin among other bonus features, you can get more bang out of your buck with every spin.
Return to Player Percentage (RTP)
In case you aren’t sure what RTP means, well, think of it this way; each time you play pokie machine, there is the percentage of money that you win and there’s the portion that you lose. So, the RTP percentage is this percentage of your money that you are likely to get back when you play. Take for instance a pokie that has an RTP of 97%; it means that for every $10 you spend on the reels, you are likely to get $9.7 of your money back. And thus, the higher the RTP, the better your payouts. You must however remember that RTP values are usually calculated over long periods of time on average; therefore, it’s never a guarantee that you will get a specific percentage of your money back. It could be much more, and it could also be much less!
How can you increase your chances of winning on any pokie game?
Even though pokies are considered games of luck, there are still some measures you can take increase your odds of winning. They are;
◼ To increase your chances of winning any progressive pokies, avoid the ones whose jackpots have just been hit in the recent past, like a month ago for example. This is because, the chances of the jackpot being won again anytime soon is pretty rare. The best pokies to try are the ones that have not been won for a long time they are more likely to offer very high payouts
◼ Another important factor to consider if you want to level up your winning chances is playing pokies that have higher payout percentages. The best payout percentage to consider is anything above 95%
◼ If you aren’t already familiar with the game you want to play, start by trying out the demo version before you head over to real money play
◼ In case you are hunting for a jackpot, play with the maximum bet available.
◼ Spend sometime on the paytable of the machine so that you can understand exactly what you need to do to walk away with larger payouts
- Fair Go Casino
- Uptown Pokies
- Joe Fortune Casino
Gaming machines in pubs and clubs (i.e. outside a casino) represent 'Class 4' gambling, which the Gambling Act 2003 classifies as high-risk, high-turnover gambling. Class 4 gambling may only be conducted by a corporate society and only to raise money for an authorised (e.g. community and non-commercial) purpose.
- Class 4 Gambling in clubs - booklet(April 2019)
- Pokies in New Zealand: A guide to how the system works
- Licensing criteria and requirements
- Three Year Licences
- Authorised Purposes
- Current Regulations
- Class 4 Game Rules
- Class 4 Support Guidelines
- Class 4 Venue Assessments
- Venue Expenses
- Venue Transfers
- Banking of Gaming Machine Profits
- Guide to Procedure for Club Mergers
- The Role of Territorial Authorities
- More Information
Class 4 gambling in clubs - booklet
The Class 4 gambling in clubs booklet is a guide for those who govern, manage or work for clubs with a licence to operate gaming machines in New Zealand. You will find information on the following topics:- Our licensing forms
- Licence renewal
- Key persons
- Authorised purpose
- Net Proceeds Committee
- Gaming machine expenses
- Cash float
- Banking of GMP
- Harm prevention and minimisation
- Succession planning
- Signage and gaming machine forms
- Other types of gambling
- Contact us
- Class 4 gambling in clubs - booklet (PDF, 1MB)
Pokies in New Zealand: A guide to how the system works
New Zealand has a unique system that is set up to provide millions of dollars to the community from the money gambled on pokie machines in pubs and clubs.This guide provides an overview of the latest figures, information about who does what, and how the different parts of the system are connected.
With a comprehensive frequently asked questions (FAQs) section, this guide provides easily accessible information about the gaming machine sector all in one place.
- Pokies in New Zealand: a guide to how the system works (PDF, 281KB)*
- Pokies in New Zealand: a guide to how the system works (DOCX, 181KB)*
Licensing criteria and requirements
The Gambling Act 2003 aims to control the growth of gambling. There are strict licensing criteria for organisations wanting to run gaming machines and for the venues at which those machines are operated.Licensing application and payment processes
Tips for completing the forms and information about incomplete applications, payment processes, and how to lodge your application.Licensing and compliance fees
Find a list of all the licensing fees for operators and venues, as well as monitoring and compliance fees.- Class 4 gambling fees
Class 4 gambling forms
Find links to all the Class 4 gambling forms.- Class 4 gambling forms
Licence conditions
Operator's licences and venue licences issued or renewed are subject to licence conditions issued under the Gambling Act 2003. These conditions accompany and form part of the licence. Any corporate society must comply with the requirements set out in the licence conditions. Non-compliance will put the society's licence at risk.Four Fact Sheets explain more about Class 4 licensing:
- Fact Sheet 11: Class 4 Licensing Criteria (HTML version, November 2020)
Financial viability
The Department is currently reviewing its expectations in determining whether a Class 4 applicant's proposed gambling operation is 'financially viable'.Three year licences
Operators who are prepared to go beyond the minimum licensing criteria and who foster a best practice culture and mind-set within their organisation, may apply for a three year licence. Applications for a three year licence can only be made at the same time an operator applies for the renewal of their annual licence. See: Class 4 Three Year LicencesAuthorised purposes
Class 4 corporate societies that are licensed to operate gaming machines must apply the net proceeds of the gaming operation to authorised purposes.Authorised purposes are:
- charitable purposes
- non-commercial purposes that have community benefits
- promoting, controlling and conducting race meetings.
Current Regulations
Regulations have been made under the Gambling Act 2003 to help achieve the objectives of the Act. The following regulations apply to individuals and organisations that are authorised to operate gambling:See also:- Harm Prevention Form and Gambling Harm Prevention and Minimisation Guidelines
- Exclusion Order Form and Exclusion Order (Problem Gamblers) Guidelines
Class 4 Game Rules
The Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules govern the playing and participation in Class 4 gambling that utilises gaming machines outside of casinos and the systems, processes, information and documentation associated with particular games.The current Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules:
- The Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules 2017 (PDF, 264KB)*
- The Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules 2017 (DOCX, 110KB)
Amendments
- Amendment to the Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules – Rules for Cash-In-Ticket-Out Systems 2017 (PDF, 159KB)*
- Amendment to the Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules – Rules for Cash-In-Ticket-Out Systems 2017 (DOC, 212KB)
- Amendment to the Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules – Rules for Cash-In-Ticket-Out Systems 2016 (PDF, 232KB)*
- Amendment to the Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules – Rules for Cash-In-Ticket-Out Systems 2016 (DOC, 158KB)
Historical Reference
The following rules were in place prior to 7 March 2016 (use for historical reference only):- Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules 2006 (PDF, 1.7M)*
- Gambling Act (Class 4) Game Rules 2004 (PDF, 200K)*.
Class 4 Support Guidelines
These Support Guidelines are not mandatory. They were developed by class 4 sector representatives in collaboration with the Department to assist gaming machine operators with their operations. In particular, the Support Guidelines will help venue operators ensure their gaming machine float remains intact.- Class 4 Support Guidelines for Gaming Machine Operations - July 2016 (PDF, 346KB)*
- Class 4 Support Guidelines for Gaming Machine Operations - July 2016 (DOCX, 45KB)
Class 4 Venue Assessments
The Department assesses class 4 non club venues against three overall outcomes. Guidance for venue managers, the outcomes framework, the Department’s expectations of well performing venues, and the assessment guide for inspectors are available below.The guide for inspectors was designed to assist with venue assessments. It is not a definitive template and inspectors may or may not ask each question listed within it. During a venue assessment inspectors will be asking sufficient questions to satisfy themselves that they have a good understanding of a venue’s practices including how they meet their harm minimisation obligations. This will allow them to decide how well a venue meets the Department’s expectations for each outcome. It is likely that inspectors will often ask other questions which are not included in this guide.
- Class 4 Venue Assessment outcomes framework (PDF, 741KB)*
- Class 4 Venue Assessment: Department expectations of a well performing venue (PDF, 445KB)*
- Class 4 Venue Assessment: Guide for inspectors (PDF, 716KB)
Venue Expenses
- Conference Expenses
Key Messages Following Gambling Commission Appeals
The following letter clarifies the Department's expectations in relation to actual, reasonable and necessary costs; minimising costs and maximising net proceeds; venue developments and enhancements; and a number of other issues following recent Gambling Commission appeals.- Key Messages from The Southern Trust and The Trusts Charitable Foundation Gambling Commission Appeals 5 July 2010 (PDF, 111K)*
Record keeping for gambling operations (Clubs)
The Department has created the example Record Keeping for Gaming Operations (Monthly) Spreadsheet.All clubs are encouraged to use the spreadsheet, which will help to:
- easily identify funds available for Authorised Purposes each month
- monitor the percentage of distributed Authorised Purposes on a monthly basis
- understand the difference between Authorised Purposes and the Direct Costs of Gaming
- avoid over-distribution of Authorised Purposes
- complete the renewal application.
If you have any questions about using the spreadsheet, please contact: phone 0800 257 878 or email gambling.compliance@dia.govt.nz
Conference Expenses
All societies should consider these guidelines carefully before deciding whether to arrange a conference:- Guidelines for Society Conference Expenses (PDF, 19K)*
Note: These Guidelines are currently under review in light of the Gambling Commission's comments in its decision in the appeal by The Trusts Charitable Foundation (TTCF) against the Secretary's suspension of its Class 4 operator's licence.
Societies should read the existing guidelines in light of the Gambling Commission's decision and should refer to the Key Messages from the Southern Trust (GC11/10) letter sent to societies on 5 July 2010.
Venue Transfers
The process for transferring gaming machines from one society to another changed with the implementation of the Electronic Monitoring System (EMS). View the step-by-step instructions:What Is A Pokie Slot Machine
Banking of Gaming Machine Profits
Late Banking of Gaming Machine Profits Policy (March 2020)
- Policy on Late Banking of Gaming Machine Profits - HTML version
- Policy on Late Banking) of Gaming Machine Profits - PDF version(PDF, 191KB)* or read the HTML version.
What Is A Pokie Slot
See also: Policy Change Notification Letter to Societies (29 November 2010) ( (PDF, 73K)*Guide: Treatment of Class 4 gambling profits where exceptional circumstances have prevented its banking
Section 104(1) of the Gambling Act 2003 (the Act) requires a Class 4 venue manager to bank all gambling profits (GMP) directly into a dedicated account for gaming machine profits. On occasions an event such as a theft, robbery or a natural disaster may impact on the venue manager’s ability to bank GMP in accordance with the requirements under the Act.The Department has introduced a policy which confirms that while the venue operator is responsible for ensuring all GMP is banked into the society’s account, there are some exceptional circumstances where we may agree to waive the requirement for the venue operator to bank:
- The portion of the insurance excess that relates specifically to GMP; or
- Some or all of the outstanding GMP (where the GMP has not been insured but legitimate attempts were made to do so).
- Guide: Treatment of Class 4 gambling profits where exceptional circumstances have prevented its banking (PDF, 210KB)*
- Guide: Treatment of Class 4 gambling profits where exceptional circumstances have prevented its banking (DOCX, 145KB)
Guide to Procedure for Club Mergers
Section 95 of the Gambling Act 2003 sets out a sequence of steps that must be taken by clubs that intend to merge under the section 95 procedure and wish to apply to the Minister for approval to operate up to 30 machines.The Role of Territorial Authorities
The Gambling Act allows for the growth of gambling to be controlled through territorial authorities.Territorial authorities have introduced policies that can limit gaming machine numbers and they must agree to where gaming machines are placed in their districts. In this way the community can have input into gaming machine numbers and locations.
A corporate society must apply for territorial consent before it establishes new gaming machine venues and increases the number of machines that may be operated at existing venues.
More Information
- Gambits newsletter
- Gambling Statistics
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