The Australian Pokies Industry: What Defined 2025 And Where 2026 Is Headed

The iGaming market is considered to be the most flexible by nature – it can quickly adapt to audience demands to give players exactly what they want. And since public preferences change regularly, the industry takes a new course every year. Providers must have a keen sense of what to add to their portfolio and which mechanics have become tiresome to the end user.

So, what will the market look like in 2026? To make a more accurate prediction, it is worth analysing its condition in the second half of 2025. Which pokies caused a sensation, which technologies increased interest, and which ones oversaturated the gaming lobbies? How did leading providers respond to gamblers' requests, and what trends have they already set with their latest releases? Our experts have conducted a detailed analysis and compiled all the facts and conclusions in this article.

Main Trends that Defined the Pokies Market in Late 2025

Among more than 3,600 releases in the second half of 2025, there was considerable diversity. It affected themes, mechanics, and characteristics – each provider tried to surprise the audience. Nevertheless, we managed to identify clear trends supported by the leaders of the iGaming market. These are the directions set by such well-known brands as ELK, Hacksaw Gaming, Pragmatic Play, BGaming and others.

Support for popular franchises

In 2023, the concept of gaming franchises became popular among developers. The first striking example is ELK Studios. Games such as Cygnus, Nitropolis, and Gold took off in 2020, and the provider began to develop them further. Thus, in 2025, the Nitropolis franchise alone, with five parts, was supplemented with separate releases about the main characters of the slot, not to mention other series.

A similar development of franchises can be observed in the games The Dog House and Big Bass Bonanza from Pragmatic Play. However, we consider the series from Hacksaw Gaming to be the gem of this trend. Le Bandit 2023 and Le Pharaon 2024 were just the beginning. 2025 gave players six releases at once: Le Viking, Le King, Le Zeus, Le Cowboy, Le Santa, and Le Rapper.

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Why are franchises relevant in iGaming? For the same reason that people continue to watch Superman re-releases, discover new facets of the Marvel universe, or dream of a new installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. Today, novelty is good when it builds on familiar characters, developing the existing storyline rather than setting new rules.

Reboots of slots in enhanced editions

For the same reason, players have come to love reboots. If a person enjoys the theme and mechanics of a slot, he will play it again and again, preferring the familiar and proven to the mysterious novelty. However, providers need to increase their reach and shift attention to more modern releases. The best idea that really worked belongs to Pragmatic Play and its 1000 and Super Scatter series. For greater clarity, we have outlined this trend in a table:

The main trend that can be observed in these reboots is the preservation of general mathematics with an increase in winning potential. In other words, 1000 and Super Scatter are not just marketing elements, but a real evolution of products that allows players to get more than in the outdated version of the slot.

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More simple titles

This is another trend that literally catches the eye when viewing game portfolios. While Pragmatic Play and other companies continue to add new words to the titles of their hits, studios such as BGaming are promoting the idea that the simpler, the better. Loki Loot, Cat's Soup, Grand Mustang, Wild Fox, UFO Pyramids, Frozen Fruits instead of Avalon The Lost Kingdom, Elvis Frog in Vegas, Four Lucky Clover and other long options turned out to be excellent choices. The market is so oversaturated that users don't really want to delve into the idea behind the name; they want brevity, simplicity and clarity.

Slot Mechanics that Players Are Actually Engaged with

In terms of mechanics, in the second half of 2025, the market gave a clear response to the audience's requests. The most popular features began to be bundled together, giving players exactly what they wanted to see in new games. Some combinations of options literally became the rule, while others ceased to excite and even frankly bored users.

Tumble + Pay Anywhere / Clusters Pays + Multipliers – golden standard

We analysed the repeatability of the most popular mechanics and features over a six-month period. This gave us a clear understanding that non-standard prize combination scoring systems are most in demand in tandem with bonuses such as symbol avalanches (also known as cascades and Tumble) and Multipliers. This can be clearly seen in the following graph:

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​The mechanic loved by many, which pays simply for the number of identical symbols on the playing field, is used with the Avalanche feature in more than 85% of cases. More than 77% of games with Pay Anywhere also have a Multiplier bonus. All three technologies are used simultaneously in more than 68% of slots with this type of combination accounting. A comparable trend can be observed in games with Cluster Pays mechanics.

Actually, more than half of the games with non-linear ways of counting wins go hand in hand with Tumble and Multiplier. In fact, this is now the gold standard. Players who collect a cluster or 8 identical symbols automatically expect new icons to appear in their place, and with each avalanche, winnings will grow even more thanks to additional multipliers. This gives a sense of progress in the game and is really in demand.

Bonus Buy as a UX Feature

Slots such as Treasure Tumble by Relax Gaming, Merge Up by BGaming, Cathedral 9 by ELK or Dead West by NetEnt have something else in common. In addition to combining non-standard mechanics, avalanches of symbols and multipliers, each of them offers a Buy Feature that allows punters to instantly launch a super game for an additional fee. This is shown in the graphs above – this option is available in more than 50% of the cases in the sample studied.

In fact, Bonus Buy is no longer a surprise or a privilege; today, providers use it as a UX element. Moreover, companies such as ELK, Nolimit City, Hacksaw Gaming and even Pragmatic have expanded this concept by offering entire menus for purchasing various boosters and rounds. This allows players to immediately appreciate all the benefits of active features and not waste hundreds of spins on their automatic launch.

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​But along with convenience, the option also brings some regret. This is evidenced by comments in Reddit discussions. Players often note that while bonus buy options fit modern online gambling habits — especially short sessions and mobile play – they also increase emotional disappointment. Buying the feature sets clear expectations, and when the bonus underperforms, the frustration is stronger than after a naturally triggered bonus, even if the result is statistically fair.

Hold & Win – Mass Adoption and Fatigue

Another mechanic that literally burned out in the second half of 2025 is the famous Hold & Win. While it was a real hit in slots such as Wolf Gold by Pragmatic Play in 2017 or even in the Coins Hold the Jackpot series by Wazdan in 2022-2023, providers have clearly overused it recently. By releasing more than 680 games with this bonus in just 6 months, companies have simply killed the mechanic by flooding the market.

Let's be objective, the industry tried to rehabilitate it. For example, in Coin Strike 2 by Playson, the provider added Collect, which gathers the values of symbols and frees up the grid for new monetary values. Betsoft went even further with Coins of Ra Deluxe, offering 9 respins instead of 3, as well as bonus symbols that allowed players to replenish their number. And although this has had some success, users still note the monotony of such products.

​What Australian Players Care about Right Now

Thanks to our own research, analysis of discussions on Reddit, and analytics from popular web resources, we have been able to get a clear picture of what punters are interested in right now. We have identified four main aspects that are priorities when choosing certain slots, and we will briefly explain each of them.

Volatility Balance

Today, users are more concerned with the overall dynamics of payouts than with jackpots. We have already researched this before in Key Pokies Trends article and found that about 50% of slots released in the second half of 2025 had medium volatility, and another quarter had medium-high volatility. High-volatility games accounted for only 25%, and taking into account new releases, these figures remain approximately in the same range. In other words, the pursuit of big wins and high risk is no longer a priority or a guarantee of excitement – gamblers are looking for more balanced odds that combine the chance of a big win with good dynamics of regular payouts for simple combinations.

Smart Bonus Integration

Returning to the question of bonuses, it is worth recalling the trend of combining non-standard mechanics with Avalanche, Multiplier and other options. This is exactly what players want today – a feeling of integrity, fullness and logic. Here are some excellent examples:

• Coins of Ra Deluxe by Betsoft, with its well-worn Hold & Win, is still in demand thanks to new symbols, an unusual approach to respins, and a combination of a rich bonus round with the simple mechanics of the regular game mode.
• Das xBoot 2wei by Nolimit City is essentially a collection of the provider's best signature boosts. This time, they are evenly integrated into the entire gameplay, from the regular mode to the free spins round.
• Tricky Treats by Push Gaming is the prime example of Cluster Pays + Tumble + Multiplier + Buy Feature, where each of these features is literally expected. In addition, the company's set of branded bonuses, so beloved by players, also works here.

The bonus itself, the free spins round or the super symbol no longer mean anything – users need successful combinations that trigger a cascade of events on the playing field.

Updated Classic

In pursuit of functional richness in games, some providers literally overdo it. The result is overcrowded slots that are difficult to understand even for experienced players. Against the backdrop of fatigue from all kinds of symbols and their new features, the sector of games with simple mechanics is growing rapidly. A 3x3 or 5x3 field, a small number of paylines, and only basic Wild and Scatter symbols are back in favour.

However, it is worth noting that Sizzling Hot by Novomatic is no longer the classic we are talking about. Players want simplicity and transparency, but are not ready to give up modern graphics and certain options. That's why slots such as Totally Hot by BGaming, Super Stepper by Playtech, Gem Trio by Pragmatic and others are at the top of the list. They recreate the old machines with bright colours and a more convenient UX, offering the public a completely new product.

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Depth of themes

And of course, we mustn't forget about aesthetics. Today's gamblers are interested not so much in the theme itself as in the implementation of the idea. Even a classic slot can attract enough attention simply through realistic symbols, concise effects, and authentic audio accompaniment. Video slots are expected to offer even more – detailed elements and animated characters, thematic melodies and sounds, and special animations that reveal the slot's concept through the activation of bonus options.

Where the Pokies Market Is Heading in 2026

So, 2025 showed that the market is clearly overstuffed with new releases, loud and long titles, and tired mechanics. In this regard, gaming companies have already begun to look for a new way to the hearts of the gaming audience. Industry leaders were the first to respond, continuing to develop established re-releasing famous hits with higher potential, and trying to convey the idea of new products in just a few words. And it works.

Based on our analysis of a market that has already begun to change, we are confident in making an objective forecast of the main trends for 2026:

• Deeper mechanics. As we can already see, players expect to experience certain technologies only in pairs. In the future, this approach will evolve, creating more dynamics on the playing field with minimal use of redundant symbols.
• Hybrid feature formats. Some providers have already rejected pure Hold & Win, diversifying it with new symbols and rules. So there is a high chance that the mechanics will not disappear completely, but will move to a new level, becoming attractive again.
• Focus on franchises. In order not to overstimulate the market with new ideas, developers will focus their efforts on developing existing game series. Familiar characters will find themselves in new contexts, with new themed bonuses, but with familiar ideas and mechanics.

It is also worth mentioning the general trend in modern online gambling – a focus on maximum personalisation. This will affect not only the delivery of content when switching to online casinos, but also the games themselves. The introduction of technologies that remember the player's previous settings will become widespread. So the ability to restart a game session with the previous bet, sound settings, spin speed, etc., will become a new standard of comfort, rather than a feature of the most advanced slots.