Last Updated: Tuesday, 24 June 2025 09:17

Prize pool at Pokies in an Australian online casino

Prize pool at Pokies in Australian online casino
Let's try to find out how the "big winning" is formed and what it depends on. Where is the software taking money to pay a massive win to a punter? How is software collecting money? We need to consider such data, as "the prize pool" in the pokies, current bet, RTP, the dispersion (volatility), the cycle length of the selected pokie and the number of players in the chosen Australian online casino.

In this article, you will learn how the "prize pool" for "big winning" in online casino pokies is formed, what it depends on and what variables should be considered while calculating it. Below is a link to a comparative table with all related Australian online casinos. It indicates the affiliation of the casino with one or more networks and the approximate number of players in each. The meaning of "big winning" is "hit" and get more than 200x (200x total bets: with a bet of A$10, we win A$2000 or more.

Please note that if an Australian online casino is new and there are no players in it, the "prize pool" for winning is empty and you gonna lose until it fills up. Only after this process comes a moment to "hit" a big win. Usually, it will be around 90-95% of all your deposits to this online casino in the current session.

Pyramid principle

Sparks
Pokies use the pyramid principle's method. The part of the pool for "big winning" via low stakes is reserved for winning in the prize pool via the next step of bets (between small and medium bets), and this continues up to the prize pool via high-rolling. The more active players are in an Australian online casino, the bigger the total prize pool. In fact, "the pyramid principle" can be compared to a lottery with several denominations of tickets. Each group has its own "prize pool" (also known as a jackpot).

The prize pool conception is a kind of lottery.

  • The cheapest tickets (the bets from A$0.25 to A$5). At these limits is an overwhelming number of punters, so the chance of a "big win" will be much higher. Most likely, some part of the current "prize pool" is allocated to form the "big winning" at higher stakes in the following steps. This data may reach up to 10% of the pool. Therefore, the casino motivates players to gamble by offering higher stakes and collecting more money to pay out the "big win".
  • Inexpensive tickets (A$5 to A$10 bets). Fewer people are playing via these stakes (compared to the previous group). Many bonus hunters are trying to increase their chances of winning by playing at the maximum allowed bets (usually ranging from A$5 to A$10). Their goal is to complete the wagering requirements of the bonus money. This fact significantly increases the activity at these limits and forms a large "prize pool."
  • The tickets of medium value (from A$10 to A$50 stakes). This is the most profitable limit for punters. At these limits, there are many fewer players than above, but they are collecting money from previous limits (the bets from A$0.25 to A$10), and there are fewer participants in the "drawing". It appears that the personal statistics (balance of wins and losses) and the player's group have a significant impact on the results.
  • The expensive tickets (stakes range from A$50 to a maximum) - this is a situation that is simultaneously most profitable and unprofitable for getting a "big winning" in an online casino. The big wins at these bets will be huge (in a monetary equivalent), but there are not many punters, most of the money is moving to previous limits, and the current "prize pool" is filling up slowly. Here, the player's account history will play a decisive role, including wins and losses, bet denominations, the number of deposits and withdrawals, and the current balance. Gambling at this level is very risky.

What is the prize pool?

The prize pool is the sum of all players' bets, minus the winning in one online casino (or network). So, for example, if 100 people play for A$1 per spin and win A$20 in total, the total "prize pool" will be A$80.

  • Depending on the chosen pokie, a percentage of the funds ranging from 1% to 10% will be allocated to the casino (see all payment percentages for the pokies).
  • Depending on the length of the cycle and the dispersion of the selected pokie, from 5% to 90% will be paid to the winners. The remains will be collected for the next drawings. It's good to know that the higher the dispersion and cycle's length are, the more money will be collected for the next lottery (just a few punters will receive the winning amount more than their bets).
  • From 1% to 10% will go to the higher stakes pool for the big win.

Note that each casino has its own "prize pool". For example, if you play in a new casino where there are no players, then you will not have the chance to win an amount much higher than your starting balance. At best (if you selected a bet from the calculation, 200+ bets on the balance), you will accumulate your prize pool and successfully win almost the entire amount of your deposit back. In the worst case, you will run out of money before this moment.

Where to play?

  • Fastpay casino is renowned for its swift withdrawals, comprehensive VIP bonus program, and 24/7 friendly live chat support.

Best Australian casinos 2025

Written by Vladislav Dibrov
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