Online Pokies NZ – Best Real Money Pokies Sites in New Zealand 2024

The online pokies in NZ are up there with the best in the world. So, we set about putting together a list of the best sites to play them at.

Using a set of specific criteria, such as the choice of pokies, bonuses, and payout speed, we picked out the top 10 online pokies sites. Coming in at the top spot is Instant Casino, but only by narrow margins.

That’s because we’ve got nine more excellent NZ online pokies sites coming right up. Stay tuned to find out all about them, and stick around for some more useful information about online slots down under.

10 Best Online Pokies NZ Sites

Take a look over our top 10 New Zealand pokies sites for a first look at the winners.

1. Instant Casino – Best NZ Online Pokies Site, with the Top Cashback Options
2. InstaSpin – Offers a 96%+ Average RTP Pokie Selection
3. Golden Panda – Over 130 Megaways Pokies Games
4. Lucky Block – Enormous Deposit Match Welcome Offer plus Free Spins
5. TG Casino – Great Selection of Jackpot Pokies
6. Mega Dice – Widest Range of Ongoing Casino Promotions
7. CoinPoker – Most Impressive Downloadable Mobile App
8. WSM Casino – High-Quality Pokies VIP Club

Top 3 Online Pokies Sites Reviewed

You’re probably going to want to know a little more about these picks before you get started, right? Join us to find out more about the top five online pokies NZ sites.

1. Instant Casino – Best NZ Online Pokies Site, with the Top Cashback Options

With over 3,000 pokies and some of the best bonuses to play them with, we found Ignition Casino to be the number one online pokies site in New Zealand.

The game selection itself is the best in the country, with titles from no one but the best providers. You can play games from NetEnt, Microgaming, and more here, so expect serious quality. Instant Casino is also widely regarded to be one of the best Pragmatic Play casinos, with almost all of its games on its books.

This combination of elite providers means that you’ll be treated to some of the most immersive pokies graphics, covering a wide range of themes. It also means there will be plenty of Megaways games, progressive jackpots, and more.

Playing these games is always an enjoyable experience on the Instant Casino website. Both the desktop and mobile sites have been designed with the best graphics, and the intuitive layout is easy to navigate.

All this, combined with an excellent Instant Casino welcome offer and plenty of cashback opportunities, makes for an unbeatable online pokies NZ platform.

Instant Casino Casino Bonus:

2. InstaSpin – Offers a 96%+ Average RTP Pokie Selection

InstaSpin is one of the top paying online casinos in NZ thanks to its impressive list of high RTP pokies games. The average RTP across the whole pokie game selection here is over 96%. This means you can expect to receive more back from your stake on average. And that will provide you with more pokie gaming action.

In fact, InstaSpin features some particularly high RTP pokie games. In particular, we recommend checking out the new Wolf Gold Ultimate from Pragmatic Play with its 96.57% RTP. As well as this, Hacksaw Gaming’s new Wings of Horus pokie has a strong 96.33% RTP.

We also noticed that InstaSpin is one of the fastest online pokies sites in New Zealand for adding new games. It’s one of the first to bring in new titles from the likes of Hacksaw Gaming, Games Global, and Swintt. You can certainly keep up to date with the pokie trends here.

New players will get a bunch of free spins alongside a matched deposit welcome bonus package when they sign up on this offshore casino site. This means you can get all the more game time. It goes hand in hand with the high RTPs of the games.

InstaSpin Casino Bonus:

3. Golden Panda – Over 130 Megaways Pokies Games

Golden Panda might be the newest pokies site on our list, but it’s in no way naive. It’s already proving that it’s one of the best online casinos in the country. And one of the key reasons for that is the Megaways pokies it has to offer.

Megaways games offer some of the most fun players can have in the online pokies world. They feature a staggering 117,649 ways to win most of the time. And they tend to be packed with extra bonuses.

Amazingly, you’ll find over 130 of these at Golden Panda. This site features Megaways games from key providers like Red Tiger Gaming and Pragmatic Play. You can even play games from the providers who created the Megaways engine, Big Time Gaming.

We recommend Napoleon Megaways and Zeus Lightning Megaways, two Megaways pokies with awesome bonus rounds and very immersive graphics.

And even then, these games only make up a small amount of the overall game selection. Golden Panda has over 3000 games to play in total, including more of the best pokies ever made.

Golden Panda Casino Bonus:

The Best Online Pokies Sites in NZ – Quick Facts

Still not sure which NZ online pokies site to play at first? Here are the top 10, side by side.

Online Pokies Explained

The history of pokies dates back to the early 1990s, when the first online casino licences began to appear. Fast forward just a few years to 1998, and Microgaming released the first ever progressive jackpot pokie, Cash Splash. This was a real game changer in opening up the doors of online slot creation.

Moving into the new millennium, the development of online pokies picked up at an exponential rate. This became even more profound when mobile pokies became commonplace in the 2010s.

Nowadays, 100s of online pokies games are released every year. It’s almost impossible to keep up! This can make it pretty tricky to know which game to play. However, a great place to start is to consider the following factors:

RTP

Many consider this to be the most important factor in deciding on an online pokie. RTP stands for ‘Return to Player’, and it refers to how much money players can expect to win over the course of extended time.

If, hypothetically, you were to stake $1,000,000 on a 96% RTP pokie game, you’d win back around $960,000. So, naturally, it’s best to look for the highest RTP games. They’re going to give you the best chance to boost your budget.

Volatility

How close to that average payout you get is determined by the game’s volatility. A highly volatile slot could land you a whole lot more than $960,000 or a lot less. That gives it an exciting edge, but it can be riskier.

In a low volatility slot, on the other hand, you’ll win ‘little and often’. High wins are less likely, but more common smaller wins are to be expected.

Hit Frequency

The hit frequency, or hit rate, of a pokie tells you the percentage of your spins that will result in wins on average. In a highly volatile but low RTP pokie, this figure will be low. But a high RTP, low volatility pokie will have a high hit rate.

Different Kinds of Pokies Games

If you want to play pokies in New Zealand, it’s best to know a little about the different styles available. So, here they are.

• Classic Pokies
  This term refers to old-school-themed pokies. We’re talking about iterations of the famous Liberty Bell. So, expect to see three reels most of the time instead of the modern five, plus symbols like fruits, bells, and BARs.
• Video Pokies
  When talking about video pokies, we typically mean themed pokies, or pokies with high graphics. These can be some of the most immersive online casino games to play, full stop.
• 3 Reel Pokies
  The classic, mechanical pokie machines of old would tend to have just three reels and one payline. This is occasionally replicated in online pokies, but you don’t see them too often anymore.
• 5 Reel Pokies
  The majority of online pokies in NZ these days tend to have five reels instead of the standard five. This means there are going to be more ways to win, and that’s a little more fun. Of course, it depends on preference.
• Volatile Pokies
  The volatility of a pokie refers to how often you win and how much you win on average from that hit rate. So, a volatile pokie would be one that doesn’t pay out too often but does have the potential to land some big wins.
• High RTP Pokies
  These are the types of online pokies in NZ we generally recommend people look for. The higher the RTP of a pokie, the more it will pay out on average. We typically recommend looking for games with RTPs of 96% or more.
• 3D Pokies
  More modern pokies often have 3D graphics, which can add an extra level of immersion to the gameplay experience. As the graphics for the games improve, we see more and more of these.
• Interactive Pokies
  This term refers to games that have adaptable reels or paylines, so they can grow and evolve as you play. A key example of a type of interactive pokie is the Megaways engine. This has reels that can grow to be mammoth in size, leading to up to 117,649 ways to win.
• Progressive Jackpot Pokies
  Progressive pokies have a pot of cash that accumulates the more players play. The beauty of progressive online pokies, therefore, is that they can land you a huge amount of cash from a single spin.

Playing Online Pokies – Get to Grips with Common Pokies Features

Many of the best NZ online pokies contain features that enhance the gaming experience. Here are a few of those that you might encounter.

Base Game

The base game of an online pokie is simply the screen you see when you first open up the game. It’ll have the reels, a spin button, the option to change your stake, and perhaps a few other settings.

Bonus Rounds

If you’re lucky, you might be able to go through to one of your pokies’ in-game bonus rounds. These are triggered in various ways, such as combo wins or by landing scatter symbols. The bonus rounds can be pick-me rounds, mini-games, and more.

Free Spins

By far, the most popular in-game bonus of online pokies in NZ is free spins. When casinos offer free spins to play with, you’re usually in for a treat because extra perks are often added to the free spins, like win multipliers and extra wilds.

Bonus Buy Game

Bonus buy pokies allow you to actually buy into the in-game bonus round. You’ll be able to pay a certain amount of cash to trigger the free spins, for example. It’s a high risk, but it could be a high reward.

Wilds

The wild symbol will be one of your best friends when you play online pokies in NZ. This symbol has the power to change to become any other symbol on the paytable. So, it can land a win where there might not have been one before or can add to the value of other combination wins.

Scatters

The scatter symbol is typically responsible for landing in-game bonus rounds for online pokies in NZ. Sometimes, they have no value, but other times, they can be worth a huge multiplier in relation to your stake when landed in combination.

Multipliers

A multiplier symbol will boost the value of any win on the paytable by the amount it states, i.e. 2x, 3x, 4x. Multipliers also come in the form of bars that fill up on the side of the reels when you land a combo sometimes.

Megaways

The Megaways engine is one of the most dramatic of all in the world of online pokies. It has constantly expanding reels, collapsing symbols, and various other bonuses. In all flow, it can offer up to a massive 117,649 ways to win.

Cascading Reels

When reels ‘cascade’, all winning symbols disappear and allow for other ones to fall into their places. This can lead to healthy combination wins! Sometimes, the wins will accrue in value exponentially, so you can really hit the big bucks in this way.

How We Pick the Best Online Pokies Sites in New Zealand

We were as vigorous as possible when we set about picking out the best sites for online pokies in New Zealand. The process started with working out what players want from their online casinos.

This involved curation of 10 key factors that we considered essential for a quality NZ online pokies site. Three of those were the quantity, quality, and range of pokies. So were the bonuses, the payout speed, the customer support, the mobile compatibility, and more.

Next, we gave our long list of dozens of sites a score out of 10 for each of those factors. Based on all of those answers, we could then give each site an average score out of 10. These final scores were what we used to determine our top three options. You can see the score out of 10 for our top three in the reviews listed above.

And remember, you can always find out more about the process in our guide to ranking gambling sites.

Most Popular Online Pokies for Real Money in NZ

Pokies are the most popular form of online casino games in New Zealand. So, there’s an abundant selection of options out there to choose from.

To help you out, we’ve whittled them down to the best of the best. Here are the top 10 pokie games in the country right now.

1. Gates of Olympus – RTP: 96.5%

There aren’t many better online pokies in NZ right now than the classic Gates of Olympus. There are a lot of Greek mythology pokies out there, but none are better than this option. Its amazing graphics make it one of the most absorbing gaming experiences.

So too do the multiplier symbols, the free spins bonus round, and the above-average RTP of 96.5%. There’s no doubt that this is one of the best online pokies in the world right now. That’s just what Pragmatic Play does.

• Game Developer: Pragmatic Play
• Reels: 5
• RTP: 96.5%
• Volatility: High
• Max Win: 5,000x
• Bonus Buy: ✅

2. Duel of the Dead Megaways – 96.22% RTP

There are a lot of great Megaways pokies out there, but Duel of the Dead Megaways is certainly one of the picks of the bunch. The RTP is above average at 96.22%, and so too is the max win. You could win up to 20,000x your stake from this game.

But Duel of the Dead Megaways takes things a whole lot further. It’s packed with original features, such as an exciting free spins round, the crazy ‘Duel’ bonus, and wild re-spins. You can even buy into some of the features.

• Game Developer: Kalimba
• Reels: 6, but expanding
• RTP: 96.22%
• Volatility: High
• Max Win: 20,000x
• Bonus Buy: ✅

3. Danger High Voltage 2 – 96.66% RTP

The team that created Megaways, Big Time Gaming, is no stranger to making awesome, original pokies. One of our favourite games from them is the brilliant Danger High Voltage 2. Its fun, cartoon graphics make it visually engaging, and its abundance of bonuses makes it very exciting to play.

Another really impressive thing about this pokie is the enormous max win. Players will have the chance to win up to 52,920x their stake from this game. Combine that with the max bet of $15, and, well… you do the maths.

• Game Developer: Big Time Gaming
• Reels: 6
• RTP: 96.66%
• Volatility: High
• Max Win: 52,920x
• Bonus Buy: ✅

4. Chaos Crew 2 – 96.27% RTP

We loved the original Chaos Crew pokie from Hacksaw Gaming back in 2020. So, it was exciting to see the announcement of the sequel in 2024. And it’s even better. This time around, the graphics are a bit more immersive, and the in-game bonuses are more abundant.

All that, combined with a high max win of 20,000x your stake, make for one heck of a game. Just be warned that the volatility of this game is particularly high. It’s not for the faint-hearted!

• Game Developer: Hacksaw Gaming
• Reels: 5
• RTP: 96.27%
• Volatility: Very high
• Max Win: 20,000x
• Bonus Buy: ✅

5. Divine Fortune Megaways – 96.09% RTP

One of the best pokie developers in the world, NetEnt, has got in on the Megaways action a few times over the years as well. One of our favourite examples is Divine Fortune Megaways. This fantastic pokie is widely considered to be one of the best Megaways games ever made.

The key reasons for that are the free spins feature, the falling wilds, and the enormous 38,000x max win. Combine that with a unique and exciting theme executed with top graphics, and everything just adds up.

• Game Developer: NetEnt
• Reels: 6, but expanding
• RTP: 96.09%
• Volatility: Medium
• Max Win: 38,000x
• Bonus Buy: ❌

6. Immortal Romance Mega Moolah – 93.4% RTP

If you’re not familiar with the Mega Moolah progressive jackpot, you should be! Developed by Microgaming, it’s the most famous in the world. And that’s mainly because it has the potential to pay out $1,000,000s. There are four jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega, and it’s the Mega one you really want to hit.

Our favourite game on the network is Immortal Romance Mega Moolah. It’s a combination of two of Microgaming’s best-ever works. The theming is great, the bonuses are fun, and even the base game has some 243 ways to win.

• Game Developer: Microgaming
• Reels: 5
• RTP: 93.4%
• Volatility: High win
• Max Win: $3,000,000+
• Bonus Buy: ❌

7. Wanted Dead or a Wild – 96.38% RTP

Hacksaw Gaming’s crazy themes never get boring, and this western pokie is one of their finest works. The design is smooth, and the soundtrack really adds to the fun.

One of the most exciting things about this game is the use of the unique Duel Reels feature. Here, expanding reels can become wild reels and really give you a good chance to win. On top of that, there are three original and exciting bonus games, so there’s a lot of fun to be had and plenty of winning potential to be enjoyed.

• Game Developer: Hacksaw Gaming
• Reels: 5
• RTP: 96.38%
• Volatility: High
• Max Win: 12,500x
• Bonus Buy: ✅

8. Starburst XXXtreme – 96.26% RTP

One of the most famous online pokies of all time has been brought into the modern era in fine style with Starburst XXXtreme. Released nine years later than the iconic original, this new pokie really amps things up in terms of the graphics and the stats.

The key factor here is one of the largest max wins in the whole world of online pokies. Players could land an eye-watering 200,000x their stakes in this game.

• Game Developer: NetEnt
• Reels: 5
• RTP: 96.26%
• Volatility: High
• Max Win: 200,000x
• Bonus Buy: ✅

9. Cash n Riches WOWPOT! Megaways – 92.23% RTP

Who’d have thought you’d be able to combine a progressive jackpot with a Megaways engine? Triple Edge Studios has done the almighty, and it is some game.

The WOWPOT! jackpot has the potential to land players $100,000s. So, that, combined with up to 117,649 ways to win, really leads to some intense gameplay. Plus, there’s a free spins bonus round with unlimited multipliers. This might be a game better suited to the more experienced pokie players out there.

• Game Developer: Triple Edge Studios
• Reels: 6, but expanding
• RTP: 92.23%
• Volatility: Very high
• Max Win: $100,000s in jackpots
• Bonus Buy: ❌

10. Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead – 96.21% RTP

Here’s a classic to wrap things up with. It would be rude not to have included a game from the almighty Play ‘n GO. The Rich Wilde saga is one of the most famous in the pokies world, and this particular game is the most famous of it.

The history of this game goes all the way back to 2016, but it still feels like it was produced yesterday, such is the quality of the graphics. The immersive gameplay, the free spins and the wild symbols are all very interesting indeed.

• Game Developer: Play ‘n GO
• Reels: 5
• RTP: 96.21%
• Volatility: High
• Max Win: 5,000x
• Bonus Buy: ❌

Casino Bonuses to Use for Playing Pokies Online

You can play pokies for longer and hopefully have a better chance of winning, with a casino bonus. Keep an eye out for these different types of offers at the top online pokies sites in New Zealand.

Welcome Bonus

Pretty much all New Zealand online pokies sites will have some kind of an offer for new players. This is produced in a bid to bring in new players. As a result, they tend to be larger in size, so they’re the best options for New Zealand players to boost their bankrolls.

On-going Promotions

Any NZ online pokies site worth their salt will keep players entertained with extra offers. These could be free spins, tournaments, leaderboards, competitions… the more, the merrier.

Deposit Match Bonus

The famous deposit match is probably the most common type of casino bonus we see in New Zealand. It gives you a top-up on top of your deposit as bonus cash. This bonus cash will be subject to terms and conditions, like wagering before you can withdraw it.

No Deposit Bonus

Some online pokies sites in NZ will offer players the chance to get a bonus without a deposit. Free spins and free bets are common forms of these. They’re probably not going to be as big as deposit bonuses, though.

Free Spins Bonus

You can expect to see a lot of free spins at some online pokies sites in NZ. They might be for one pokie or a group of them. It’s good to see these bonuses, as it shows that the site takes their pokies seriously.

Loyalty Bonuses/VIP Program

If you’re more of a regular pokie player, then getting involved with a loyalty club might benefit you. These vary in structure but can involve collecting points to rise through tiers. As you do this, you’ll get extra bonuses and other perks.

Reload Bonus

These days, we’re seeing more and more reload bonuses in the NZ online pokies world, and that’s good news. These are ongoing promotions for all players and typically come as deposit matches or free spins. You’ll probably be able to grab them weekly.

Cashback Bonus

A few of our top NZ online pokies site recommendations offer cashback on deposits. You’ll typically get about 10% of your deposit back as extra cash that you can withdraw right away. Or, you can use it as a bankroll booster, of course…

Real Money Pokies vs. Playing Pokies for Free

Is it best to play online pokies for real money, or for free? Only you can decide that, but we can help you out with a few of the pros and cons of each.

Top Pokies Developers

A pokie is only ever really as good as the provider who created it. So to help you work out how to find the best games, here are five of the finest pokie developers.

• NetEnt
  Formed in 1996, NetEnt is one of the oldest and most famous pokie developers in the world. It’s been responsible for some of the best games ever created, including Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest.
• Microgaming
  Another of the original, and finest, online pokie developers is Microgaming. They were formed all the way back in 1994 and have created some classics, such as Mega Moolah and Thunderstruck II.
• Play N Go
  A casino studio with one of the highest outputs we’ve ever seen is Play ‘n GO. This top developer is well known for putting out pokies with a great range of themes, including sports, music and mythology.
• Betsoft
  If you’re looking for a high RTP online pokies game, Betsoft is a great place to be. It constantly comes in with 97%+ RTP games, so you’re going to get great value out of them. They’re a lot of fun to play, too, so that helps!
• Playtech
  Playtech is another vintage developer that’s been in the game since the 90s. Since 1999, the team has been putting out some of the most iconic pokies and live casino games in the world.

Online Pokie Payment Methods in NZ

Payment options available vary between NZ pokies sites. Take a look at some of the most popular banking methods below

Cryptocurrencies

Most of the best online casinos in New Zealand these days allow for payments with crypto. This comes with a few key benefits, such as better bonuses, faster payouts, and the potential for anonymous gambling.

Traditional Payment Methods

Card payments with the likes of VISA and Mastercard are available at most online pokies sites in NZ. You may also be able to bank with AMEX, Discover, etc. Payouts to cards are slower than crypto, though.

eWallets

eWallets do have the potential to speed up the payouts but the choice of them varies a lot between sites. You might find that you have to move your money around if you want to play at different online casinos.

Pro Pokies Tips for Maximising Your Experience

To really give you the best chance of getting the most out of your time at New Zealand pokies sites, we’ve put together some top tips.

• Don’t let the big win potential allure you
  A large max win doesn’t win a better chance of winning. Sure, it can be fun to shoot for the big bucks, but it may be more tactical to play a game with a lower max win.
• The more paylines, the bigger the chance to get a winning line
  It’s always worth a look at the number of paylines or ways to win in an online pokie game. That being said, you can still win well from classic, single-payline pokies.
• Play in demo mode first
  We always recommend trying out online pokies for free in demo mode before you play for real money. This gives you the chance to practice and try out any special features first.
• Pay attention to the RTP
  The most important figure in the game data of an online pokie is its RTP. This will show you how much you can expect to win back from any given game in relation to the stake. The higher, the better.
• Set a gambling budget and stick to it
  Play responsibly with your online pokies. Never spend any more money than you can afford to lose, and never chase your losses. To help with this, we recommend setting a budget before you go into any gaming session.

Playing Mobile Pokies and Slot Games in Apps

These days, it’s imperative for online casinos to make most of their pokies available to play on the go. And, they really need to offer a neat and easy to use mobile site. The best casino apps will be just as enjoyable to play on as any desktop website.

The good news is that almost all online pokies are developed using HTML5 technology these days. This allows game developers to easily scale their pokies down to fit a smaller screen. As a result, you’ll be able to play the majority of your favourite pokies on the go.

The No.1 Online Pokies Site in NZ

So, there we have it. 10 amazing online pokies sites, and 10 amazing online pokies. Plus, we’ve shown you all the information you need to get the most out of your pokie gaming experience. Now, all you have to do is to decide which site to sign up for first.

Overall, we recommend Instant Casino as our pick of the bunch. It has amazing pokies games, top offers, and super immersive design. But there are great bonuses available throughout our top picks, so don’t just stop there!

Online Pokies NZ FAQs

Is it possible to win real money while playing online pokies in NZ?

Yes, it’s absolutely possible to play online pokies for real money in New Zealand. We’ve picked out the top 10 places for you to do that in this article.

What are the best online pokies NZ sites in 2024?

Right now, Instant Casino, InstaSpin and Golden Panda are the top online pokies sites in NZ. They’re closely followed by Lucky Block, TG Casino, and Mega Dice.

Are online pokies fair to players?

Yes, all legal online pokies are RNG certified. This means they give you a fair chance of winning. You can check the stats of each game for extra information.

Is it possible to play online pokies for free?

Many online pokies sites allow you to play their games for free in demo mode. This gives you a great chance to get a little practice in.

What are the top real money online pokies games available in New Zealand?

Gates of Olympus, Duel of the Dead Megaways and Danger High Voltage 2 are our top three real money online pokies games for NZ players.

What online pokie has the highest RTP?

You’ll find a super high RTP of 96.66% in Danger High Voltage 2. Rates don’t come much higher than that.