Play Free Online Pokies for Australian Players

Madison Bundey Updated on: April 05, 2024

When you play pokies at a land casino, you need to use real money. Online casinos are different in that they give you the option to play free pokies. We’ve rounded up some of the best and most popular free online pokies for you to play.

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How to Use Our Free Pokies Page

Using our free pokies page could not be simpler. Using the Play Free Pokies menu above, you can choose amongst the criteria you want your pokie to contain. Do you want it to be a five-reel slot from NetEnt? Are you interested in a fantasy-themed pokie with medium volatility? Automatically, our free pokie selector will search through all of our available games and present you with the ones that match your selections.

We’re adding new free pokies all the time, so please check back if there’s nothing yet available for your criteria.

Top Australian Free Online Pokies Sites

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Why Should You Play Free Pokies?

The idea of playing at a casino is based on wagering money in order to win more money. With free slots, there is no wager, and so you can’t win any money when you play them. This might seem like a big obstacle, or otherwise pointless, but there are many reasons to play pokies for free.

Learn How to Play Pokies

When punters start playing a new pokie, it might take some time to understand what symbols or certain combinations mean, and these initial few practice spins do have a cost. While pokies are random, and there’s nothing you can do to increase your chances of winning, it’s better to understand why an outcome happened. When you play online pokies for free, you can really take your time getting to learn a game and its key features instead of rushing through every spin.

Explore Different Available Slots

There are heaps of real money online pokies available at the average casino, and you can’t possibly know which games are good or not until you’ve given them a fair go. You might not end up spending a lot of money on a few spins of a couple of pokies, but you are still paying for them. With free pokies, you can try as many different slot games as you want, and play them as much as you want. You have the chance to see each pokie in action before you commit to paying to play it, and if you find you’re not interested in a particular title, you can just move on.

Have Some Fun For No Cost!

Many punters might play casino games solely to win money, but the larger point of them is that they’re games, and so they’re meant to be fun. With free slots, you can play as much or as little as you want, with no monetary consequences. While a few big wins or a hot streak might make you think about switching to real money play, no one got upset by not spending money.

How to Play Free Pokies

Playing free pokies games online could not be easier. When you play at a new online casino site, you’ll usually be able to choose whether to play for free or real money when you mouse over a particular game. If you’re not logged in, or don’t even have an account with that particular casino, you should still be able to play and enjoy a pokie.

Free pokies work in much the same way as their real money counterparts. When you load up a pokie, you’ll see an image of the reels with some buttons. These buttons can do things like change the amount of paylines in play, change the size of your bet, and open up the pokie’s information section to give you a rundown of any available bonuses and the game’s pay table.

The rules of playing pokies are straightforward: if you can match a certain group of symbols, usually three or more of them, it counts as a win. The majority of games also have special symbols, which have an effect on this structure.

The most common special symbol is the Wild symbol. This symbol can substitute for any other symbol across the reels, with the exception of Scatter and other bonus symbols, and aids the player in competing paylines that they otherwise would not be able to finish. This is an incredibly helpful symbol to take advantage of, which is why bonus features for many pokies relate to adding more of them to the reels.

The second special symbol, as mentioned, is the Scatter symbol. These symbols are normally tied to activating a pokie’s bonus feature, with a certain number needing to appear on the reels to trigger it. Scatter symbols also work differently than other symbols when you make a payline out of them; as opposed to being worth a certain amount, they multiply the amount of the bet you made on that spin. You only need to spin two Scatter symbols to make a payline, but the more that are part of a payline, the higher the win multiplier.

It can be exciting to see big numbers pop up on screen, but remember that since you’re playing for free, you’re not eligible to win anything.

slot machines

Types of Free Pokies

There are two major kinds of pokies that you’ll be able to play for free. While there is a third kind of pokie – the progressive jackpot pokie – they can only be played with real money.

Three-reel slots are simple, straightforward games that traditionally use classic casino symbols. While they might seem a bit retro, they are slots in their most base form, without all of the complexity or extra features of most modern slots. If you’re new to slots or just want to try something different, you can’t go wrong with three-reel pokies.

The other major type of pokie is the five-reel slot, which constitutes the majority of what you’ll find at an online casino. These are the slots of today that we all know and love, with colourful themes, exciting bonuses, and compelling design. If you’re looking for a lot of variety in your slots experience, even within the same game, five-reel pokies are for you.

Pokies Bonuses

While not strictly related to free pokies, there are a number of casino bonuses you can claim that, in effect, allow you to play pokies for free, yet still reap the rewards of real money play.

Any type of match bonus or cash bonus that a casino offers can be claimed and put towards pokies. With a match bonus, the casino will match a percentage of the deposit you make when you claim the bonus. For example, if the casino’s match bonus was 50%, and you deposited $20, the casino would add an extra $10 to your account, for a total of $30.

Another common pokies bonus available at casinos are for free spins. These are not the same as winning free spins in a pokie itself, but essentially allow you to play a slot – up to a certain bet amount – without needing to pay to do so.

Average payout percentage - money

Free Mobile Pokies

What if you could play free pokies anywhere, at any time? With free mobile pokies, you can! Not only can you enjoy some of the best games around without wagering anything, there are multiple ways to do so, and all on the device of your choice.

No matter if you use an iPhone, iPad, Android, or tablet, here are just a few of the ways that free mobile pokies are available.

Play at Australia Online Pokies

Since you’re already here, why not check out which free online pokies we have available? We feature over two dozen games from some of the best developers around, and attached to every game is our comprehensive review of the experience. We’re also adding more all the time, so check back regularly to see what’s new!

Play at an Online Casino

Many online casinos now allow prospective punters to play all of the pokies on their sites for free on mobile. There may still be certain games you can’t try out – progressive jackpot games, for example, need real money to function, so playing them for free doesn’t make a lot of sense – or you might be asked to log into your casino account, but most casinos don’t put up any barriers between players and being able to play games.

The biggest negative of playing free slots at an online casino is that there can be thousands of games to comb through, and it can be hard to know which ones you might enjoy. If you have previous experience with a software provider and are interested in their games, most casinos allow you to sort by developer. Otherwise, players are going to spend a lot of time playing to find what appeals to them, but at least they’ll have fun doing it.

Download a Free Pokies App

There are primarily two different kinds of pokies apps: casino apps, which serve as extensions of online casinos, and game apps.

Casino apps allow players to do anything they’d do if they were sitting at their computer and at that online casino: play for free or real money, make deposits, and claim bonuses. There aren’t many of these kinds of apps, as many casinos remain browser-based, but they do exist.

Game apps are collections of games you can download from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. These may not always strictly be official, and as with all free pokies you can’t win any money, but the advantage is that you also don’t need an internet connection to enjoy playing slots. If you’re going on a weekend camping trip, load one of these onto your phone or tablet and you’ll have access to dozens of pokies whenever you want.

How to Play Free Pokies Games on Mobile

If you know how to play free pokies games on your computer, you’ll have an even easier time playing them on your mobile or tablet. Generally, you should be able to follow the same steps, but this isn’t always the case. Some online gambling sites will ask you to log in before giving you the option to play for free, and still others won’t allow you to play for free at all. If you’re asked to log in, a good way to tell whether you’re playing for free or not is to look at your balance in the pokie before you spin.

Playing pokies on mobile also comes with another caveat, though we hope it’s one that becomes less of a factor as time goes on. Some older pokies may have been coded in Adobe Flash as opposed to HTML5, which means that they are not able to run on mobile devices. Support for Flash was discontinued at the end of 2020, so if there’s a particular free pokie you’d like to play, but can’t, it might just be a matter of time until you can.

Pokies apps and mobile casinos

Free Pokies vs. Real Money Pokies

While they are mechanically the same, as they use the same games, there are a few key differences between free pokies (playing for free) and real money pokies (paying to play).

The biggest difference is that free pokies are a closed system – since you don’t have to use money to play them, no money goes into the machine. The tradeoff with this is that similarly, no money comes out of the machine, so there are no winnings. It’s all for fun, so even if you hit the biggest jackpot, all you’d come away with is a good story.

Since they are self-contained, they’re also not as reliant on an internet connection as real money pokies. There’s no money involved, so the casino you play at doesn’t need to check your account balance against how much you’ve spent or won on the game.

On the other hand, real money pokies are what you think of when you think of conventional or real-world slots: put in your bet, spin the reels, and if you complete a payline, you win however much it’s worth. This is an open system, since it both takes payment from and dispenses winnings to punters. The only way to play real money pokies at an online gambling site is by adding money to your account through one of the different payment methods at online casinos, and using that balance to play. Once that balance has been used up, you won’t be able to play for real money again until you add more to your account.

Top Australian Casinos

We’ve selected the top casinos for specific criteria. Take a look!

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Software Providers

There are dozens of companies all over the world creating online pokies for your favourite casinos. Many of these providers also offer free slots on their websites, giving players the chance to experience their entire catalogue.

Here on Australia Online Pokies, we host games from many developers for free play. Here’s just a bit of information on the companies that are blazing a trail in online pokies today.

Aristocrat

Aristocrat is one of the most well-known pokies makers, located right here in Australia. They’ve been around since the 1950s and have a rich history of innovation, having created the world’s first five-reel pokie machine. While they still mainly focus on land-based casinos, such as with their Lightning Link series, Aristocrat has turned some of its most popular games into online pokies. Classic titles like Where’s the Gold and Buffalo might not be the flashiest when compared to other slot games, but they are incredibly fun games, with their popularity having endured over decades.

Microgaming

Microgaming is, without a doubt, one of the biggest makers of online pokies today. With almost 30 years in the industry, Microgaming has been responsible for some of the most popular games ever made. Their flagship progressive jackpot pokie, Mega Moolah, is a multi-time Guiness World Record holder for highest slot payout, and that’s just one of the over 1500 games they’ve developed over their history. With innovative gameplay mechanics and licenses with some of modern media’s biggest franchises, Microgaming is arguably at the top of the heap of pokies creators.

NetEnt

Previously part of one of Sweden’s biggest casino games companies, few have perfected the art of making slots like NetEnt has. One of NetEnt’s biggest strengths is their attention to detail, with a game’s theme, gameplay, mechanics and soundtrack all combining to create a truly memorable experience. Slots like Dead or Alive or Starburst are terrific examples of this type of immersion, where subtle touches go a long way. Recently, NetEnt was purchased by Evolution Gaming, a leading live dealer game developer, and we can’t wait to see what these two titans will be able to do together.

Quickspin

Quickspin got into the online pokies business in order to make the games that they wanted to play, and this approach has paid off very well. A small team with a reputation as craftspeople, the quality of Quickspin’s games has been consistently high, even as they tackle new themes and mechanics. Quickspin are only a decade old, having been founded in 2011, but their pokies are created with the dedication and confidence of companies with twice that experience or more. Their acquisition by Playtech in 2016 only confirmed what we already knew: when you play a Quickspin game, you’re playing something very special.

Free Pokies FAQ

How do free pokies work?

What is the most popular free pokies game?

Are free slots legal?

Can I win real money with free slots?

How can I find free slots games?

What’s the difference between free pokies and free spins?

Which free online pokies games should I try?

Where can I play free pokies?

How do free pokies work?

Free pokies work mostly the same way as regular pokies work: press the game's spin button to spin the reels, with the goal of landing on winning paylines. The biggest difference is that free pokies games provide you an unlimited balance to play with, where real money slots use the funds in your casino account.

What is the most popular free pokies game?

The most popular free pokies game at the moment is Wolf Treasure, and it's not hard to see why. Wonderful gameplay, great design, and fantastic music all make it a pokie worth experiencing.

Are free slots legal?

Much as the real money versions of pokies are legal, free slots are legal. They're simply versions of regulated games where no money changes hands between the pokie and the player.

Can I win real money with free slots?

No, you cannot win real money by playing pokies in free mode. With a normal slot machine, you need to pay money in order to play, so since you're contributing to the machine's earnings, you have a chance to win some of them. Since the machine doesn't earn anything with free play, players are not eligible to win real money.

How can I find free slots games?

You can find free slots games by browsing our selection above - just make sure that "Free Play" is selected instead of "All Games" in the rightmost box on the second row. If you're on the lookout for more, you can typically play free pokies on the websites of the developers who created them. Microgaming, NetEnt, and Quickspin all have several games available for you to experience on their websites.

What's the difference between free pokies and free spins?

The difference between free pokies and free spins is an important distinction. Free online pokies are slots that you can play as much as you want, for as long as you want. If the machine tells you you've run out of money, it's as simple as pushing a button or refreshing the page to top your balance back up. Since you are playing for free, you also can't win any money. Free spins, on the other hand, are typically used as a casino bonus, and are limited in amount. If you claim a bonus for 50 free spins on Cleopatra, the spins may not cost you anything, but everything else still abides by real money rules. Any winnings earned during free spins are yours, but when you run out, you're back to paying for every spin, like you would with normal real money play.

Which free online pokies games should I try?

If you'd like to start playing free pokies but don't know where to begin, check out the following games: Wolf Treasure is an incredibly popular slot, featuring gorgeous artwork, a great soundtrack, and unique bonus rounds. Immortal Romance continues to impress almost ten years after its release. A supernatural gothic romance, it serves as a great introduction to Microgaming's 1024 Ways to Win mechanic, which doesn't use conventional paylines. Goldilocks and the Wild Bears is a very charming and cute take on the old fairy tale, with a handful of very unique and fun features.

Where can I play free pokies?

You can play pokies for free right here at Aussie Online Pokies, at the vast majority of online casino sites, and on the webpages of software developers. While no site will have a completely comprehensive selection of pokies, there's always more than enough to have a bit of fun with.