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Sometimes, we, as many other gamblers, wonder how to find a good pokie nowadays since the gambling market has become a very competitive field, with providers offering multiple titles every month. Looking for answers, we’ve come across a website called BetPokies. John Gold, an experienced gambler and founder of BetPokies, operated by ZehrMedia LTD, launched the platform in 2020 to help Australian players navigate the overwhelming world of online gambling.
With a team of 4 experts, a team of over ten testers, and years of experience, BetPokies has established itself as a trusted resource, offering unbiased guidance on selecting reliable casinos, managing transactions, and choosing pokies with characteristics for people of different preferences.
John Gold’s Process for Pokie Reviews
We contacted the above-mentioned John to find out more about the review and research process.
John says, “When I first started this project in 2020, I was the only expert taking care of everything – pokies and casino reviews, guides, blog articles. However, as the community was growing, I realised that to provide the best quality content, I needed to have a team. After all, one person cannot be an expert in everything. That’s how Alicia, Poppy and Charles joined the team. Each of them takes care of their own field: Alicia does pokie reviews, Poppy takes care of casino reviews, and Charles is our financial expert. BetPokies wouldn’t be the same without them”.
When it comes to the process of reviewing, John highlights, “I wanted to create a source that is trusted and unbiased. A source that does not copy the work of others yet makes its own research to provide readers with insights and lifehacks no one ever even thought of before. To write a review, a guide, or an article, we can ask our team of testers to participate. It usually helps with pokies and casino reviews, as one person simply either has to spend a lot of time testing, or test a product a couple of times and not notice any flaws. We also ask each other to check our reviews, articles or guides to give each piece a fresh perspective”.
While surfing the website, we noticed that BetPokies partners with some casinos and asked John if it has any effect on the review.
“No, not at all. As I said, we are aiming to provide unbiased and honest reviews, so even if we cooperate with a casino or a brand, it doesn’t mean we are going to sell their products, that is not our job. We are here to review, and if I or any other person from our team notices a possible flaw – we are going to mention it” – he explained.
For example, here’s how Spinbet, one of the casinos that worked with BetPokies, describes the cooperation with the brand:
“Our experience with BetPokies is truly rewarding, as their expert team has approved our casino bonus as the best. And, to be honest, throughout our partnership, we have observed nothing but the team’s hard work. They genuinely make their content interesting and trustworthy”.
A Fresh Look at Betsoft’s Super Sugar Pop – Hold & Win
We asked Gold to shortly review a recent pokie from one of the well-known providers in Australia. For this article, he has chosen Betsoft and their recently released pokie Sugar Pop – Hold & Win. Let’s take a look at what John says about the game!
Betsoft’s Super Sugar Pop – Hold & Win takes players into the brilliant worlds overstuffed with candy while promising scatter-pays gameplay fused with the popular Hold & Win game mechanic. The six vertical and five horizontal cells, which are colourful as though placed on the cake, are not a ground-breaking development. It is a fact that John often reminds the readers of his, “For a game to be able to restrict its marketing to only graphics is a pipe dream,” and this pokie has its strong points but also weak ones.
The main focus has been made on the Hold & Win Feature, as it is the core of the game and comes into play whenever the player lands eight or more Bonus Symbols on the reels. During this feature, interesting special icons like Crush, Double or Collect are used to have fun during the game. The Crush symbol eliminates all Bonus symbols from its respective reel and turns into a symbol whose value is the sum of all other cleared symbols. The Double symbol adds an extra value of 2 times to one or more random Bonus symbols that appear on the grid, and Collect emblems gather all present Bonus symbols into one and change into a new one whose value equals that of the sum. These mechanisms provide a level of strategy since every new symbol now resets the respin counter to three.
The Free Spins mode is another important feature and is activated after the player lands a minimum of four Scatter symbols. Multiplier Bombs, which go up to 100x in value, appear during these free spins and can immensely enhance your total winnings. This feature is very promising in terms of payout potential. However, the nature of this game is highly volatile. It may take time to achieve big wins as the payouts can be infrequent.
One important aspect that is worth mentioning is the adjustable RTP (Return to Player) of the game, that ranges from as high as 96.5% to as low as 92.48%, depending on the terms. However, prior to placing any wagers, it is advisable to check the RTP in the casino of your choice so as to get the best possible odds.
As John usually recommends to the users: “If you want to make some long-term gains, then knowing the RTP will help you a lot since you will know which titles to pick when searching for new ones.”
In any case, the abovementioned game Super Sugar Pop – Hold & Win provides an entertaining combination of its elements complemented with vivid visual effects and interesting gameplay. However, it does not present something completely unique and mostly uses free spins and scatter pays bonus rounds and features. Worth a try for casual gamers or candy-themed pokies fans. At the same time, perhaps it is over-directed for more innovative audiences. In spite of the above, though, it is a worthy addition to Betsoft’s portfolio with its combination of elements and winning possibilities that will suit most players.
Gamble Responsibly
Even though gambling can be fun and entertaining, remembering to keep it under control is a key rule for a good experience.
John says, “Unfortunately, I’ve seen how gambling can bring a lot of negativity to a person’s life. It’s great that nowadays gamblers have plenty of free sources and programs that may help them control it and keep it as safe as possible”.
On BetPokies, you will find a guide dedicated to responsible gambling, which consists of multiple recommendations, sources and programs one can use if needed. However, one feature of this guide is unique, as we’ve never seen any other gambling-related website do it – a self-check test.
This test is quick, as it consists of only seven questions, and may help gamblers recognise possible signs of an unhealthy gambling habit. In case your results turn out to be worrisome, this guide can advise a couple of ways to improve your state.
“We care about our readers a lot, and we always highlight the importance of responsible gambling in our works. Recently, I’ve made a decision also to include responsible gambling sections in our casino reviews, which provide practical tips on how to self-exclude yourself from a casino and set personal limits if it’s needed” – add John. Overall, if you’re a gambling enthusiast, we think the website is a good source for you, whether you are a beginner or a gambler with years of experience. It is a safe space with multiple practical recommendations on different topics. You can also contact the team through the “Contacts” page of their website or do it through email company@betpokies.org, whether you have a question or want to become a part of the team.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
