Play Free Online Pokies – For New Zealand Players

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Discover and play the most popular slots for free at KiwiBets. Enjoy top titles from leading casino software providers like Microgaming, NetEnt, and Playtech. Explore exciting games such as Starburst, Mega Moolah, and Gonzo’s Quest without spending a penny. Our selection lets you experience the thrill of slots, perfect your strategies, and have fun without any risk. Start playing today and find your favourite slots!

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sweet-bonanza-slot
Sweet Bonanza
  • RTP:
    96.50%
  • Volatility:
    Medium
  • Reels:
    6
  • Paylines:
    10
Book of Dead
  • RTP:
    96.21%
  • Volatility:
    High
  • Reels:
    5
  • Paylines:
    10
Gates of Olympus
Gates of Olympus
  • RTP:
    96.50%
  • Volatility:
    High
  • Reels:
    6
  • Paylines:
    20
The Dog House By Pragmatic Play
The Dog House
  • RTP:
    96.51%
  • Volatility:
    High
  • Reels:
    5
  • Paylines:
    20
Mustang Gold By Pragmatic Play
Mustang Gold
  • RTP:
    96.53%
  • Volatility:
    High
  • Reels:
    5
  • Paylines:
    25
Wolf Gold
Wolf Gold
  • RTP:
    96.01%
  • Volatility:
    Medium
  • Reels:
    5
  • Paylines:
    25
Great Rhino Megaways By Pragmatic Play
Great Rhino Megaways
  • RTP:
    96.58%
  • Volatility:
    High
  • Reels:
    6
  • Paylines:
    200704
Wild West Gold
Wild West Gold
  • RTP:
    96.51%
  • Volatility:
    High
  • Reels:
    5
  • Paylines:
    40
Jungle Gorilla Slot By Pragmatic Play
Jungle Gorilla
  • RTP:
    96.57%
  • Volatility:
    Medium
  • Reels:
    5
  • Paylines:
    20
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A slot machine or “pokie” is a game of chance comprising three or more spinning reels that hold (3+) rows of symbols in a grid (playing area). Players wager on each spin, hoping that identical symbols hit the playing area in a pattern that awards a payout or unlocks an exciting and potentially lucrative bonus game. Slots can vary by provider, theme, type, features, risk & reward or other ways, resulting in thousands of combinations.

How to Play Free Slots

Discover many of the most popular slots available at the best online casinos in New Zealand simply by visiting our slots page. If you have a slot machine in mind, input the title in our handy keyword search to take you straight to it. 

Our long list of eye-catching slot cover images conveniently links to the games in demo and real money modes. Below each cover image sits key slot info, including the number of reels & paylines and how risky they are (RTP and volatility). Click our “Sort by” pulldown menu button and display the titles in your desired order:

  • Alphabetically (ascending/descending) 
  • Release Date (new to old/old to new)

Clicking on any of the three additional pulldown menu filter options allows you to refine a title search by features (“Filter by”), “Providers”, and “Themes.”

Getting Started

Pokies are amongst the simplest casino games to learn and play since the basic player actions and game mechanics are often similar. We’ll talk you through the steps next:

  1. First, we recommend viewing the paytable description of the payouts, game rules and button functions.
  2. Determine the total bet size by clicking the “+” or “-” buttons to increase or decrease it to the desired level from preset options. Some slots allow players to change the coin value and coin bet per payline. Variable payline slots even let you adjust the active paylines. To determine the bet size, multiply the coin value x coin bet per payline x active paylines.
  3. Press the “spin” button to begin, sometimes illustrated as a large round button with two inside arrows that form half circles in a clockwise direction. Autoplay is an optional feature that instructs the slot to spin a predetermined number of times. It can be set to end early in several user-defined ways. This can be when triggering free spins, increasing/decreasing your player balance or a win exceeding your desired threshold.
  4. Each round (spin) produces new symbols independently with an RNG (random number generator) that guarantees fair play. The aim is to land identical symbols in a winning pattern (payline). Other exciting ways to win may include bonus rounds, a gamble feature, scatter wins or free spins.

Types of Free Slots

Free slots can be sorted into one or more category types based on similarities, like audio-visuals, a bonus feature (mechanic) or payout structure. We’ll briefly introduce you to some of the most popular available on your desktop and mobile casino.

3D Slots

3D slots create a more immersive gaming experience to produce engaging artwork, animation, and interactive gameplay. Some, like The Tipsy Tourist (Betsoft), often tell a story.

Branded Slots

Branded slots model their theme on widely recognised pop culture trends, icons and entertainment. They can include a band, musician, television & film or celebrities. One example is Ted Megaways (Blueprint), based on the successful 2012 comedy film.

Cascading Slots

Cascading reel slots (aka tumbling reels or avalanche slots) trigger/retrigger after a winning spin, only removing the paying symbols. Symbols above the empty spaces cascade/tumble/avalanche to fill in, creating a chance of new winning combinations at no cost. Gonzo’s Quest (NetEnt) is a colourful example.

Classic Slots

Classic slots, like Double Diamond (IGT), are often fruit-themed slot machines with 1-3 paylines and 1-3 reels. Familiar symbols frequently associated with classic slots include a liberty bell, star, seven, lemon, cherries, orange, plum and watermelon.

Cluster Pays Slots

Cluster pays slots replace conventional paylines with a payout structure where identical symbols, often 5+, touching horizontally or vertically create a win. Jammin’ Jars (Push Gaming) is an iconic cluster pays slot.

Fixed Jackpot Slots

Fixed jackpot slots have a stated maximum payout. It’s generally expressed as a multiplier, like 20,000x bet or in coins, like 250,000 coins. Book of Dead (Play’n GO) is a famous slot with a fixed jackpot.

Pay Both Ways Slots

Unlike conventional payline slots, which pay in only one direction (left to right), pay both ways slots also pay from right to left. One of the most popular is Starburst (NetEnt).

Penny Slots

Penny slots, like Buffalo (Aristocrat), let players gamble with as little as 1 cent per spin, or more commonly, for 1 cent per active payline.

Progressive Jackpot Slots

Slots that collect a tiny percentage of each player’s wager into a prize pool(s) are called progressive jackpot slots. The most popular, like the progressive slots Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune, regularly reach millions of dollars and are known to create instant millionaires.

Megaways Slots

Megaways slots, like Bonanza (BTG), are a player-favourite that randomly determines the number of symbols (typically 2-7) on each of the 6+ reels. The number of ways to win can grow to enormous sizes, like 117,649.

Video Slots

Video slots replaced the original mechanical reels with software delivering sharp images, stereo sounds, animation, bonus rounds and more. This broad category includes iconic titles like Rainbow Riches (Barcrest).

Virtual Reality Slots

Virtual reality slots generate a 3D world of interactive engagement with virtual reality (VR) hardware and optimised software. VR slots like Sugar Rush VR (Pragmatic Play) are a growing niche.

Features of Free Slots

Innovation continues to drive the creation of engaging slots using popular features, including special symbols. Below is a partial list of the better-known examples:

  • Bonus Rounds (prize wheels, pick-and-click, mini-games, etc.)
  • Buy feature
  • Expanding symbols (GigaBlox, MegaBlox, mega symbols, etc.)
  • Free spins
  • Hold & Spin Feature
  • Game Multipliers
  • Gamble Options (red or black, card suit, etc.)
  • Mystery Symbols
  • Re-spins
  • Scatter Symbols
  • Sticky Symbols
  • Synced Reels
  • Wilds (walking, stacked, sticky, expanding, multiplier, etc.)

Popular Software Providers for Free Slots

Licensed and regularly audited software studios have been around for decades, so New Zealand players don’t need to worry about unfair slot games. Below is a list of providers & headquarters in order of establishment date.

  • Aristocrat (1953) – Australia
  • Bally Technologies (1968) – US
  • Barcrest Games (1968) – UK
  • Novomatic (1980) – Austria
  • Scientific Games (1984) – US
  • Microgaming (1994) – Isle of Man
  • NetEnt (1996) – Sweden
  • Play’n GO (1997) – Sweden
  • Blueprint Gaming (2001) – UK
  • 1×2 Gaming (2003) – UK
  • Lightning Box (2004) – Australia
  • Merkur Gaming (2005) – Germany
  • Betsoft (2006) – Malta
  • Gamomat (2008) – Germany
  • Quickfire (2010) – Isle of Man
  • iSoftBet (2010) – UK
  • Relax Gaming (2010) – Malta
  • Wazdan (2010) – Malta
  • Big Time Gaming (2011) – Australia
  • Quickspin (2011) – Sweden
  • Nektan (2011) – Gibraltar
  • Endorphina (2012) – Czech Republic
  • Thunderkick (2012) – Sweden
  • Playson (2012) – Malta
  • Habanero (2012) – Philippines
  • Elk Studios (2013) – Sweden
  • Yggdrasil (2013) – Sweden
  • Iron Dog Studio (2013) – UK
  • Elk Studios (2013) – Sweden
  • Nolimit City (2014) – Malta
  • Red Tiger Gaming (2014) – Malta
  • Booming Games (2014) – Malta
  • Just For The Win (2016) – Sweden
  • Stormcraft Studios (2016) – South Africa
  • Fantasma Games (2017) – Sweden
  • Hacksaw Gaming (2018) – Malta
  • 5men Gaming (2018) – Malta
  • 7Mojos (2018) – Bulgaria
  • BGaming (2018) – Malta
  • 4ThePlayer (2018) – UK
  • Boomerang Studios (2019) – Australia
  • TrueLab Games (2019) – Malta
  • 1Spin4win (2020) – Malta
  • Games Global (2021) – Isle of Man
  • 3 Oaks Gaming (2021) – Isle of Man

What are the Benefits of Playing Free Pokies?

While you won’t be able to keep winnings in demo mode, it’s still fun, and there are some compelling benefits to playing free pokies not to overlook:

  • No risk to your player balance
  • Exploring different games for free
  • A safe way to practice and develop your strategy
  • Entertainment value

Fortunately, many online casinos offer free spins or a no deposit bonus as part of their new player welcome bonus or regular player promotions.

Best Free Slot Games Right Now

Although the best free slot games are ultimately subjective, some pokies more than others capture the imagination of New Zealanders:

Cleopatra (IGT, 2012): Players are drawn to the classic Egyptian theme and the slot’s popular free spins feature.

Mega Moolah (Microgaming, 2006): New Zealanders are well aware of this slot’s massive “Mega” progressive jackpot reaching millions of dollars.

Money Train 2 (Relax Gaming, 2020): Kiwis enjoy the high game variance (volatility) and potential for more significant wins on the Money Cart Bonus Round.

Raging Rhino Megaways (WMS, 2020): Players are drawn to the thrilling potential payouts, Megaways mechanic and African Savannah theme.

Razor Shark (Push Gaming, 2019): Its underwater theme and significant win potential from the Mystery Stacks Feature make it a popular title.

Tombstone RIP (Nolimit City, 2021): This slot’s high volatility can produce lucrative payouts. Also, NZ players appear drawn to the gritty Wild West theme.

Vikings Go Berzerk (Yggdrasil, 2016): The discussion around this classic-themed slot revolves around the free spins with rage multipliers.

The Social Aspects of Free Slots

Social casinos are a fun, safe, and legal alternative for Kiwis to enjoy free slots and other perks in a social environment. Players can immerse themselves in hundreds of classic/video-slot-style games.

New Zealand law doesn’t consider them a form of gambling since social casinos deal in virtual money instead of cash. Social casinos are commonly available on standalone mobile apps for Android/iOS phones and social media platforms like Facebook. Social casinos nurture connection and interaction with friends and the player online community in three significant ways:

Slot Tournament Competitions

Players compete in recurring slot challenges for points to rank among the top performers on a thrilling leaderboard. Besides bragging rights, winners can collect exclusive items, special badges or coins.

Sharing Achievements

Social casinos enable players to share their in-game achievements, such as a big win, unlocking a new game, climbing a new level or completing a challenge. Some social casinos encourage sharing achievements with incentives and rewards, like coins, exclusive content, free spins and bonuses.

Sending & Receiving Gifts

Players can often send/receive gifts to/from other players, including friends, which might include:

  • Free Spins
  • Coins
  • Progression Items (Level-Up Boosts or Achievement Rewards/Recognition)
  • Power-Ups & Boosters (Multipliers or Bonus Rounds)

These gifts enhance the user experience by helping them connect and interact with players and rewarding participation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I win real money playing free slots?

Unfortunately, winning real money when playing free slots is not permitted in demo mode. However, promotions like free spins or a no-deposit bonus credit a small number of free spins or online casino bonus money, which can lead to real money earnings.

What is the difference between free slots and real money slots?

Playing a slot for real money payouts or in demo mode lets players enjoy a wide selection of games based on engaging bonus features, themes, game mechanics and graphics. However, keeping or withdrawing free slot winnings is not possible.

Do free slots have the same features as real money slots?

A slot has the same features regardless of whether you play it for real money or free. However, unlike real money slots, free spins promos, and no deposit bonuses, players can’t keep demo mode winnings.

Are there any free slots with progressive jackpots and bonus rounds?

Generally, slots with progressive jackpots and bonus rounds are accessible to try for free in demo mode. Some casino promotions may let you enjoy slots with progressive jackpots, like Divine Fortune (NetEnt) or Mega Moolah (Microgaming), with no upfront deposit or free spins.

How do the RTPs of free slots compare to real-money slots?

A slot’s RTP (return to player) is identical, whether playing for real money or free. However, a slot’s RTP can vary between sites, influencing the odds of winning.

Can I play free slots on my mobile device?

Android and iOS mobile casinos support HTML5-optimised online slots using an instant-play browser or casino app (where available). A mobile casino user can generally play the same exciting free slots as an online casino.

How often are new free slot games released?

Software studios frequently release new free slots, trying to push the envelope with innovative features & types, better graphics and enhanced sound effects. New Zealand players are often among the first to enjoy the latest slots for free or real money.

Geoff Vella
Writer

Geoff Vella has 8+ years of experience as a writer for the iGaming and financial services industry. He holds an applied accounting degree. When he's not writing or consuming copious amounts of coffee, he can usually be spotted cycling or hiking.