Gates of Olympus
Gates of Olympus pairs the highest RTP on the shortlist with high volatility, so it rewards patience and punishes impatience.
- RTP
- 96.5%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Greek Mythology
- Pragmatic Play
Deposit guide · Australia
Finding online pokies $20 deposit worth the deposit
A $20 deposit is the smallest amount most cashiers will take, and it is the only figure that appears in this page's terms. So the useful question is not how big the bonus looks, but what that deposit lets you do once the terms are applied.
- 5pokies compared
- 96.5%best published return
- A$5max bet on a bonus
The shortlist
The list, in order of return
The five pokies below are ranked on their published RTP and volatility, with the highest RTP first, and nothing else.
Checked on 19 October 2026
Sweet Bonanza
Sweet Bonanza sits just below it on RTP with a medium-high profile and by far the largest maximum win here.
- RTP
- 96.48%
- Volatility
- Medium-High
- Max win
- 21,100x
- Candy
- Pragmatic Play
Floating Dragon
Floating Dragon offers a similar RTP to the top two on a ten-line layout, which changes how often you see a return.
- RTP
- 96.35%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Lines
- 10
- Asian
- Pragmatic Play
Big Bamboo
Big Bamboo has the lowest RTP of the high-volatility group and the widest line count, so it plays differently again.
- RTP
- 96.13%
- Volatility
- High
- Lines
- 50
- Bamboo
- Push Gaming
Starburst
Starburst carries the lowest RTP here and the smallest maximum win, which is the trade-off for its gentler profile.
- RTP
- 96.08%
- Max win
- 800x
- Lines
- 10
- Space Gems
- NetEnt
All of it, in a table
Sort by whichever figure decides it for you.
| 1Gates of Olympus | 96.5% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 2Sweet Bonanza | 96.48% | Medium-High | 21,100x | Pragmatic Play |
| 3Floating Dragon | 96.35% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 4Big Bamboo | 96.13% | High | — | Push Gaming |
| 5Starburst | 96.08% | — | 800x | NetEnt |
Select a column heading to sort.
What the partner actually offers
The partner's published terms list a first deposit bonus of 600% cash bonus, daily cashback of 10% of losses, a minimum deposit of US$20 and a maximum bet on a bonus of A$5. Those are the only numbers that belong to this offer, and they are worth reading twice. The minimum is stated in US dollars while the bet cap is stated in Australian dollars, so the two figures sit in different currencies.
That difference matters more than the size of the percentage. A bonus percentage is a marketing number; the bet cap is an operating rule that follows the money through every spin on every pokie on the shortlist below. Neither figure tells you anything about whether you will win, because no deposit figure can.
Why the bet cap is the real story
A maximum bet on a bonus of A$5 sounds generous until you look at what the shortlist games expect. Sweet Bonanza, Floating Dragon, Big Bamboo and Gates of Olympus are all built around high or medium-high volatility, which means long quiet stretches punctuated by rare larger results. On a small balance, a low spin size is what keeps you in the game long enough for those stretches to pass.
The practical approach is to pick a spin size you would still be comfortable with if the balance halved, and to treat the cap as a ceiling rather than a target. If you find yourself wanting to raise the stake to recover a loss, that is the point to stop rather than the point to press.
Reading a pokie before you play it
The figures on the shortlist are long-run averages and design limits, not predictions for your session. An RTP of 96.5% on Gates of Olympus describes what the game returns over an enormous number of spins; it says nothing about the next hundred. A session can end above or below that average, and most individual sessions do.
A maximum win is the largest result the game's design allows, not a target you can steer towards, and the gap between the two is enormous on some titles here. Starburst tops out at 800x, while Sweet Bonanza runs to 21,100x. That spread tells you about the shape of the games, not about your chances of seeing either number.
FAQ
What readers ask about this
Is a $20 deposit enough to play online pokies in Australia?
It is the minimum the partner lists, so it is enough to open the offer and place bets within the cap. Whether it stretches far depends entirely on the spin size you choose, and smaller stakes last longer.
Why is the minimum deposit in US dollars and the bet cap in Australian dollars?
That is how the partner publishes the two terms, and it is worth knowing before you deposit. Check what your bank converts and what fee applies, because the amount that leaves your account may differ from the figure on the page.
Does the 600% bonus mean I can withdraw more?
No. A bonus percentage describes what is added to your balance, not what you keep or what you can withdraw. Bonus funds usually come with conditions, and you should read them before depositing rather than after.
Which pokies suit a small balance best?
Lower volatility and lower maximum bets tend to suit smaller balances, which is why Starburst appears on the shortlist alongside the high-volatility titles. The RTP figures are similar across the five, so it is the volatility and the line structure that separate them.