Three main points emerge when examining Buffalo King Megaways RTP versions and Australian online gambling law. Pragmatic Play lists a single RTP of 96.52% for this pokie. Any other versions found are claims from reviews rather than figures from the provider. No online casino is legally allowed to provide the game to individuals located in Australia. And Australians rarely search for it.
The game in brief
Pragmatic Play created Buffalo King Megaways as a Megaways take on its American-frontier buffalo pokie. It has six tumbling reels, meaning winning symbols clear away and new ones drop in.
A payout of up to 100 times the bet and 12–22 free spins are given for landing 4–6 bonus symbols. A 2x, 3x or 5x multiplier is attached to every wild during free spins. Five extra spins are added if three or more bonus symbols appear during the feature, and Pragmatic Play says the feature can retrigger with no limit.
What Pragmatic Play confirms, and what it leaves out
RTP: one published figure
A single return to player of 96.52% is shown on the game page from the provider.
A separate review notes a range of 96.49–96.52% based on Ante Bet, and 96.50% for Bonus Buy. The Pragmatic Play page doesn't mention Bonus Buy or Ante Bet, and it provides no other RTP. View those numbers as the report of one reviewer.
Check the info screen in a game if you find a smaller number there. Don't assume the 96.52% is the one that applies.
Ways to win, and the figures that don't belong
Pragmatic Play claims there are "over 200,000 ways to win". Reviews state the precise maximum is 200,704, which is correct.
This aligns with the detail that the four central reels can have up to eight symbols while the two outer reels can have up to seven: 7 × 7 × 8 × 8 × 8 × 8 = 200,704. An assertion found elsewhere that each reel contains 2–8 symbols is inconsistent with that sum.
Two additional sets of figures are either incorrect or refer to other games:
- 117,649 ways and a December 2020 release date. These are not for this game. The provider's page does not list a release year.
- 4,096 ways, 96.06% RTP and medium volatility. These refer to the original, non-Megaways Buffalo King, which is a separate game.
Certain pages refer to the ways as "paylines". They are not. Buffalo King Megaways calculates matching symbols on neighbouring reels, and the total number of ways varies with every spin.
Max win, volatility and stakes: not on the provider page
The Pragmatic Play page doesn't list a maximum win, volatility rating or stake range.
High volatility and a 5,000x maximum win are often mentioned by secondary listings, and one review gives volatility a 5 out of 5 rating. These numbers might be correct, but they originate from those sites rather than the provider. A maximum stake per spin is also mentioned in one review. With no provider figure for verification, ignore it.
Beside Pragmatic Play's most-searched pokies in Australia
We looked at Google Ads estimates for the average monthly search volume of "<name> slot" in Australia. These numbers track interest rather than the number of players.
By this metric, Buffalo King Megaways is 341st out of 383 Pragmatic Play games that have a figure. The most popular titles from the provider in Australia are:
- Sugar Rush 1000: 210
- Gates of Olympus: 210
- Sweet Bonanza 1000: 170
- Wolf Gold: 140
- Vegas Nights: 140
- Asgard: 90
- Mines+: 70
- Sugar Rush: 70
The following mechanics are taken from the provider page for each game. For Gates of Olympus, the details are from the Gates of Olympus 1000 page.
| Game | Layout and wins | Multipliers | Free spins trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo King Megaways | Six tumbling reels, up to 200,704 ways | Wilds 2x, 3x or 5x, free spins only | 4–6 bonus symbols, 12–22 spins |
| Sugar Rush 1000 | 7×7 grid, clusters of 5+ adjacent symbols, tumbles | Marked positions build up to 1,024x | 3+ scatters; marks and multipliers kept through the feature |
| Gates of Olympus 1000 | 6×5 grid, 8+ matching symbols anywhere | Random 2x–1,000x, including in the base game | 4+ scatters, 15 free games |
| Sweet Bonanza 1000 | 6×5 grid, 8+ matching symbols, tumbles | Candy bombs up to 1,000x in the bonus | 4+ lollipops, 10 spins |
| Wolf Gold | Three scatters trigger the bonus | 1,000x Mega Jackpot if all 15 positions fill in respins | 3 scatters, 5 spins, unlimited retriggers |
| Vegas Nights | 3×5, 25 lines | Wilds 2x or 3x in free spins, max 81x | Free spins plus Extra Wilds respins |
The main difference is where the big multipliers sit. In the three most-searched games, multipliers that can hit 1,000x or more appear on the grid. Gates of Olympus 1000 can generate these even during the base game.
Buffalo King Megaways tops out at 5x per wild, and this happens only during free spins. It relies on the number of ways for its scale instead.
The provider also mentions a bonus buy at a 100x bet for Gates of Olympus 1000 and a maximum win of 25,000x for Sweet Bonanza 1000. The Buffalo King Megaways page mentions neither.
Wolf Gold is the nearest match in terms of structure, as its free spins also retrigger without limit.
A volatility rating isn't provided on any of these provider pages. This includes the page for Buffalo King Megaways, so these mechanics by themselves can't tell you which game has higher volatility.
The law for a player in Australia
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits the advertising or provision of online casino games, such as online pokies, to individuals located within Australia. This rule applies to both offshore and Australian providers.
In practice:
- No online casino can legally provide this game to you during your stay in Australia. Any real-money version found online is provided illegally.
- Providers, rather than players, commit the offences. The federal regulator, ACMA, uses internet service providers to block illegal offshore casino sites.
- Online pokies have no minimum RTP or stake cap in Australia. Because no online casino can obtain an Australian licence to implement one, no Australian regulation determines the RTP or stake range for this game online.
- The 2026 reforms don't change this. According to ACMA, most changes from the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) take effect on 1 January 2027. These changes apply to enforcement and advertising, with no exception for online pokies.
- Pokies aren't covered by BetStop. The national self-exclusion register applies to licensed phone and online wagering, not casino games.
A free demo is available on the Pragmatic Play game page, allowing you to view the free-spin wilds and tumbles without a stake. Regardless of where you play pokies, set a limit before you start and stick to it.