Video pokies are some of the most thrilling and fast-paced games currently available at real money online casinos. There are thousands of these hugely popular games available, so I get it if picking the best ones seems daunting. 

On the following page, I will introduce New Zealand casino players to the best online pokies and the top pokie sites to play them. Moreover, I, as an industry expert, am on hand to provide the top tips and information to help you make the most of playing the best online video poker in NZ.

Guide to Online Video Pokies in New Zealand

There are thousands of online video pokies available at NZ online casinos on desktop and online casino apps. My comprehensive guide will help you understand what video pokies are, how they work and how to find the best ones.

What Are Video Pokies?

In simplest terms, video pokies are pokie machines that feature a video screen instead of mechanical reels. This differentiation was born in land-based casinos, where video pokie machines first rose to prominence in the 1980s. In this setting, video pokies provided the clear advantage of faster gameplay over traditional slot machines with reels. 

When you play online pokies for real money, you are technically always playing a video pokie because all games are digital without mechanical parts.

Even so, people often use the term “video pokies” to classify regular online pokies, while other categories get their own names, such as jackpot pokies or classic pokies.

Best Video Pokies at Online Casinos

If you’re looking for the best New Zealander pokies online, this is the page for you. My recommended online casinos provide access to the best online pokie games of all time. 

There are thousands of pokies available, so choosing a list of the absolute best is entirely subjective. Even so, the following popular games will give you an amazing time playing video slots online.

Here are my top 10 video pokie picks for 2024:

How Do Video Pokies Work?

Video pokies boast many of the same gameplay elements as other online pokie games. Players place a bet and spin reels featuring symbols of varying values. Wins come from landing winning combinations of those symbols or by triggering bonus rounds. Understanding the following core elements of the best video pokie online games will enhance your experience further:

• RNG: Online pokie sites use random number generator (RNG) technology to decide the outcome of spins. This means all spins are decided by random chance, with no influence from the provider, the casino or the player.
• Amount of Reels/Paylines: Video pokies come in various configurations, which include the number of reels, rows, and paylines available. Standard configurations include five reels, three to five rows, and between 10 and 25 paylines.
• Symbols: On each reel, you will find various symbols that each have a value from a low value (card symbols) to a high value (scatters, wilds, bonus, jackpot). Wins happen in a video pokie game when pre-determined combinations of these symbols land on the reels.
• House Edge: This is the weighting on pokie games that determines how much profit the casino makes off players on average. If a game has a house edge of 3%, the casino will take 3% in profits over time.
• RTP: Return to Player (RTP) is one of the determining factors of the house edge. It is a number that highlights how much video slots online pay back to players on average. In theory, games with a higher RTP will pay out more to players than a game with a low RTP.

Popular Video Pokie Bonuses

At New Zealand video pokies casinos, you might be looking for the best casino bonus to get you started. These are some of the video pokies bonuses you can expect to find:

• Welcome bonus: when you sign up at a video pokies casino, you can usually claim a sign-up bonus, which might consist of free spins on a video pokie. This kind of bonus is often known as a deposit bonus. In the bonus terms and conditions, it will highlight which pokies you can play to fulfil any bonus wagering requirements. Deposit bonus slots often include big-name games like the Book of Dead slot.
• No Deposit bonus: this is a rare bonus type that doesn't require you to make an initial real money deposit. Check the terms, though, because you might be expected to bet through the no deposit bonus amount several times before you can withdraw any actual bonus cash.
• Cashback bonus: some video pokie casinos reward players for playing – if you lose cash betting during the week, the casino might give you a percentage of those losses back, either as cash or as casino funds you can use to bet with. Alternatively, you can get cashback simply based on how much you bet, such as 10% on everything you bet during the week or month. In this case, you might need to bet a minimum amount to get any reward.

Choosing the Best Video Pokies Online

While all games are decided by random chance (except for live table games), having a fundamental knowledge of video pokies may help you keep your bankroll longer. Below you can read my overview detailing the basics of the best online pokies in NZ:

• Paytable: All pokies have a graphic information section known as a paytable where you can see details of the game, winning symbol combinations, bet limits, available features, and the jackpot.
• Coins/Bets (budget): All NZ online casino games have a specific bet limit showing the minimum and maximum you can bet on each payline per spin.
• Type Of Pokies: As well as the best online video pokies, you can also choose to play jackpot pokies, progressive jackpot pokies, and classic pokies at the online casinos I recommend.
• Jackpots: Jackpot pokie amounts vary greatly. Some video pokies will have a large jackpot, while others will have a more modest top prize. Video pokies are fixed jackpot games, meaning the top prize never changes.

Bonus Rounds: Video pokies are differentiated from classic pokies with bonus rounds and features. Check the paytable to see which bonus feature your selected game has and how you can trigger the bonuses.

Video Pokies vs Classic Pokie Machines

In the land-based casino pokie industry, differentiating between video slots online and a classic pokie machine is easy. Video pokies use a digital screen, while a classic pokie machine is a mechanical device. However, in the online industry, all NZ online casino games are digital/virtual, so the differentiation is less obvious. 

Technically, all NZ online pokies are video pokies. However, players and casinos still categorize video slots online and classic pokies differently. 

Classic NZ pokies typically have basic, traditional gameplay and a much simpler structure. For example, fewer reels, fewer paylines, and mostly no bonus features like free spin, scatters and wilds. They are often based on familiar fruit machines.

That makes them an ideal choice for beginners to online pokies or players who like fast-paced, simple gameplay. 

However, classic pokies do lack the dynamic elements that make video pokies so popular. One area where there is a clear difference between the two is in terms of design, audio, and theme. 

Online video pokies have rich themes with impressive graphics and immersive soundtracks. On the other hand, classic NZ pokies do not have immersive designs, animations, or audio. 

How to Find the Best Online Video Pokies

I select only the most reputable and respected and the best new online casinos to recommend to my readers. Still, thousands of video pokies are available, so choosing the best online pokie for you can be a little more challenging. With the tips below, you will be able to apply some knowledge to help you pick the best video slots online. 

• Searching for online casinos: game collections change from casino to casino, so comparing multiple sites is the best way to find the games you enjoy. And by selecting one of my recommended sites, you're guaranteed a trustworthy and top-quality brand.
• Try the pokie in demo mode: when you choose an online pokie, give it some spins in demo mode. Casinos provide free access to games. While you cannot win real money, demos to play free pokies online are great for getting to know a new game and practising.
• Reading video pokies reviews: Found a game and like how it looks? Reading reviews will help you understand if your first impressions are good or whether the pokie may not be as incredible as you first thought.

New Video Pokies 2024

Video pokies are the most popular category at real money online casinos, so providers are constantly rolling out new games. Below are some of the best real money pokies I picked recently that made their debut recently:

Benefits of Playing Video Pokies Online

NZ online gambling fans love video pokies because of their variety, quality, and gameplay. Yet, numerous other advantages and benefits come with playing video pokies over different types of pokie games, including:

• Ease of playing: video pokie games are easy to play and understand. Even when they have complex features, you simply bet and spin the reels.
• Mobile pokies: you can also play New Zealand mobile pokies on your device wherever you are.
• The array of games: no other New Zealand online casino game category has as much variety as video pokies. There are thousands of games with varying themes, genres, feature sets, and budgets.
• Exciting pokie tournaments: online casinos frequently run pokie tournaments that allow customers to play video pokies to potentially win a separate prize.
• Game availability: while classic pokies and progressive pokies are not always widely available at online casinos, you are guaranteed to always have a large selection of video pokies at any casino you visit.
• Rewards and incentives: NZ casino operators understand the popularity of video slots online and often centre casino bonuses and promotions around them. Video pokies are usually the only video slots online that give a 100% contribution towards a bonus wagering requirement.
• Flexibility in stakes: unlike progressive pokies that require large stakes for potentially huge rewards, video pokies are more welcoming. Players of all budgets can play, enjoy, and possibly win a video pokie.
• Higher payouts: while the payout rate (RTP) of video pokies varies greatly, this is the only pokie category that will offer payout rates much higher than average.
• Access to payment methods: playing video pokies, you'll be able to use all the best casino payment methods.
• Count to wagering requirements: video pokies usually count 100% to casino bonus wagering requirements, unlike live dealer games like blackjack and roulette.
• Desktop and mobile excellence: whether you're playing at home on your desktop or on your phone at a mobile casino online, the quality of the game presentation will almost always be the same.

Disadvantages of Video Pokies Online

• Not found at poker sites: video pokies are easy to find online, but they aren't found at the best online poker sites.
• Lower RTP than live dealer games: video pokies almost always have a lower RTP than games like blackjack, so you will probably find wins harder to come by. But one good thing is, you can often find video pokies at a blackjack casino in NZ.
• Lots of average games to navigate: although there are some excellent video pokies online, you might have to play through a few uninspiring ones to find the ones you like.