If you wish to explore the world of online gaming websites on your own, this is perfectly understandable. It’s a very big and exciting online world, with lots of games to be played and lots of money to be made, and finding a little known site can often be exhilarating and satisfying.

Have a look at our Frequently Asked Question link “Your money and online pokies”. You will see that we make some recommendations for finding out if an online gaming site is reputable. Here is what we recommend:
Do some online research for yourself about the company or the website asking you for your credit card details. Large, well known online casinos are going to be very security conscious, as they want people to feel secure and to come back. Likewise, small unknown casinos might just appear for a few days or a week, and then disappear again with everyone’s money. It will be pretty easy to find information on the larger, reputable casinos by simply doing a Google search. If you can’t find anything about the gaming site you’ve found and wish to play on, it’s probably a good idea to avoid it just to be certain. Obviously if there’s a bad review, definitely avoid it.

Another good tip to find if there’s been any dodgy activity is to do a search with the name of the company along with words like “fraud” or “scam” – this will turn up any articles that other people might have written to help people avoid the scams they were victimised by.

Also, make sure that the company takes all the security measures necessary for safe online transactions. This will be easy to find as reputable and trustworthy sites want to reassure consumers and will make this information easy to find and verify. Just click on the “security” link, or similar. If the website doesn’t have this information accessible, this is a good warning sign not to spend your money there.

Okay, so now maybe you’ve ignored these warnings or you just didn’t see this information before. Or maybe you’ve been as careful and as diligent as possible, done all your research and found a great place to gamble online and still something’s gone bad. You’ve registered and played with an online gaming site and won, and now you’re waiting for your money to be paid out it’s not happening. What can you do?

Well, the first step is to get all your documentation together. This includes all your registration materials, the details of the particular games and wins in question, and any other relevant documents. Make copies of these documents. In fact, make a number of copies. Many casinos should accept fax documents, in which case the copies will be unnecessary, but they might request that documents be mailed to them.  If they do make this request, under no circumstances send them original documents. It is very important that you keep hold of all original copies of your documentation.

Make a call to the support desk at the online casino, or use the live chat option if it is available, and speak to customer service. Explain the issue very clearly and calmly – and politely and ask the person with whom you are speaking for an explanation. If the person you’re speaking with is not being helpful, just ask to speak to the customer service manager. Make sure you keep notes on the conversation, such as the time of the call and the name of the person you’re speaking to. If you’re using live chat, you can use the screen capture tool to save this information, and to log the chat as well, if your computer skills are up to the job. We recommend avoiding emails for support regarding money and payment issues. Speaking to a live person is ideal, but email  can be used effectively to confirm the content of the conversation in writing and secure a backup record of your complaint in writing.
We remind you that it’s very important that you remain calm. Making threats and getting angry is not usually very helpful, and is frequently counter-productive. Just stay calm and clearly state your case. Also important is not to threaten to “charge back” your Visa or Mastercard or other credit card. Online casinos do not like or respond well to this threat. They are likely to respond by getting you “blacklisted” with their casino and their affiliates, and these online casinos are often run in large groups – you may find that you are barred from ten, twenty or even more of your favourite online gaming sites. Naturally, the option of back charging your credit card remains open to you. But we recommend exhausting all other options before first. Even if you do feel there is no other recourse and resort to back charging, this is an option to be discussed with your bank – like all your banking options and decisions – and not with merchants, or customer service representatives with the casino.

Nine times out of ten, rational discussions with the customer service representatives at the online casino will prevail, and your issue will be resolved. If not however, we assess that you have four choices.

Now, there are Australian laws regarding misrepresentations and fraudulent transactions that are enforced strictly. However, it is unlikely that they will be of any use. The internet, a wonderful tool though it is, has created a global world in a real and day to say sense before the world’s legal instruments have had a chance to catch up. It is very unlikely that the online gaming site you’re trying to get money out of was registered or licensed in Australia, and therefore will not be covered or subject to the vast majority of Australian law regarding fraudulent transactions. This poses significant problems, it’s true, but there are options. So, your first option is to contact the casino’s licensing jurisdiction. Now, while some jurisdictions are better and faster than others, our experience has been that most jurisdictions are agonisingly slow when dealing with things like processing complaints and matters of non-payment. We recommend reporting the matter to the licensing jurisdiction, if only to go on the record with the complaint and be of assistance to gamblers who may come in the future. It is probably in your best interests, after reporting the matter of the complaint to the licensing jurisdiction, to proceed on to our other suggestions rather than waiting for anything to be resolved by the licensing jurisdiction – you may be waiting a very long time indeed.

So, our second suggested step. Well actually, our second and third steps work best together. The second step is to go to various online casino forums and start posting about your problem, letting other gamers know what has happened to you. Nearly all the time you will get feedback on your problem and often this contains very useful advice. You may receive advice containing suggestions we do not list here. If so, proceed carefully – it’s likely the advice is sound and worthy of you following it. Just think carefully and make sure you’re not being persuaded into illegal or unethical behaviour.

The third step then, after you’ve made posting on various sites and received feedback and advice, is to go to a casino advocate website. There are several online casino websites that offer help with legitimate issues, helping online gamblers who feel that they have been ripped off by an online casino – just the situation you find yourself in! They will ask you to make a statement and provide it to them, after you have thought carefully and declared that your complaint is definitely a matter of financial impropriety. Make sure your statement is detailed and accurate and truthful in every respect.  Once they have accepted your complaint, sit back and let them take care of it for you. You will need to be patient and wait for them to tell you what is going on with your complaint. Do not contact the casino- after you’ve given the casino advocate website the complaint, let them handle all of parts of the complaint – this includes contact with the casino. They will inform you of the outcome, whether it is resolved and a cheque is coming your way, or whether they were unable to persuade, pressure or force the casino to pay up. Make sure you keep up to date with your forum posts regarding the assistance they provided and the results it yielded.

So if you have tried all of the above and have still come up empty handed, unable to obtain a resolution for your problem, you’re at the end of the line in terms of dealing with the casino. You need to get in touch with your bank, credit card company or the provider of the eWallet service or other online payment system that you used to make the transactions. Check out our list of various payment options for the safety merits of all, but keep in mind the best option in terms or back charging is one backed by a major financial institution – and this is usually a credit card like Visa or Mastercard. Keep in mind that charge backs are to used as a last resort and are most unpopular in the online gaming world. Your bank will nearly always be on your side in the dispute and may suggest options available to you before a charge back is necessary, but will likely suggest this option after all else has failed. Provide your bank or financial services provider with all the necessary documentation and let them handle the complaint from here on in. They will apply pressure on the online casino and they have a considerable amount more clout than you do and they attempts at persuasion may be more successful. Major financial organisations do not appreciate being drawn into matters such as these and they will likely not continue their payment processing services to the online casino in question – and nearly all online casinos will prefer to lose the cost of one transaction than lose a payment processor. Your bank or financial organisation will likely be your best bet, even if they are a last resort.

One note or point of clarification regarding contacting your bank, credit card company or other financial services company or eWallter provider: We recommend keeping them as the last resort and fourth step, and recommend exhausting all other options before contacting them to resolve the matter. However, we strongly recommend contacting them to inform them of the situation immediately. Inform your bank, credit card company or eWallet provider that a problem has arisen with the specified casino, provide them with the details of your complaint, and explain that that you are currently dealing directly with the casino in an attempt to reach a resolution. Only ask your bank or credit card company or eWallet provider to take over your claim if all your other steps have failed, but make sure that they are fully briefed on the situation from the very beginning. This will make it much easier if you do eventually need them to take over your claim.

We would also like to stress that, while we recommend keeping your bank or other financial services provider as a last resort because of possible retaliatory action by the casino is just a suggestion. There is nothing to stop you directly contacting your bank. People have been refused accounts at other online casinos because of charge backs they had made previously at another casino.

We do not suggest that this is right or fair, we are simply pointing out the reality of the situation. If you do wish to continue playing the pokies and other games online (and maybe you don’t, after a major hassle such as this can be), it’s a good idea to contact and try to negotiate with the casino first. Even if it doesn’t work and you ultimately need to contact your bank and arrange a charge back, if you have documentary proof of your attempt to negotiate with the casino, perhaps you can show this to future casinos that may attempt to deny your registration due to the charge back on your financial record.

Well, we have outlined your basic options in dealing with and resolving a financial dispute with an online casino. We sincerely hope you don’t need to exercise these options, and if you follow the steps and suggestions at the beginning of this article, it’s likely you won’t ever find yourself in a position where you need this information. Best of luck and happy gaming!

If there is a particular game that you are looking, because this list is so very long we would suggest that you utilise your browsers search feature to try and find that game that you are looking for. Please keep in mind however that the list of games provided by our sites is constantly growing at a very rapid rate. An estimated count over the last three months would be around 40-50 new games added. Though we do try to keep this this as up to date as humanly possible, keep in mind that if the site you are looking for is relatively new our sites will most probably have it we simply have not had the opportunity to add it here.

Spin Palace

Online pokies – three wheel games

• Break da Bank
• Bar Bar Black Sheep
• Bulls Eye
• Cash Crazy
• Cool Buck
• Couch Potato
• Cracker Jack
• Cutesy Pie
• Double Magic
• Double Wammy
• Fantastic 7′s
• Free Spirit
• Froot Loot
• Frost Bite
• Goblin’s Gold
• High 5
• Jackpot Express
• Jet-Set
• Jungle 7′s Classic Slot
• Jurassic Jackpot
• Legacy Classic
• Lions Share
• Mardi Gras
• Off The Hook
• Oranges and Lemons
• Reels Royce
• Rock the Boat
• Royal Sevens
• Samurai 7’s
• Sonic Boom
• Spectacular
• Spectacular Wheel of Wealth
• Spellbound
• S.W.A.T Team
• Track And Fieldmouse Slot
• Jingle Bells Slot
• Triple Magic
• Zany Zebra
• Jewel Thief

Five reel slots

• 5 Reel Drive
• 50 Lions
• Big Top
• Carnaval
• Crazy Chameleions
• Reel Thunder
• Totem Treasure
• Truck Stop
• Vinyl Countdown
• Gopher Gold
• Winning Wizard
• Monster Mania
• Prince of Persia
• What A Hoot
• Hot Shot

Bonus slots

• Diamond Deal
• Lucky Charmer
• Sizzling Scorpion
• Wheel of Fortune Slot

Feature slots

• Age of Discovery Slot
• Alaskan Fishing
• Alley Cats
• Avalon
• Bars & Stripes
• Bearly Fishing
• Beach Babes
• Big Break
• Big Kahuna
• Big Kahuna – Snakes & Ladders
• Bob’s Bowling Bonanza
• Bomber Girls
• Break Da Bank Again
• Burning Desire Video Slot
• Bush Telegraph
• Cabin Fever
• Cash n Curry
• Cashapillar
• CashOccino
• Cashville
• Celtic Crown
• Chain Mail
• Chocolate Factory
• Crazy 80s
• Curry In A Hurry
• Dance Of The Masai
• Days Of Tsar
• Deck the Halls
• Dino Might
• Dog Father Slot
• Dolphin Tale Slot
• Double O’ Cash
• Elementals
• Fighting Fish Video Slot
• First Past the Post
• Flying Circus Slot
• Gee Gees
• Gift Rap
• Gladiator
• Glory of Rome Slot
• Golden Goose Crazy Chameleons
• Golden Goose Genie’s Gems
• Golden Goose Totem Treasure
• Golden Goose Winning Wizards
• Gypsy Queen
• Good To Go
• Halloweenies
• Happy New Year
• Harveys
• The High Life
• Hitman Slot
• Ho Ho Ho
• Inca Gold
• Isis
• Jolly Jester
• Jellyfish Jaunt
• Jonny Specter
• Jungle Jim
• K9 Capers
• Kathmandu
• Kings And Queens
• Kings Of Cash
• Ladies Nite
• Lady in Red
• Lady Of The Orient Slot
• Little Chief, Big Cash Video Slot
• Liquid Gold Slot
• Loaded
• Lucky Eggsplorer Video Slot
• Lucky News Network
• Lucky Shot
• Mad Hatters Slot
• Magic Multiplier Slot
• Magic Spell Slot
• Mardi Gras Fever
• Mark of Medusa Video Slot
• Mayan Princess Video Slot
• Mega Moolah 5 Reel Drive Video Slot
• Muchos Grande
• Mermaids Millions
• Moonshine
• Munchkins
• My Slot
• Nutty Squirrel Slot
• Pharaoh’s Tomb Slot
• Polar Bash Video Slot
• Pollen Nation
• Queen of the Jungle
• Quest For Beer
• Rainbow’s End
• Reel Baron
• Polar Pioneers
• Porky Payout
• Prime Property
• Reel Strike
• Santa Paws
• Secret Admirer
• Shiver Me Feathers
• Sir Winsalot
• Skull Duggery
• Snow Honeys
• Soccer Safari
• Spikes Nite Out
• Spring Break
• Star Appeal
• Starscape Slot
• Stash of the Titans
• Stunt Pilot
• Sugar Mama
• Summer Time Slot
• Sunset Showdown
• Supe It Up Slot
• Sure Win
• Tally Ho
• The Adventures of Galactic Gopher
• The Palace Group
• The Great Galaxy Grab
• The Ratpack
• Thunderstruck
• Thunderstruck II
• Tomb Raider™
• Tomb Raider™ Secret Of The Sword
• Treasure Ireland AWP Slot
• Twin Samurai Slot
• Twister
• Voila
• Wasabi San
• Wheel of Wealth
• Witch Dr Slot
• Witches Wealth
• What On Earth
• World Cup Mania

Mega spin slots

• Double Magic MegsSpin Slot
• Fantastic 7s MegaSpin Slot
• High 5 MegaSpin Slot

Progressive slots

• Cash Splash
• Fruit Fiesta
• Jackpot Deuces
• King Cashalot
• Lotsaloot
• Major Millions
• Mega Moolah
• Poker Ride
• Cyberstud Poker
• Roulette Royal
• Supajax Poker
• Treasure Nile
• Triple 7s BlackJack
• Tunzamunni
• Wow Pot

Table Games

• Vegas Downtown Blackjack
• Super Fun 21 Blackjack
• Vegas Strip Blackjack
• Spanish 21 Blackjack
• Double Exposure Blackjack
• Bonus Blackjack
• European Blackjack
• Atlantic City Blackjack
• European Roulette
• European Roulette Gold
• French Roulette
• American Roulette
• Baccarat

Video Poker

• 10 Handed Bonus Deuces Wild Power Poker
• Aces and Faces Level-up Poker (NEW)
• Aces & Faces Poker
• Aces & Faces Power Poker
• Aces & Faces 10 Play Power Poker
• Aces & Faces 50 Play Power Poker
• Aces & Faces 100 Play Power Poker
• Aces & Eights Poker
• All Aces Poker
• All Aces 10 Play Power Poker
• All Aces 50 Play Power Poker
• All American Poker
• Bonus Poker
• Bonus Poker 10 Play Power Poker
• Bonus Poker 50 Play Power Poker
• Bonus Poker 100 Play Power Poker
• Bonus Poker Deluxe
• Double Bonus Poker
• Double Bonus Power Poker
• Double Double Bonus Poker
• Double Bonus 50 Play Poker
• Deuces & Joker Poker
• Deuces & Joker Power Poker
• Deuces & Joker 10 Play Power Poker
• Deuces & Joker 50 Play Power Poker
• Deuces & Joker 100 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild Poker
• Bonus Deuces Wild Poker
• Deuces Wild Power Poker
• Deuces Wild 10 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild 50 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild 100 Play Power Poker
• Double Joker Poker
• Double Joker Power Poker
• Double Joker 10 Play Power Poker
• Double Joker 50 Play Power Poker
• Double Joker 100 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better Poker
• Jacks or Better Power Poker
• Jacks or Better 10 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better 50 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better 100 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better Level Up (NEW)
• Joker Poker
• Joker Poker Power Poker
• Joker Poker 10 Play Power Poker
• Joker Poker 50 Play Power Poker
• Joker Poker 100 Play Power Poker
• Poker Pursuit
• Tens or Better Poker
• Tens or Better Power Poker
• Triple Gold Pocket Poker

Parlour Games

• Keno
• Scratch card

Mummy’s Gold

3-Reel Slot Games:

• Bar Bar Black Sheep
• Break da Bank
• Bulls Eye
• Cash Crazy
• Cool Buck
• Cosmic Cat
• Couch Potato
• Cutesy Pie
• Double Magic
• Fantastic 7′s
• Free Spirit Wheel of Wealth
• Frost Bite
• High 5
• Jewel Thief
• Jingle Bells
• Jungle 7′s
• Jurassic Jackpot
• Legacy
• Mardi Gras
• Mummy Munny
• Off the Hook
• Oranges and Lemons
• Rapid Reels
• Rock the Boat
• SWAT Team
• Samurai 7′s
• Sonic Boom
• Spectacular Wheel of Wealth
• Spellbound
• Triple Magic
• Wheel of Wealth
• Zany Zebra

5-Reel Slot Games:

• 5 Reel Drive
• Big Top
• Carnaval
• Hot Shot
• Gopher Gold
• Reel Thunder
• Totem Treasure
• Winning Wizards

Feature Slot Games:

• Age of Discovery
• Bars & Stripes
• Big Kahuna
• Bush Telegraph
• Cabin Fever
• Cashanova
• Cashville
• Chain Mail
• Chocolate Factory
• Crazy 80′s
• Dino Might
• Dog Father
• Dolphin Tale
• Elementals
• Flying Circus
• Gift Rap
• Glory of Rome
• Golden Goose – Crazy Chameleons
• Golden Goose – Genie’s Gems
• Golden Goose – Totem Treasure
• Golden Goose – Winning Wizards
• Good to Go
• Halloweenies
• Harveys
• Ho Ho Ho
• Inca Gold
• Isis
• Jungle Jim
• Kathmandu
• Ladies Nite
• Lady of the Orient
• Loaded
• Mad Hatters
• Mermaids Millions
• Monster Mania
• Moonshine
• Muchos Grande
• Munchkins
• Nutty Squirrel
• Pharaoh’s Tomb
• Pollen Nation
• Reel Strike
• Santa Paws
• Secret Admirer
• Skull Duggery
• Spring Break
• Starscape
• Summertime
• Supe It Up
• Tally Ho
• The Palace Group
• Thunderstruck
• Tomb Raider
• Twin Samurai
• Vinyl Countdown
• Wasabi-San
• What a Hoot
• What on Earth
• Wheel of Wealth Special Edition
• Witches Wealth
• Witch Dr
• World Cup Mania

MegaSpin Slot Games:

• Double Magic MegaSpin
• Fantastic 7′s MegaSpin
• High 5 MegaSpin
• Major Millions MegaSpin

Progressive Jackpot Games:

• Cash Splash 3 Reel Slot
• Cash Splash 5 Reel Slot
• Fruit Fiesta 3 Reel Slot
• Fruit Fiesta 5 Reel Slot
• Jackpot Deuces
• King Cashalot
• LotsaLoot 3 Reel Slot
• LotsaLoot 5 Reel Slot
• Major Millions 3 Reel Slot
• Major Millions 5 Reel Slot
• Mega Moolah 5-Reel Slot
• Poker Ride
• Progressive Cyberstud Poker
• Roulette Royale
• SupaJax
• Treasure Nile
• Triple 7′s Blackjack
• Tunzamunni
• Wowpot 3 Reel Slot
• Wowpot 5 Reel Slot

Table Games:

• Atlantic City Blackjack
• Multi Hand Atlantic City Blackjack
• Multi Hand Atlantic City Blackjack Gold
• Bonus Blackjack
• Multi Hand Bonus Blackjack
• Double Exposure Blackjack
• Double Exposure Multi-Hand Blackjack
• Double Exposure Blackjack Gold
• Multi Hand Blackjack
• Pontoon Blackjack Gold
• Spanish Blackjack
• Spanish Blackjack Gold
• Super Fun 21 Blackjack
• Super Fun 21 Blackjack Gold
• Vegas Downtown Blackjack
• Vegas Strip Blackjack
• Multi Hand Vegas Strip Blackjack
• Atlantic City Blackjack Gold
• Spanish 21 Multi-hand Blackjack
• Bonus Blackjack Gold
• Big Five Blackjack Gold
• Classic Blackjack Gold
• Multi Hand Classic Blackjack Gold
• Vegas Single Deck Blckjack
• Vegas Single Deck Blackjack Gold
• Vegas Downtown Blackjack Gold
• Multi Hand Vegas Downtown Blackjack Gold
• Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold
• Multi Hand Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold
• American Roulette
• French Roulette
• 3 Card Poker
• Multi-Hand 3-Card Poker
• 3 Card Poker Gold
• Multi-Hand 3-Card Poker Gold
• Bonus Pai Gow Poker
• Casino War
• Cyberstud Poker
• High Limit Baccarat
• Poker Pursuit
• Red Dog
• Vegas Craps

Video Poker Games:

• Aces and Eights Poker
• Aces and Faces Poker
• Aces and Faces 4 Play Power Poker
• Aces and Faces 10 Play Power Poker
• Aces and Faces 50 Play Power Poker
• Aces and Faces 100 Play Power Poker
• All Aces Poker
• All Aces 10 Play Power Poker
• All Aces 50 Play Power Poker
• All America Poker
• Bonus Poker
• Deuces and Joker Poker
• Deuces and Joker 4 Play Power Poker
• Deuces and Joker 10 Play Power Poker
• Deuces and Joker 50 Play Power Poker
• Deuces and Joker 100 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild Poker
• Bonus Deuces Wild Poker
• Deuces Wild 4 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild 10 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild 50 Play Power Poker
• Deuces Wild 100 Play Power Poker
• Double Bonus Poker
• Double Double Bonus Poker
• Double Joker Poker
• Double Joker 4 Play Power Poker
• Double Joker 10 Play Power Poker
• Double Joker 50 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better Poker
• Jacks or Better 4 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better 10 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better 50 Play Power Poker
• Jacks or Better 100 Play Power Poker
• Joker Poker
• Joker Poker 4 Play Power Poker
• Joker Poker 10 Play Power Poker
• Joker Poker 50 Play Power Poker
• Joker Poker 100 Play Power Poker
• Tens or Better Poker
• Tens or Better 4 Play Power Poker
• Bonus Poker Deluxe

Parlour Games:

• Keno
• Scratch Card

Ruby Fortune

Pokies

• Break da Bank
• Bar Bar Black Sheep
• Bulls Eye
• Cash Crazy
• Cool Buck
• Couch Potato
• Cracker Jack
• Cutesy Pie
• Double Magic
• Double Wammy
• Diamond Deal
• Fantastic 7′s
• Free Spirit
• Froot Loot
• Frost Bite
• Goblin’s Gold
• High 5
• Jackpot Express
• Jet-Set
• Jewel Thief
• Jurassic Jackpot
• Jungle 7′s
• Legacy
• Lions Share
• Lucky Charmer
• Mardi Gras
• Off The Hook
• Oranges and Lemons
• Reels Royce
• Rock the Boat
• Royal 7′s
• Samurai 7’s
• Sizzling Scorpions
• Sonic Boom
• Spectacular
• Spectacular Wheel of Wealth
• Spellbound
• S.W.A.T Team
• Triple Magic
• Wheel of Wealth
• Zany Zebra
• Mega-Spin Double Magic
• Mega-Spin Fantastic 7′s
• Mega-Spin High 5

Video Slots

• 5 Reel Drive
• Age of Discovery
• Avalon
• Bars & Stripes
• Big Kahuna
• Big Top
• Bush Telegraph
• Cabin Fever
• Carnaval
• Cashville
• Cashanova
• Chain Mail
• Chocolate Factory
• Crazy Chameleons
• Dino Might
• Dogfather
• Dolphin Tale
• Elementals
• Flying Circus
• Gift Rap
• Golden Goose Crazy Chameleons
• Golden Goose Genie’s Gems
• Golden Goose Totem Treasure
• Golden Goose Winning Wizards
• Good To Go
• Gopher Gold
• Glory of Rome
• Halloweenies
• Harveys
• Hitman
• Ho Ho Ho
• Hot Shot
• Isis
• Jellyfish Jaunt
• Jungle Jim
• Ladies Nite
• Loaded
• Mad Hatters
• Muchos Grande
• Mermaids Millions
• Moonshine
• Monster Mania
• Munchkins
• Nutty Squirrel
• Pharaoh’s Tomb
• Pollen Nation
• Reel Strike
• Reel Thunder
• Secret Admirer
• Spring Break
• Skull Duggery
• Starscape
• Summertime
• Supe It Up
• Tally Ho
• The Palace Group
• Thunderstruck
• Tomb Raider™
• Twin Samurai
• Twister
• Totem Treasure
• Vinyl Countdown
• Wasabi San
• Witch Dr
• Witches Wealth
• What On Earth
• Winning Wizards
• What A Hoot
• Wheel of Wealth Special Edition
• World Cup Mania

Progressive Jackpot Games

• Cash Splash
• Cyberstud Poker
• Fruit Fiesta
• Roulette Royal
• Jackpot Deuces
• Supajax Poker
• King Cashalot
• Treasure Nile
• Lotsaloot
• Triple 7s Blackjack
• Major Millions
• Tunzamunni
• Poker Ride
• Mega Moolah

Blackjack

• Atlantic City Blackjack
• European Gold Series
• Bonus Blackjack
• Vegas Downtown Gold Series
• Classic Blackjack
• Vegas Strip Gold Series
• Double Exposure Blackjack
• Bonus Blackjack Gold Series
• European Blackjack
• Big Five Gold Series
• High Limit European Blackjack
• Classic Blackjack Gold Series
• Multi-Hand Atlantic City
• Vegas Single Deck Gold Series
• Multi-Hand Blackjack
• Double Exposure Gold Series
• Multi-Hand Bonus Blackjack
• Pontoon Gold Series
• Multi-Hand Classic Blackjack
• Spanish 21 Gold Series
• Multi-Hand Vegas Downtown
• Super Fun 21 Gold Series
• Multi-Hand Vegas Strip
• Multi-Hand Double Exposure
• Spanish Blackjack
• Multi-Hand Atlantic City Gold
• Super Fun 21 Blackjack
• Multi-Hand Classic Gold
• Vegas Downtown Blackjack
• Multi-Hand Vegas Downtown Gold
• Vegas Strip Blackjack
• Multi-Hand European Gold
• Multi-Hand Spanish 21 Blackjack
• Multi-Hand Vegas Strip Gold
• Atlantic City Gold Series

Table Games

• European Roulette
• 3 Card Poker
• European Roulette Gold
• Multi-Hand 3 Card Poker
• French Roulette
• Cyberstud Poker
• Craps
• Baccarat
• Vegas Craps
• 3 Card Poker Gold
• Sic Bo
• Multi-Hand 3 Card Poker Gold
• Bonus Pai Gow Poker

Video Poker

• Aces & Faces Video Poker
• Aces & Faces Power Video Poker
• Aces & Faces 10 Play Power Video Poker
• Aces & Faces 50 Play Power Video Poker
• Aces & Faces 100 Play Power Video Poker
• Aces & Eights Video Poker
• All Aces Video Poker
• All Aces 10 Play Power Poker
• All Aces 50 Play Power Poker
• All American Video Poker
• Bonus Video Poker
• Double Bonus Power Poker
• Double Bonus 50 Power poker
• Double Bonus Video Poker
• Double Double Bonus Video Poker
• Deuces & Joker Video Poker
• Deuces & Joker Power Video Poker
• Deuces & Joker 10 Play Power Video Poker
• Deuces & Joker 50 Play Power VideoPoker
• Deuces & Joker 100 Play Power Video Poker
• Deuces Wild Video Poker
• Bonus Deuces Wild Video Poker
• Deuces Wild Power Video Poker
• Deuces Wild 10 Play Power Video Poker
• Deuces Wild 50 Play Power Video Poker
• Deuces Wild 100 Play Power Video Poker
• Double Joker Video Poker
• Double Joker Power Video Poker
• Double Joker 10 Play Power Video Poker
• Double Joker 50 Play Power Video Poker
• Jacks or Better Video Poker
• Jacks or Better Power Video Poker
• Jacks or Better 10 Play Power Video Poker
• Jacks or Better 50 Play Power Video Poker
• Jacks or Better 100 Play Power Video Poker
• Joker Poker
• Joker Poker Power Video Poker
• Joker Poker 10 Play Power Video Poker
• Joker Poker 50 Play Power Video Poker
• Joker Poker 100 Play Power Video Poker
• Tens or Better Video Poker
• Tens or Better Power Video Poker
• Bonus Poker Deluxe

Parlour Games

• Scratch Card
• Casino War
• Keno

PAYOUTS

This is the obvious one – everyone playing online pokies, well actually anyone playing any kind of gambling game at all, is playing to win. The bigger the payout, the higher the chances of hitting the jackpot, the better. Well established online casinos nearly all offer higher payout rates, percentages and chances than real life casinos. However, among the online casinos, not all are the same. Before making your choice of online casino, you must have a good understanding of the all important factor – the casino payout percentage. Most reputable online casinos will publish their payout percentages, and it’s very important that you check this, and make sure that is had been verified by a trusted and well respected third party. All reputable online casinos will have their payouts audited regularly, and you will be able to find information on these audits as well as who performed them, on the website. If it’s not there – we suggest you make your escape and find a trustworthy site to play on.

So if you can find the payout percentage and auditing information listed on the website, this is a good sign that you’re playing somewhere trustworthy. However, once you’ve established that, what does the payout percentage mean? How is it calculated? What is a good payout percentage. Let’s go through the basics first of all.

Payout percentages of online casinos are calculated in much the same way as land-based casinos, even though the odds at online casinos are generally considerably better. The casino payout percentage indicates the proportion of the total money bet by players at the casino is being paid out by the casino as winnings. For example, if the payout percentage is 95%, then that means that 95% of all the money that is bet at the casino is being paid out as winnings to players, and the casino is retaining 5% of the total money wagered. In addition to the casino’s overall payout percentage, most online casinos will publish individual payout percentages for specific games such as pokies and roulette.

So, obviously an online casino is entirely capable of announcing that their payout percentage is 99% and simply not honouring that. There is no way for any individual player – or even a team of many players – to verify that the listed payout percentage is true. In this way, verification certificates are of the utmost importance – and not just any verification certificate. It is crucial that you examine the casino’s verification certificate and also note who it was issued by. It needs to be issued by an independent third party, if it is not then it is not genuine. We recommend only using online casinos whose verification certificates are issued by one of the following three top authorities: Online Players Association (OPA), Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC), and eCogra (e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). If the online casino you are checking out has gone to the effort and expense of obtaining a verification certificate from one of these authorities, then you can be confident that the payout percentage it lists is the actual payout percentage, and also that it is maintains a strict code of professionalism and ethical practice and that is has a strong commitment to meeting and exceeding fair gaming standards.

So, once you’ve noted the payout percentage and are confident that it has been verified by a reliable third party authority, the second question you’ll want an answer to is this: What is a good payout percentage? Now, this is a little complicated. For starters, the payout percentage of the online casino will change slightly from month to month (if you notice that it never changes, this is a little suspicious and you may want to investigate just how trustworthy the site is). You cannot take the payout percentage of one month as being necessarily indicative of the average payout percentage. For instance, by virtue of the randomness of casino games and their associated jackpots, it’s possible and even likely that the casino paid out a number of large jackpots during the previous month which has resulted in a very high payout percentage that will not be maintained over a longer period of time. It is far better and more informative to look at payout percentages that have been averaged over a period of at least six months, but ideally a year. This gives a much better and more accurate idea of the casino’s true payout percentage. We feel and suggest that a good payout percentage is anything above 96%. This is a conservative number – some online casinos offer incredibly high payout percentages of over 99% (although these may be lacking in other areas) and you may prefer to play with these casinos. But looking at a wide range of casinos, both land-based and online, we think that 96% plus is a good payout rate, and that you shouldn’t play at casinos that pay less than this.

Of course, there are other factors to consider even in regard to possible payouts. For example, amounts such as sign up bonuses and other types of bonuses are often not considered winnings and thus are not included in the payout percentage. Make sure you check out all that the casino offers, as well as the payout percentage, and that you stay informed.

GAMING QUALITY

The software technology that the casino uses is very important as it will directly impact the quality of the games. There are a number of top quality software programmes that are used by quality online casinos. One of these technologies is Vegas Technology. Casinos that use Vegas Technology, such as our listed Top Sites – Spin Palace, Ruby Fortune and Mummy’s Gold, will stand out with impressive functionality. You as a player will be welcomed with the attractive and exciting designs and website graphics of the site. More importantly however, is what you will notice when playing the games – the all important trio of speed, sound and real-looking visual effects is all there with casinos employing Visa Technology software.  And you don’t even have to download the games to enjoy this very high quality software technology. If it is more convenient and you prefer to use the instant play option that nearly all online casinos will offer, you will still enjoy the super fast speed, excellent quality graphics and fun and interesting sound effects that Vegas Technology provides.

When it comes to picking a good online casino, you’ll know you are on the way to having found one if you are experiencing ultra realistic presentations, incredible game speed, super sharp graphics, and good quality mechanics. And if you can see the online casino you are looking at uses Online Vegas Technology, you can rest assured that all of the above will be taken care of.

VARIETY

We have already said it here once – variety is the spice of life. While it is very likely that you as a serious gamer will have a preferred machine, it is also very nice to have the option of mixing it up from time to time. We recommend playing with online casinos that offer a wide range of different games. You will likely become familiar with one or two specific sites, which will increase your enjoyment and the overall gaming experience. Also, if you stick with one or two preferred sites and play with them regularly rather than playing infrequently at many different sites, you will accrue more in terms of bonuses, returned credit and incentive payouts, which at the end of the day means more money in your pocket. Sticking with one or two preferred sites will be easier and more fun if they offer a large variety of different games, so you don’t get bored. Check out of frequently asked question – “Which games can I play at your Top Sites?” for a full list of all the different games offered by our three recommended sites. They all offer an impressive array of choices.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The quality of the customer service the online casino offers you is of paramount importance. For starters, it means that if you have a problem you can get it solved quickly and easily – this is obvious. However, quality customer service also indicates that the casino cares for the experience they create and that they treat their customers well. Our experience tells us that those sites with quality customer service also have fewer problems and issues that create a need for customer service, and this is obviously ideal – not to need customer service in the first place but to trust that if you do need it, it will be provided in a quick profession and friendly manner.

SECURITY

This one’s an important one. You want to have total confidence that your money and financial details are safe, and that any winnings you make will be honoured and paid out, which will leave you free to enjoy the online gaming experience. Information on how to be sure the casino will honour your payout can be found under “Payouts” above. In regard to ascertaining the security measures taken by the online casino, and whether your money and financial details will be safe, there are a couple of measures you can take to get an idea of whether to trust the site with your money and details. For more details, check out frequently asked questions “Your  Money and Online pokies” and “What can I do if an online casino refuses to pay?”, but we will summarise the basic steps here as well:
First off, do some online research for yourself about the online casino asking you for your credit card details (and this information goes for just about any transaction online, not just gaming sites). Large, well known online casinos are likely to be very security conscious and to advertise this fact, as they are going to want people to feel secure and to come back. Likewise, small unknown casinos might just appear for a few days or a week, and then disappear again with everyone’s money. It will be pretty easy to find information on the larger, reputable casinos as they will be reviewed the larger casino review sites that you see around, ours being just one of them. If you can’t find anything on these sites or similar ones about the gaming site you’ve found and wish to play on, it’s probably a good idea to avoid it just to be certain. It hardly bears saying that if you find any bad reviews of the casino you’re checking out, definitely avoid it.

Another good tip to find if there’s been any dodgy activity is to do a search with the name of the company along with words like “fraud” or “scam” – this will turn up any articles that other people might have written to help people avoid the scams they were victimized , or forum posts regarding scams or cases being undertaken by Advocate groups trying to reclaim money on victims’ behalf.

Also, make sure that the company takes all the security measures necessary for safe online transactions. This will be easy to find as reputable and trustworthy sites want to reassure consumers and will make this information easy to find and verify. Just click on the “security” link, or similar. If the website doesn’t have this information accessible, this is a good warning sign not to spend your money there.

There are some other things to watch out for. Have a look at how much money the casino requires you to deposit as a minimum. Most reputable, well established and respected online casinos will permit very small deposits of amounts such as five dollars. Criminals and crooks however, are desperate for a quick buck and are often not too smart – untrustworthy and even criminal enterprise online casinos will often require much larger minimum deposits of around $100 or even more. Avoid these sites. But, as with all of this advice, don’t take it in isolation – just because an online casino requires only a small minimum deposit does not mean it is trustworthy – you need to do your research and follow all of the tips we provide here.

Have a look at the payment methods that the online casino offers you. Most online casinos will accept payments from major credit cards and from a variety of third party payment services. There are benefits to using credit cards, and benefits to using third party services – it’s really a matter of personal preference. Using a credit card such as Visa or Mastercard will ensure you have the weight of a large bank behind you if there is a problem, whereas third party payment services mean you do not need to provide nearly the same amount of your financial details as with a credit card. The choice is yours – but it’s important that the choice is there. Only play with online casinos that offer a range of payment options. The more options, and the more third party payment services that they are affiliated with, especially if they’re well known, the more likely it is that you’re looking at a reputable online casino.

Spin Palace

Spin Palace Casino is not a new kid on the block – it has been around for quite a while now, more than five years. It is owned and managed by The Palace Group, a well established and respected name in online gaming. We have had great experience with them so far, as well as having heard very positive reviews from other gaming sites like Online Pokies Australia. We’ve also had very positive reviews from gamers, and have played there ourselves on occasion. The Palace Group really focuses on creating a quality gaming experience, which is really noticeable, both in the playing and also in interactions with their service representatives. It’s clear that they really care about the players and go out of their way to help them out.

Their main focus is undeniably on online pokie machines (yet another reason we feature and recommend them on Online Pokies Australia) which is great news for all the pokies fans out there. However, if you prefer other types of online gaming, or if you prefer the pokies but wouldn’t mind trying your hand at some other games, Spin Palace won’t let you down. In addition to a wide array of pokie machines (heaps of every kind including three reel and great video slots with new features and big jackpots), Spin Palace offers other options.  Many different blackjack games are on offer, all very realistic, including the new “Gold Series”. You can play progressive roulette, and you can play up to fifty hands on over twenty five video poker and power poker games. Jacks or better are full pay!  Also available are a huge variety of poker games including “Red Dog” and “Let it Ride”. Win big money playing in nineteen progressive jackpots, including and don’t forget the brand new “Mega Moolah” jackpot (jackpot was over $1.7 million at the time of writing), the Major Millions jackpot and the King Cashalot jackpot.  Play in weekly tournaments with $9,000 up for grabs every time playing pokies, video poker and blackjack. All games feature expert mode in-game play that suggests and recommends optimal strategy, as well as featuring very realistic graphics. Auto play and analysis features on all video poker and pokies make games easier as well as more informative and are sure to keep you coming back for more.

Regular generous bonuses (100% up to $75 free for all games or 300% up to $150 free) as well as regular random bonuses, together with the special Spin Palace rewards scheme by which you can earn points for every single wager you make and redeem those points for extra credit all combine to ensure Spin Palace is not just fun, it’s also likely to be lucrative.

Payouts offered paid by Spin Palace are guaranteed to be fair and consistent with what you can expect from traditional “real world” casinos. Monthly payouts get published by Spin Palace Casino and are then reviewed by fully independent auditors. Every single transaction is recorded and logged into the Spin Palace system for your protection, and every game session is also recorded and audited regularly and completely. All payments, both from you to the casino and from the casino to your pocket are made by an e-commerce provider that processes them in a completely secure environment.

Worried about security? Spin Palace uses P128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Digital Encryption to protect the details of your electronic transactions over the Internet. This is the Internet security standard for online transactions as demanded by major financial institutions. And if you have any lingering discomfort about handing over your credit card or personal banking details online or via email, don’t worry – you are free exercise the option of calling the customer service agents and providing your banking details over the phone.

All the financial transactions are processed by Eproc Ltd, Mezzanine West, Hadfield House, Library Street, Gibraltar, UK, the financial subsidiary of Spin Palace Casino. You will be billed on your statements as www.thepalacegroup.com Spin Palace partners with fraud protection company DataCash to catch and determine fraudulent transactions and protect all users of Spin Palace. DataCash Group PLC is a top provider of International payment processing solutions. DataCash provides merchants with an online and offline interface to process secure payments.

If you find you need any help, rest assured because player support is available twenty four hours a day, offered in the form of an online feedback form and Live Chat with experts standing by. You are given the conveniences of quick and easy payment and withdrawal options, as well as a wide selection of games. You are provided with a truly excellent rewards programme with fantastic money back offers. You’re offered a $1000 free play bonus allowing you to pocket your wins with no outlay, and brand new games are launched at the end of every single month. And if you had any lingering doubts (we’re sure you didn’t!) then you can rest assured that Spin Palace Casino has been certified by eCOGRA – the eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance.

eCOGRA is a non-profit, London-based player protection and standards organisation that provides an international framework for best operational practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling. These requirements are enforced through onsite reviews and continuous monitoring. Since 2003, eCOGRA certification has become synonymous with the highest industry levels of fair and responsible gaming, professional conduct and superior operating standards.

So don’t worry about a thing, just sit back and enjoy – you are entering a Class A casino and are assured an exceptional experience.

Ruby Fortune

Ruby Fortune is the sister casino of Spin Palace and is also a proud member of The Palace Group, a group of online casinos and poker rooms. This brings all the advantages that Spin Palace offers – the focus on the creation of a quality gaming experience for all players. This also extends to their service department, which offers timely and helpful advice to gamers. As with all of our “Top Sites” we have had great experience with Ruby Fortune online casino. They truly care about the experience they create for their gamers and this is really noticeable in the entire experience.

Ruby Palace was launched in 2003 and has become a favourite since then, in fact, it became a favourite almost immediately. This is largely thanks to its enormous collection of casino games in the style of true Las Vegas casinos as well as great, reliable customer service available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and super-fast express payouts. Ruby Fortune is authorised by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta to provide remote gaming services (note code: LGA/CL1/376/2007). All monthly payout percentages are thoroughly audited by an independent accounting and auditing firm.

There are plenty of reasons to play with Ruby Fortune. In addition to the excellent customer service and high quality Microgaming games, there are other things to consider. Ruby Fortune is equally suited to players of online pokies and players of table games. It offers a great loyalty program which reward players with cash-back bonuses. The percentage payouts are consistently high and there are excellent ongoing promotions and bonuses. To prove just how well regarded Ruby Fortune is, it won the prestigious “Best New Casino” of 2003 award by Got2Bet. Have a look at what Got2Bet had to say about Ruby Fortune:
Tired of all those Golden, Diamond, Emerald, Platinum casinos? How about a Ruby?

Ruby Fortune launched in Fall 2003 with a great choice of 70 games, your choice of US Dollar, Euro or UK Pound currencies, and a great bonus offer for new players. And if we had an award for Loosest Casino, Ruby Fortune would probably win that award as well, with its independent auditor reviewed and confirmed 107% payout ratio for slots and 101% across all games in December 2003!

Worried about security? Ruby Fortune uses P128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Digital Encryption to protect the details of your electronic transactions over the Internet. This is the Internet security standard for online transactions as demanded by major financial institutions. And if you have any lingering discomfort about handing over your credit card or personal banking details online or via email, don’t worry – you are free exercise the option of calling the customer service agents and providing your banking details over the phone.

All the financial transactions are processed by Eproc Ltd, Mezzanine West, Hadfield House, Library Street, Gibraltar, UK, the financial subsidiary of Ruby Fortune Casino. You will be billed on your statements as www.thepalacegroup.com. Ruby Fortune partners with fraud protection company DataCash to catch and determine fraudulent transactions and protect all users of Ruby Fortune. DataCash Group PLC is a top provider of International payment processing solutions. DataCash provides merchants with an online and offline interface to process secure payments.

Ruby Fortune Online Casino offers over one hundred and forty games, including sixty pokie machine games. As well as the pokies, Ruby Fortune offers a dazzling array of Video Poker and table games such as Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and many other games. And don’t forget the card games – Red Dog, Poker Pursuit, Cyberstud Poker, Let it Ride Poker, 8 blackjack varieties, Low limit and high limit Baccarat – the choice is staggering There are nineteen progressive jackpots including Major Millions and King Cashalot, which both have jackpots that regularly exceed one million dollars!
Ruby Palace offers a sign up bonus of $750 – play with this amount to pocket outlay free winnings! It also offers a buy $25 credit, get $25 credit free policy when purchasing gaming credit.

Mummy’s Gold

Mummy’s Gold online casino was established in 2002 and became a part of The Palace Group in March of 2006, joining other well respected and regarded online casinos and gaming rooms, such as our two other featured“Top Sites”, Spin Palace and Ruby Fortune. Mummy’s Gold was immediately certified by many online gaming review sites, such as Online Gambling Insider. Mummy’s Gold, along with out other Top Sites, is one of the most prominent and professional sites in the online gaming industry.
Mummy’s Gold’s excellent reputation spread across the Internet like wildfire largely thanks to their extremely innovative promotions and the excellent quality of their customer service. Like the other members of The Palace Group, Mummy’s Gold casino is powered by the multi-award winning Microgaming software and is authorised by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta.

Worried about security? Mummy’s Gold uses P128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Digital Encryption to protect the details of your electronic transactions over the Internet. This is the Internet security standard for online transactions as demanded by major financial institutions. And if you have any lingering discomfort about handing over your credit card or personal banking details online or via email, don’t worry – you are free exercise the option of calling the customer service agents and providing your banking details over the phone.

All the financial transactions are processed by Eproc Ltd, Mezzanine West, Hadfield House, Library Street, Gibraltar, UK, the financial subsidiary of Mummy’s Gold Casino. You will be billed on your statements as www.thepalacegroup.com Mummy’s Gold partners with fraud protection company DataCash to catch and determine fraudulent transactions and protect all users of Mummy’s Gold. DataCash Group PLC is a top provider of International payment processing solutions. DataCash provides merchants with an online and offline interface to process secure payments.

There are numerous reasons to play with Mummy’s Gold online casino. It offers a very well rounded gaming experience. With over 150 games and betting limits suited to just about every player, you’re sure to find something you like at Mummy’s Gold. Its focus is on online pokies and video poker tournaments. It offers ten different varieties of blackjack (including multi player, Low limit and high limit Baccarat) and four varieties of roulette, as well as incredibly realistic craps and Sic Bo. Card games on offer include Red Dog, Poker Pursuit, Cyberstud Poker and Let it Ride Poker. However, pokies players are in for a real treat – Over seventy games including classic pokies with bif jackpots, multi-line pokies with more than twenty five lines, 17 bonus feature pokies and new pokie games released every single month! And as far as winnings go, progressive jackpots from Major Millions and King Cashalot give you the best chance of keeping a nice wad of cash.

The payout percentages are consistently high and there is a most excellent loyalty point system that pays better than nearly every other similar program we looked at. Combine this with superb customer service and speedy processing of cash and winnings, and Mummy’s Gold online casino is looking like a very good place to play the pokies online – or play any other game you want. And as if all this wasn’t enough, there are promotions and bonuses galore! You will receive a signup bonus of $500 – you can play for free for one hour and pocket any winnings! Plus, there are weekly promotions for online progressive jackpot pokies and video poker tournaments of $1500.

Highly dedicated to offering their customers an exciting online gaming experience as well as a fair one, Mummy’s Gold is a premiere online casino.

Okay so there you have it! Plenty of information on all of our recommended sites. We’ve done the research and we looked at a lot of online casino sites before settling on these three, so we’re confident that we’re recommending top quality sites that offer excellent all round gaming experience, including the playing experience as well as the all important customer service provided. We’ve thoroughly checked out the financial side of things as well, ensuring that all of our recommended sites are audited by reputable accounting firms, and are registered with the necessary authorities. In addition, we checked out what other gaming review sites said, and were very pleased to see that our recommended sites are highly rated by everyone who has a respected voice in the industry. So rest assured that we’ve check out everything, all that’s left for you to do is have fun and make some money!

See below for some information on these prominent brands in the Australian poker machine industry.

Aristocrat
Website: www.aristocrat.com.au

Aristocrat has largely its very good timing to thank for its success and prominence in the industry today. It was founded in 1953, just three short years before pokies were legalised in New South Wales. The Clubman was the first machine to come off production lines, and the Clubmaster followed a few years later. In 1984, the first f what can be termed “modern day pokie machine” was released by Aristocrat, changing the image of gambling in Australia and cementing Aristocrat’s position as the leader in the Australian industry.

International Game Technology (IGT)
Website: www.igt.com.au

International Game Technology has a long history as a private company and was operating as early as the 195os. However it didn’t become a significant player in the Australian gambling industry until it went public in 1981 and made a move into the slot machine business. They are the major player in the American slot machine industry, being the number one manufacturer of slot machines in the USA. They are making inroads into the Australian market and have a number of successful and popular games, the best known probably being Cleopatra.

Konami
Website: www.gaming.konami.com

Konami’s main market is the video and arcade game arena, and it is in this area that they are most well known and respected. Nevertheless, they do make pokie machines, and while you might not be aware of too many of them, they are all of very high quality and many gamers prefer them. They have been manufacturing pokie machines for the Australian industry since 1996. Some of their more well known and popular games are Incan Pyramid and Money in the Bank.

As stated above, although there are only three major manufacturers of pokie machines in Australia, there are other smaller companies that are worth checking out – keep and eye on these names in the future:

Aruze Gaming
Website: www.aruzegaming.com

Aruze Gaming is a Japanese company that was established in 1969. Aruze Gaming now manufacture pokies for the Australian, United States of American and South African markets.

Ainsworth Game Technology
Website: www.ainsworth.com.au

Len Ainsworth left Aristocrat in 1995 and founded Ainsworth Game Technology. Two of the more popular games of Ainsworth Game Technology are Aztec Fortune and Inca Reef. Watch this growing company, it shws a ot f promise.

WMS Gaming
Website: www.wms.com

Williams Gaming is one of the largest brands currently manufacturing games for the United States market and it is starting to release games to the Australian market. one favourite is King Midas, but keep your eyes peeled for more.

First and foremost, please think carefully about whether you are a problem gambler. There are a number of pages on our Frequently Asked Questions section about problem gambling – check these pages out for signs commonly displayed by problem gamblers, how to recognise if you are a problem gambler, and steps you can take to get help for your addiction. If you even suspect you might be a problem gambler, these suggestions are not for you – you should stop gambling immediately and seek profession help. Lives have been ruined, and it is not just your own that is on the line – families have been torn apart and it’s just not worth it.

Okay, that said, if you are certain that you don’t have a gambling problem, that you can and do go for long and regular periods without gambling and that you don’t feel you crave it when you don’t do it, and you don’t gamble irresponsibly, then you can consider carefully our advice on what to do with your winnings – keep playing or cut and run?

Ultimately it’s up to you, there’s not a single sure-fire way of knowing whether the next hit will see you win big or lose everything. Obviously, or it wouldn’t be called gambling, would it? There’s really no way of even getting an idea of what’s coming up in the next spin – every single spin is totally randomly generated. So it’s not knowing what’s next that will help you to decide.  And don’t fool yourself that you’ve ‘got a good feeling’ – many a good feeling has been followed by a loss of all winnings and capital. What you need is a plan that you stick to when you’re on a winning streak no matter what that will let you know whether to keep betting your winnings or to cash out. Now you can figure one out that works for you, but this is our suggestion:

1. As soon as your balance has increased sufficiently, withdraw the amount you initially bet and put it away. While it’s possible just to keep playing and not bet below your original capital amount, our experience is that this doesn’t work quite as well as withdrawing it immediately – it’s just a little more tempting when it is already in the machine!
2. We also recommend having two places to keep your money – one for money that can be bet and one for money that is off limits. This works well with two pockets, in a real life casino, and a similar system can be achieved by using the features of the various payment options in the site of your choice. For example, many payment options have a withdrawal limit over a set period. We highly recommend setting this up immediately.
3. Decide on a win/loss amount that you stick to during a winning streak. For example, imagine you originally bet $25 and that that amount has now increased to $250. Now, there’s no point in cashing out in anticipation of a loss, at least we don’t think so. However, if you know your will power to be lacking, we suggest that in fact you do exactly that. Losing can increase desperation and foolish belief in your ability to “win it back”. Provided you’re in control and will remain so regardless of wins or losses, we recommend the following. Don’t cash out in anticipation of a loss, but decide upon a maximum amount you’re willing to lose and cash out immediately when you reach that amount. So, if you originally bet $25 and have been lucky enough to increase that amount ten fold to $250, continue to bet unless you lose and your total amount falls to $200. This gives you some leeway, as you don’t necessarily want to be scared off by any small loss when bigger wins could be about to follow, but you certainly don’t want to lose all those winnings. And, if your balance continues to grow, then you can alter the amount at which you’ll cash out.

It’s pretty obvious stuff – just basic common sense really – but don’t be fooled. It is not the development of the plan that is the tricky part. It’s the sticking to it. We are all too aware that in the moment of winning or losing, it is all too easy to convince yourself to just make that one more bet, to win a little bit more, or to win back your losses. We are all too aware of that “lucky feeling” you get that tells you that the next spin is going to be the winner. And while sometimes it might be, the odds are stacked against you every time. And so, while the excitement and the success might be fun in the moment, overall you will have a much more enjoyable gaming experience all the time if you develop a plan like this and stick to it. Because the people that play recklessly might have more of those moments of jubilation and excitement, but you can bet they also have a lot more of the desperate moments too – and you don’t want that. Be very aware that a gambling problem can creep up on you, no one is immune, and taking steps to ensure that you gamble responsibly will make your gaming, and your life, much more enjoyable and much less stressful.

“I usually just drink beer. I don’t really play the pokies online, just when I’m down at the pub with my mates having a few drinks and a laugh. And one time I decided to have a few bourbon and cokes and play some pokies. Well, I got really drunk and woke up the next morning with no money – and a fair whack had been taken out of my account too. I’m not usually one for rules, but that was a really nasty shock and I decided to stick to the beer if I’m playing the pokies and if I feel like something stronger, I leave the pokies room and just hang out with my mates and drink there.” – Glen, 36

“Well my preferred drink is either champagne or vodka and cranberry, and so I normally drink one of those, whether I’m playing the pokies or not. I only play them occasionally anyway, normally one of the girlfriends I’m at the bar with will play together a little bit, just for fun, we usually don’t win much but we never lose that much either and we have a laugh. We’re usually only in the gaming room for twenty minutes or so before we go and rejoin everyone else.” – Amanda, 24

“Every now and again I like to sit down at night in front of my computer with a glass of red wine, or sometimes a Baileys and ice, and play the online pokies for half an hour or so. Sometimes I play poker online which I do like a lot, but I don’t usually have the time. Even just playing the pokies for half an hour is such a fun and easy way to unwind after a long day – and make some money sometimes, which is always nice! “ – Susan, 43

“I play the pokies online pretty regularly, about 4 times a week and I like a gin and tonic. I used to go to the casino or to the local pub and play the pokies there but I’m getting old and it was sometimes a bit of a hassle to venture out into the weather and go down to the pub. My grandson showed me all these online pokies you can play and I love them! I still go down to the pub sometimes, or even to the casino once in a while, but I find I win more when I play online and I get to relax at home and don’t have to buy expensive drinks. So I just mix my own gin and tonic and sit down at the computer. My grandson’s quite impressed with me, he says I’ve caught on very quickly!” – June, 72

More detailed information in the below article sources from News online:

CAIRNS would become Australia’s answer to Las Vegas under a controversial scheme to transform it into the national centre for poker machines.

The proposal is to be aired tomorrow in Brisbane at one of the tourism industry’s key annual conventions, Tourism Futures, to be attended by international tourism heavyweights and politicians, including Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

It is being put forward by breakaway Liberal National Party MP Aidan McLindon, who has spent years rallying against the spread of poker machines.

But Mr McLindon, who quit the party in May to form the Queensland Party, is now pushing for debate on a scheme that would create a Vegas-style gambling strip in Cairns by relocating poker machines from existing pubs and clubs across Queensland to a new “Aus Vegas” to be built in the region.

The Beaudesert MP first outlined his vision for a Vegas-style pokies hub to reduce gambling in April last year in his maiden speech to State Parliament.

It would copy the US model, where Nevada is the only state to have no significant restrictions against gaming machines.

Under the “Aus Vegas” proposal, clubs would have to sell their poker machine licences back to the Government or relocate their pokies to Cairns and become shareholders in the new enterprise. The state’s four major casinos would be exempt.

The plan would be supported by a shake-up of the current distribution of gambling funds collected by the State Government, with poker machine revenue instead being poured into recreational sports through a scheme that would hand sports clubs a cash grant for each child they put on the sports field.

“The location is ideal given the Cairns region is suffering some of the highest unemployment levels and the tourism industry is plummeting,” Mr McLindon said.

“It already has the international airport there, which is under-utilised. Ideally, you want them (gaming machines) all in one place so people can go away, have a holiday, blow their money and come home.”

But welfare groups fear the plan could turn Cairns into a “Sin City”, making residents the sacrificial lambs of the nation’s gambling problems.

Gaming Minister Tony Robinson said $981 million had been raised during the bidding process for Victoria’s 27,500 poker machines.

The much needed fund raised from this sale will now to funnelled into areas such as the health care system and bushfire initiatives.

The pokie licence was for a ten year contract and was set to be auctioned off, the bidding ended/closed yesterday at midday.

Mr Robinson said the new venue owner model would usher in an era of more responsible gaming with stricter controls and no “super profits” for operators.

The below article sourced from news.com.au makes light of a number of Australian poker machines operators and some of the strategies they are implementing in an effort to reduce their extremely high running costs.

AUSTRALIA’S biggest pokies operator faces an investigation over claims it has avoided more than $15 million in tax through controversial and secretive arrangements with sports organisations, including several AFL clubs.

In one deal, pokies firm Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) has claimed a lower club tax rate for a gaming venue linked to the North Melbourne Giants – a former NBL basketball club that ceased to exist 11 years ago.

ALH has received a $167,839 tax discount and has claimed $103,912 in community benefit because the gaming area at its Richmond Tavern venue is listed as being operated by the defunct basketball club.

Almost $96,000 of the community benefit were operating and auditing costs.

The North Melbourne Giants Ltd is registered to the same address as ALH and lists the company as its contact in files sent to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission .

After learning that the Richmond Tavern holds a club licence, the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation says it will investigate claims that ALH is exploiting its venues’ club status.

AHL chief executive Ross Blair-Holt said the company complied with all legislation.

A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has found ALH, which is a joint venture between Woolworths and pokies kingpin Bruce Mathieson, has struck deals to operate more than 660 pokies in up to 10 venues registered as clubs.

The deals include arrangements with the Collingwood, Richmond, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn football clubs.

The deals allow ALH raise its share of pokies beyond the cap of about 35 per cent of machines each operator is allowed.

Under Victorian gaming law, commercial operators of pokies pubs pay a 33.3 per cent tax on gambling revenue.

Clubs get an 8.3 per cent discount on the pokies tax and pay only 25 per cent to the State Government if they can demonstrate a “community benefit”.

Under the deals, ALH owns most of the venues and leases the pokies area to clubs. It then charges the clubs rent and a management fee to operate the machines.