Pragmatic Play Pokies
We created this article to answer all your burning questions about Pragmatic Play pokies, including how it got its start, its most popular games, where to get the highest RTP, and where to find casinos featuring their awesome pokies.
Pragmatic Play is a popular online casino game developer with games available in more than 70 countries and 20 languages, including New Zealand. As a pokie enthusiast, you have likely spent time with a range of Pragmatic Play games and would like to learn more about the company behind your favourite pastime.
Top Pragmatic Play Online Casinos
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#1
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SkyCity
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2000+
Total Pokies
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NZ$ 200
+70 Free Spins on Ancient Egypt
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4.9
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4+ Payment Methods
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#2
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Wildz Casino
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1000+
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NZ$ 1,000
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4.8
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8+ Payment Methods
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#3
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PlayOJO Casino
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2000+
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+80 Free Spins on Thor: Trials of Asgard
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4.7
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#4
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Spinz Casino
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2000+
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NZ$ 1,000
+200 Free Spins on selected games
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4.9
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8+ Payment Methods
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#5
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SkyCity
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|
2000+
Total Pokies
|
NZ$ 200
+70 Free Spins on Ancient Egypt
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4.9
Read Review
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4+ Payment Methods
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Pragmatic Play Casino Games at a Glance
Pragmatic Play started as TopGame Technology, an online casino games developer created in 2008 and later bought by Pragmatic Play, a Malta-registered company, in 2013. With new management, the company quickly became a leading casino games provider of mobile-optimised games.
They owe their success to their dedication to building innovative gameplay mechanics into all their games, using engaging themes and top-notch sound production to keep players engaged and entertained.
Pragmatic Play now has a portfolio of more than 300 pokie games, which includes some of the most popular in the industry, such as Mustang Gold, Starz Megaways, and Great Rhino.
Online Pokies aren’t their only claim to fame, as they also deliver an extensive range of casino games to online gambling platforms, including bingo, scratch cards, and live casino games. People worldwide can access Pragmatic Game products in their native language and national currency.
In 2019, Pragmatic Play won the esteemed award of “Slot Provider of the Year” at the EGR B2B Awards ceremony.
Best Pragmatic Play Pokies
Pragmatic Play New Zealand Casino Pros and Cons
| Pragmatic Play Pokies Pros |
|---|
| All games are built with HTML 5 technology, making them compatible with all devices, including mobile |
| With more than 300 games, boredom is not an issue. |
| Pragmatic Play games have won many awards, including SBC Awards, Sigma, Casino Beats, EGR, MGA Awards, and more. |
| Every game is independently audited for fairness. |
| They have licenses from UKGC and MGA so Kiwi players can gamble with confidence. |
| Pragmatic Play Pokies Cons |
|---|
| Not many table games for Pragmatic Games fans who prefer casino games over pokies |
| Live baccarat, roulette, and blackjack, but no live poker games are available in their lineup. |
Best Pragmatic Play Online Casinos
With a fistful of awards and some of the industry’s best games, Pragmatic Play games are highly sought after by all reputable casinos. All of this means we’ve got our work cut out for us when reviewing the best online casinos for you to get some action at a Pragmatic Play pokies.
We will keep adding reviews, but in the meantime, check out some of our favourite Pragmatic Play locations in the list below.
Most Popular Pragmatic Play Pokies
With so many games, it’s tough to settle on just one favourite. While we haven’t been able to play them all, we’ve found a few standouts that we enjoy more than others. You can read about them below.
Big Bass Splash
This fishing-themed pokie is loved by fishing fanatics and those who’ve never picked up a rod. It’s got a 5×3 reel format, ten paylines and received a Game of the Year award at the Slots Temple Awards in 2022.
It’s a high-volatility game but has an excellent RTP of 97.71%. If you prefer wagering more for the chance at bigger rewards over smaller more frequent wins, this game will be right up your alley. There’s a free version for learning the ropes before you risk real money.
Betting ranges start at 0.10 and go up to 50, so the 5000X maximum win can get pretty exciting. There are respins and bonus games galore. Get three or more scatter symbols to participate in the game’s Big Bass Splash Free Spins.
Sweet Bonanza
Sweet Bonanza is a colourful, candy-themed game presenting players with a 6×5 grid that spins on a mountain of sugar and ice cream. Wins are awarded when you land the same symbol 8 to 12 times across the grid.
The game uses a tumble feature to create the winning combinations with fruit and candy tumbling down from above. Any winning combinations that form explode and make room for new symbols to take their place. The cycle repeats until there are no more winning combinations, at which point the entire field gets replaced.
Symbols include low-paying fruits like bananas, grapes, melons, and plums, with the more cavity-inducing treats like blue, green, purple, and red candies producing the highest payouts. In this game, it’s the empty calories that will give you the best rewards.
The Dog House Megaways
This Megaways pokies has 6 reels and gives players 117,649 ways to win. With some of the highest payouts in the business, this pokie is a popular destination.
The RTP is 96.55% and the game is rated as high volatility. Adorable canines line up on the reels to produce some serious winning potential. During your play through, expect to be routinely rewarded with free spins and sticky wilds. Impatient players can take advantage of the bonus buy. Betting ranges are between 20 and 100, with a win potential of 12,305X your initial stake.
Gorilla Mayhem
It seems like every game developer has at least one jungled-themed game in their lineup, and Pragmatic Play is no exception. Gorilla Mayhem is their take on jungle life, a 5×4 game that delivers 1,024 ways to score. With high volatility, an RTP of 96.5% and a betting range of 0.2 to 100, this game can work for all gambling budgets.
A max win potential of 5,000X keeps things exciting enough, with progressive rounds yielding higher payouts the more times a gorilla shows up. It’s a relatively new title that uses the latest technology, so it looks and sounds great.
Diamond Strike
This is retro-themed pokie game delivers an old-school casino vibe you are sure to love. While it is distinctively retro, Diamond Strike incorporates modern gaming themes to take your playtime up a notch. Five reels, three rows, and 15 playlines will provide plenty of surprises to keep the adrenalin flowing.
Vibrantly coloured yet familiar icons are nostalgic reminders of times past. Four different fruits, a golden bell, and the lucky number 7 all make an appearance, but there are also sparkling diamonds and free spin bonus symbols thrown into the mix.
Naturally, the most significant payouts come through the bonus rounds and jackpots, with a maximum payout of an almost life-changing 75,000X your maximum bet. Mini jackpots reward players with 10X the total bet, and the mega delivers a not-too-shabby 1,000X. Whether you bet big or small, you still stand a good chance of walking away with a nice chunk of change.
Buffalo King
This popular Pragmatic Play casino game is set in the North American Wilderness, and the Buffalo have come out to play, along with wolves, moose, eagles, and cougars. It’s a remake of the original Buffalo King, with snazzier graphics, cooler animations, and an excellent outdoorsy soundscape.
Lashed wooden beams “support” 6 reels, each able to hold between 2 – 7 symbols, along with a top horizontal reel that holds four symbols. When the game gets going, players can achieve a whopping 200,704 ways to win (the original had 4,096). The default RTP is 96.52%, but this is flexible and can change according to the optional play style you select.
Be warned that the high volatility of this game can be brutal to your bankroll, so some strategy is required if you want a chance at the bigger but infrequent payouts.
Chilli Heat
This pokie is sure to heat up your gaming session, so make sure you have a cool glass of milk handy. There are 25 playlines spread over a 5×3 grid playing field. Features like free spins, Money Re-Spin and progressive jackpots accompany a mariachi-inspired soundtrack that will make you feel like dancing even without a big win.
Card symbols produce the lowest possible payouts. Mexican-themed icons like tequila bottles, a sombrero-wearing mariachi player, and a cartoon chihuahua are what you need for the big wins. Match three identical symbols along any of the paylines to score. Watch for the Chilli Wild logo, which substitutes for regular symbols to produce some nice wins.
Highest RTP Pragmatic Play Pokies
Pokie games are so diverse that players have free reign when choosing how to play. Do you prefer more frequent but smaller payouts, or are you a high-stakes player willing to put more on the line while waiting for the juicier rewards to roll around? Pragmatic Play has something for every play style.
| Pokies | Description | Layout | Paylines | Features | RTP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Catfather | Cats mixed with organized crime theme. Cat thugs on a 3×5 grid with 9 paylines | 3×5 | 9 | Left to right and right to left payouts | 98.10% |
| 888 Gold | Classic 3×3 slot with 5 paylines | 3×3 | 5 | Win with full lines of lucky eights | 97.52% |
| Gold Train | Steam locomotive-themed slot with a 3×3 layout and 3 paylines | 3×3 | 3 | Upgrade tickets add carriages to the train | 97.16% |
If you prefer to satisfy yourself with frequent, smaller payouts that keep you playing longer for less outlay, then high RTPs are your bread and butter. These Pragmatic Games should satisfy your itch without risking too much.
The Catfather
If you haven’t guessed by the name, this pokie mixes cats with organised crime. Cat thugs line up on your screen over a 3×5 grid with nine paylines, with the devious kitties paying out from left to right and right to left.
All card symbols (A, K, and Q) are diamond studded and glitter and shine as they slide down your screen. Despite being covered with precious gems, these symbols produce the lowest payouts in the game.
The cartoon mice are the brains behind the operation and make for the perfect scatter card. These pay you with free spins and cash whenever three or more appear at any position.
The game has two bonus features that can lead to wallet-busting payouts. Get excited when you see reels 2,3, and 4 turn wild, which can happen anytime. The Catfather has one of Pragmatic Games’ highest RTPs of 98.10%.
888 Gold
If you’re feeling a little nostalgic about the mechanical days of slot machines, when luck was determined by the turn of grinding gears, then 888 Gold will fill your need. The classic 3×3, five payline slot is the perfect video replica of one of those first games to grace casino floors. You win by hitting full lines of lucky eights with the potential for a 6,000 times payout.
If you’re a diehard fan of the modern, action-packed slot machines, then 888 probably won’t tickle your fancy. It’s a straightforward game with nothing more complicated than a single Chinese-themed wild symbol to deliver the highest payouts. The RTP is 97.52%.
Gold Train
Travel to a different era of gaming with Gold Train, another game design inspired by the mechanical slot machines of the last century. This time, the game is centred around a steam locomotive theme but still retains the simplistic 3 x 3 layout with just three paylines. Symbols on the reels include bells, a conductor’s cap, silver and gold tickets, upgrade tickets, and flags. The locomotive represents the Wild.
Upgrade tickets are an exciting mechanic that adds carriages to your Gold Train. Get three or more scatters on the screen at once and send your train on a journey across the screen, where each carriage will drop a reward into the prize pool as they pass.
Bets can be between 0.03 to $15 per spin, with Gold Train offering maximum payouts of up to 5,000 cold coins. The main prize tops out at $2,000, so this is not a game for the high rollers among you.
Win 50 coins when get two trains together, but get three, and you can up that to 5,000 coins. The locomotive Wild substitutes every symbol except the scatter and upgrade symbol. The RTP for Gold Train is 97.16%.
Pragmatic Play Pokies on Mobile
With the busy lives we lead, it can be challenging to get a spare minute to indulge in the pokies. Fortunately, all Pragmatic Play games are created on HTML 5 technology, which means they will work on your mobile device. Play on the bus or whenever you have a spare minute or two. Set it to auto-spin while you stream the next blockbuster series on Netflix, and check your winnings at the end, it’s almost too easy.
Pragmatic Play calls itself a mobile-first developer, which is true of most modern online casinos. After all, if you want to stay relevant in the online gambling industry, making your games available on portable devices is all but mandatory.
By following the mobile-first philosophy, many of Pragmatic Plays innovations are squarely aimed at that segment of the market, but who’s playing on desktop these days anyway?
Best Pragmatic Play Casino Bonuses and Free Spins
All Pragmatic Play games have features that award bonuses or free spins, with different games using different mechanics to award them. You can also find many online casinos offering deposit match-up bonuses and free spins just for signing up.
Online casino bonuses vary wildly between vendors, so we can’t guarantee the bonuses you are awarded will be available on the Pragmatic Play game you want to try. Still, it’s always good fun to use freebies on anything you can get your hands on because there are plenty of pokie developers out there creating fun games to play.
Check out our reviews to find some of the best value sign-up bonuses in New Zealand that also offer Pragmatic Play games.
How We Rate and Review the Pragmatic Play
Many of the sites we review include Pragmatic Play in their lineup, so make sure you give those a look. Just because a site offers Pragmatic Play doesn’t automatically make it worth your time, so we heavily scrutinise each site, regardless of the games they provide or who’s behind them.
We evaluate every site before recommending it to ensure you have a safe and rewarding time when online gambling. Of course, you want to know that your personal details are safe, but our examination doesn’t stop there. Here are a few other criteria we report on to help you make an informed decision.
A good selection of games – Pokie players are enthusiastic about the games they play, but not many will choose the same game day after day. Occasionally, we all like to experiment with new things and try something different. A relatively small selection of games doesn’t make a bad casino, but we always find a decent number spread over a variety of genres makes for a more satisfying experience.
Licensing – This one is non-negotiable. All casinos we recommend must have licensing at the state and international levels because it gives us confidence that the casino is a legal entity held accountable by law. A license means a casino is also subject to ongoing regulation and oversight, including financial audits and monitoring of its marketing conduct.
Security Certificates – This is another non-negotiable feature if an online casino is to get our okay. Up-to-date TSL (formerly SSL) security certificates are a necessary protection against the many cyber threats on the web. Without them, your bank and personal details are fair game to anybody who wants them.
Mobile Gaming – Using the desktop for playing online pokies isn’t terribly convenient, so we prefer to fire up our trusty phones and tablets for getting some game time in whenever we can. As you can imagine, a casino that operates as well on mobile devices as it does on the desktop is a critical feature for getting our recommendation.
Free spins and bonuses – We love it when we can play on someone else’s dime when reviewing a casino. While we don’t mind dropping real dollars into our account, we know cash bonuses and free spins are always appreciated by our readers.
FAQs
- Are Pragmatic Play games safe?
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Pragmatic Play is a reputable provider of online games. Pragmatic Play games are licensed and regulated by several authorities, including the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, and the Romanian National Gaming Office. This means their games meet the strict standards set by these bodies for fairness, safety, and security. However, we also recommend responsible gambling.
- Can you play Pragmatic Play games for free?
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Yes, and we recommend trying out the free version before investing your hard-earned money. All Pragmatic Play games are made available directly through their website, so you can easily find something you know you will like when you decide to play for real coins.
- Will Pragmatic Play games run on an iPad or tablet?
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As mentioned in the article, you can play Pragmatic Play games on almost any device, provided it runs a modern web browser with HTML 5 capability. Devices that are a few years old with older operating systems may struggle with the updated graphics and sounds of modern pokie games.
- Which casinos offer Pragmatic Play games?
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We have an extensive list of Pragmatic Play casinos on our website, all of which have been verified as legitimate and safe places to play.