It is definitely beneficial to play pokies online as compared to playing them in land based casinos. There are two reasons for this. The first is based on the pokies themselves. Online pokies offer considerably higher payout percentages to players. This is because online casinos have lower establishment costs and they pass on the benefits to the pokie players.

The other reason has to do with online gambling in general. You do not have to go anywhere to wager on online pokies. You can play from home and now even from anywhere on your mobile phones. There are no timings and no dress codes. More important there are no queues in front of your favorite pokie as in land casinos. No matter how many players are wagering on your favorite pokie all over the world, you can always access it without any waiting time.

The only advantage of land based pokies is that they carry better audio visual effects and are situated in a more glamorous environment.

Before we answer that question you need to have a clear understanding of what payout percentage means. It is the amount that the online casino pays out for every dollar wagered expressed as a percentage. You can indicate the payout percentage across all games, across a game category or an individual game. The payout percentage will always be less than 100%, because if the online casino pays out more than it receives then it will not be in business. This does not mean that has an individual player you cannot win. Every day some lucky players win while some unlucky players lose.

The payout percentage of online pokies will usually be between 94% and 96%. It cannot be calculated as in some online casino games like roulette. But the best software providers indicate the payout percentage for each of their online pokies somewhere in the game rules.

In online roulette you can compute the probabilities for the various bets. Therefore you can assess whether the odds offered are fair or not. In online pokies you do not know how many symbols of each type can appear on a reel. Therefore you cannot compute the probabilities for the various paying combinations and cannot yourself assess whether the odds offered are fair.

You have to depend on the reputation of the software provider and on the tests carried out by the independent expert agencies. Software providers like Microgaming and Playtech have not earned decades of reputation by offering unfair games. Agencies like eCOGRA and Technical Systems Testing also are highly reputed and carry out rigorous analyses of the online pokies, particularly the random number generator, before certifying that the odds are fair. The regulatory authorities that issue the licenses to the online casinos ensure that these tests are periodically carried out and their reports published at the online casino web sites.

The answer to the question depends on what you expected from an online pokie. There are some progressive jackpot pokies that pay out life changing amounts. But these payouts do not appear very frequently. They are perhaps hit a few times a year. If you want to try for these huge payouts and are willing to take the risks involved, then you should head for these progressive jackpot pokies. But you should keep in mind that you have to persevere for long stretches on these pokies. Therefore you would need larger bankrolls.

There are progressive jackpot pokies that pay out small amounts and pay out more often. There would not be much difference in playing these progressive pokies and non-jackpot pokies. If you are a conservative player with a modest bankroll then non-jackpot pokies would be a better option. Because there is no progressive jackpot involved, the regular line payouts would occur more frequently.

In the context of online casino games skill is generally referred to as the ability to correctly make decisions that affect the outcome of the game. For example in online blackjack you require skill to decide whether to hit or stand. You do not need any such skill when playing online pokies. From the time you click the Spin button to the time the reels stop, everything is controlled by the software. Online pokies are purely games of luck.

You do make decisions in contemporary online pokies. You may have to choose one free spins set from the few given or choose objects in bonus games. But these are random choices and no choice guarantees a more favourable outcome. These choices are again luck based. There are elements of strategy that you should know, but they are not skill. You should play with all lines enabled and play with maximum bet in certain online pokies that offer special benefits.