Pokie review · Australia
Gates of Olympus is a Pragmatic Play release from 2021 with a published return of 96.5% and high volatility. This page reads those figures plainly — what the average means over time, what high volatility does to a session, and what chasing the free spins can cost.
Figures checked on 16 October 2026
A 96.5% return, high volatility and a 5,000x cap make Gates of Olympus a game where the free spins are the product and the wait for them is the cost.
Paid placement. Paid placement. The operator pays for this position; it does not affect anything measured on this page.
96.5%
Long-run average across all spins, online versionHigh
How unevenly the return arrives5,000x
Multiple of the stakePragmatic Play publishes a return to player of 96.5% for Gates of Olympus. That is a long-run average across an enormous number of spins, not a target for your session; a short session can land well above or well below it and neither result tells you anything about the next spin. The top prize is capped at 5,000x, and there is no jackpot attached.
The grid is 6x5 and pays by scatter rather than fixed lines, with wins credited when eight to thirty matching symbols land anywhere. Eight matching symbols is the minimum, thirty the maximum, so the pay structure rewards clusters rather than rows. The volatility is published as high, which is the single most useful figure here for anyone deciding what stake to bring.
Four or more scatters trigger the bonus game with fifteen free spins. Multiplier symbols carrying values up to 500x can land in both the base game and the free spins, and during the feature the winning multiplier values are added into one total that is then applied to that win. Tumbling reels remove winning symbols and let new ones drop in, so a single spin can produce several consecutive wins.
That combination is what makes the feature feel close and makes it expensive to chase. A high-volatility game with a 5,000x ceiling does not deliver its return in small regular pieces; it delivers it in rare large ones, which means the stretch before a trigger is normal, not unlucky. Treating the free spins as owed to you after a quiet run is the mistake this game is built to punish.
The partner publishes a first deposit bonus of 600% cash, daily cashback of 10% of losses, a minimum deposit of US$20 and a maximum bet on a bonus of A$5. The last figure matters most: if you take a bonus, your stake is capped, and a high-volatility game on a capped stake takes longer to reach the spins you are waiting for. Cashback is calculated on losses, so it is a partial cushion, not a rebate on turnover.
The published return and the 5,000x maximum are the two numbers to hold on to, and neither is a promise. The return is an average measured over a very long run, and the maximum is a ceiling that the overwhelming majority of sessions never approach. Bring a stake you can lose without it mattering, and decide the stopping point before the first spin rather than during a dry run.
Below are five pokies with published returns close to Gates of Olympus, listed so the volatility and lines columns can be read side by side.
Big Bamboo carries a higher published return at 96.13% and the same high volatility, with fifty lines instead of scatter pays.
Starburst returns 96.08% but caps at 800x, well under the 5,000x published for Gates of Olympus.
Wolf Gold returns 96.01% with medium volatility and the same 5,000x maximum, a gentler ride to the same ceiling.
Queen of the Nile returns 95.98% at medium volatility with an 800x cap and twenty lines.
Pompeii returns 95.96% at medium volatility with a 1,500x cap across 243 lines.
| 1Big Bamboo | 96.13% | High | — | Push Gaming |
| 2Starburst | 96.08% | — | 800x | NetEnt |
| 3Wolf Gold | 96.01% | Medium | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 4Queen of the Nile | 95.98% | Medium | 800x | Aristocrat |
| 5Pompeii | 95.96% | Medium | 1,500x | Aristocrat |
Select a column heading to sort.
Pragmatic Play publishes it at 96.5%. Some third-party listings show different values, and the provider's own published figure is the one used here. It is a long-run average, not a guarantee for any session.
Yes, volatility is published as high. That means paying spins are less frequent but can be larger, so bankroll swings are wider than on a medium-volatility game with a similar return.
Four or more scatters landing at once trigger the bonus game with fifteen free spins. Multiplier symbols with values up to 500x can land during the feature and are added into a single total applied to that win.
The published maximum is 5,000x your stake. There is no jackpot. The cap applies across the round, and most sessions finish far below it.