Instant Play Pokies in Australia

An instant play casino is one that doesn’t require a download of any sort and can be played through your browser. This sounds simple enough, but the fact that there are so many different web browsers and operating systems out there can complicate things, at least from a developer’s point of view. Still, having an instant play variation of their casino software is seen as vital by by online casinos, so much so that all of the big names in casinos software, such as Playtech and Microgaming, have instant play versions of their casinos.

It’s up to the individual casinos themselves whether to use these versions or not. The security of them, the compatibility of them, the games offered and even the jackpots are also up to the individual casino. That’s why one instant play casino can differ so greatly from the next one, and that’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to find the best and the worst instant play online casinos.

The Best

We have a lot of good things to say about the casino that leads the way here, but only because it ticks all of the boxes and do everything that we ask of it. The best instant play casino as far as we are concerned is Royal Vegas Casino. Not only is this an instant play through your desktop, compatible with many web browsers and with both Mac and Windows OS, but it can also be played through your smartphone or tablet without a download. Just visit the website, sign-up and start playing. It’s better to use the app if you’re on a mobile device, but if you don’t want to, or can’t, then the option for instant play is there.

The new member deposit bonus is very generous on Royal Vegas Casino, offering as much as $1,200 split over two deposits — along with an additional 75/100 free spins, depending on the offer at the time — and this is available whether you play through the downloaded casino, the app or through the instant play version.

Royal Vegas Casino is part of the Fortune Lounge Group, which is a collection of trusted casinos. This offers extra benefits for its casino members, including pokie tournaments and a VIP scheme. Another member of the Fortune Lounge Group, and one that also has a great instant play casino, is Platinum Play.

Platinum Play is not too dissimilar to Royal Vegas Casino, and that’s no accident. Royal Vegas and Platinum Play are run by the same brand, which means that both of these are created to the same high standards. Platinum Play also has a great deposit bonus, albeit not as good as its sister site. The instant play casino on Platinum Play also has the same eclectic mix of pokies, table games and even scratch cards, and you can use everything from PayPal to POLi to deposit and withdraw on both of these sites.

Another site worth considering, and another member of the Fortune Lounge Group, is Euro Palace. As its name suggest, this is geared more towards European players, but Aussies and others can still join and there are plenty of Aussies and Kiwis on their books. They have the same high quality games, including virtual scratch cards and more, and although this is probably third in line when it comes to new member deposit bonuses, it is still very good. Euro Palace also has the instant play option.

These are all licensed and accredited by several companies, including the Malta Gaming Authority and the aforementioned Fortune Lounge Group, and although they are run by the same company, players are free to join them all and take advantage of all of the deposit bonuses on offer.

The Worst

There are some big names on this list, and they are here for different reasons. One of them is Ladbrokes, which is one of the biggest bookmakers in Europe and also has a strong base here in Australia. This is a trusted brand, make no mistake about it, but their online casino is one of the slowest we have ever seen. All of their pokies can be played direct on the website, but they are so tediously slow that we found ourselves double checking to make sure it wasn’t 2001 and we weren’t running a 56k modern. We tried this on different computers running different OS and web browsers. Both computers were brand new and very fast, yet Ladbrokes was still painfully slow.

Another one that we struggled with was Stan James, but for different reasons. Although we won’t go into details, we played a game that required regular play, building up to a moment deep within the game. This obviously requires a steady connection, but we were kicked out of the game, losing quite a bit of money in the process. When we complained to Stan James they were rude and didn’t seem to care. We have received reports from others who have had similar experiences in regards to disconnects and poor customer service as well. These are two things that all online casinos should get right, two fundamentals that Stan James failed at so spectacularly.