Review summary
Over 250 interactive games, several currencies and unparalleled player security make for a strong web presence.
Founded in 1998, Lucky Nugget is one of the oldest online casinos still around today. Now owned by respected casino group Digimedia, Ltd, the site has worked hard to stay with the times by employing Microgaming to provide the software for their 300+ games and also the latest in e-security.
The games offered by Lucky Nugget vary dramatically. Players that use the casino will enjoy access to leading titles like Playboy and Jurassic park pokies, but there are also many table games and challenging arcade-style games as well. Players that join Lucky Nugget can experience most of the games instantly right in their web browser. They can even game on a mobile device using a phone or tablet to test out these games while on the go.
Lucky Nugget is licensed by the Malta Gaming authority and has an eCOGRA logo proving that it takes security very seriously and that players are safe to play there. Couple the excellent levels of security with reliable customer support that’s available to Australian players both day and night, and you have a trustworthy casino to play at and to bet money at.
Players that join Lucky Nugget will find it easy to get started at. The AUD is an accepted currency at the casino, and players can use MasterCard, Visa, debit card and both Skrill and Neteller in order to fund their account. New players can receive up to AU $1000 in bonus money with the same sized deposit, allowing them with even more money to gamble with after becoming a member and meeting the bonus requirements completely.
Lucky Nugget is a reliable online casino to play at for all Aussie pokie players. It offers a decent game selection and excellent mobile support. The site also makes it simple for Aussie players to get started gaming, and really offers a lot of perks after you’re a long-term member of the site.
quick facts
Aus players accepted | |
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Name: | Lucky Nugget Casino |
Established: | 1998 |
Licensed In: | Malta |
Owned By: | Digimedia, Ltd |
Payout Speed: | 24 hours to a week (depending on method) |
Languages: | 10 |
Currencies: | 17, including AUD |
Software type: | Micograming |
Contact | [email protected] |
Website: | luckynuggetcasino.com |
Deposit options: | mastercard, neteller, paysafecard, poli, skrill, visa |
Rating breakdown
Lucky Nugget ranks well across security features, payout time, game variety and customer support although it lacks in terms of bonus information and software
Lucky Nugget’s large selection of pokies, variety of AUD banking options, and superb e-security more than make for up for its lack of quality bonuses and promotions.
Standout Features
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Over 300 popular pokies
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24/7 customer support
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eCOGRA certified
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128-bit SSL encryption
Overall
Don’t let that one low score fool you, as Lucky Nugget’s bonus offerings aren’t that much less than other online casinos. It’s still a fine place to play for all Aussies looking for a simple and reliable place to play online pokies.
Detailed review
Software
If you’ve played on an online casino that uses Microgaming software before, then you know exactly what to expect even before you begin playing. While Lucky Nugget’s lobby menu is pretty outdated and looks like it has changed very little since the casino’s founding in 1998, the games themselves are all as up-to-date as they could possibly be. Virtually every game is available to play for free as well, so you can figure out if you even want to wager real money on a particular pokie or table game before actually doing so.
The software is available for download right on Lucky Nugget’s site, but there is also an in-browser Flash version you can play. Same goes for mobile--play either in your browser or download Lucky Nugget’s dedicated app from the link on this page. Android, Apple, Blackberry, and a few other device types are all accepted.
Great banking options and top-notch security help to round out a good experience that may not have the best bonuses, but it does offer a good selection of games.
The Microgaming-powered casino features a wide variety of standard and custom games with engaging graphics and audio. Unfortunately, while this makes for a better gaming experience, it often leads to longer loading time and frequent drops for users with slower Internet connections. The Quick Play flash casino can be played through the browser and is a suitable alternative in such cases.
Another drawback to the popular casino is the lack of information on bonuses and promotions. Details are often hard to find and unclear on the requirements to cash out. However, Lucky Nugget makes up for these inconveniences with the consistently reliable and high quality software powered by industry-leader Microgaming. Apart from outstanding graphics and animations, players benefit from increased security during payouts and are guaranteed fairness of winnings independently checked for randomness by eCogra. Customer support is available 24/7 via live chat, phone or email in multiple languages.
Security & reputation
Owned by Digimedia Ltd, the same group responsible for popular online casinos like Royal Vegas, Lucky Nugget is also backed by licensure from the Malta Gaming Authority. The casino has been around long enough to develop a core base of supporters and bring in new ones on a regular-enough basis to still be a respected name in many players’ circles for all these years. Lucky Nugget is also eCOGRA-certified, meaning they undergo regular fair play audits on their games and operations. This also means they must publish regular payout percentage reports, and at a recent glance payouts for all pokies were at a solid 96.38%.
All transactions on Lucky Nugget are facilitated by Datacash, Ltd, the same payment processing organization used by several of the world’s largest banks and e-commerce stores. Financial information as well as your personal data is protected by their 128-bit secure socket layer (SSL) technology, making it near impossible for an outsider to gain access to your credentials.
Banking, Deposits, and Withdrawals
A nice touch about the banking page on Lucky Nugget’s site is that you can sort it by country to see which deposit and withdrawal options are accepted from Australia (or a number of other countries). Aussies can use 16 different methods to deposit (and just a few less for withdrawals) which include MasterCard, VISA, Maestro, Neteller, Skrill, Wire Transfers and a few others. Deposits are instantaneous when using most of these methods and withdrawals range from 24 hours to a week depending on your bank and method of choice.
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Games & pokies
Despite the site’s other downfalls, it does boast a considerable collection of pokies at more than 300 titles. These include classic reels, video pokies, progressive jackpots, and ‘pub fruit’ slots. LN also offers Mega-Spin pokies, letting you play on more than one machine at the same time. Since they are run on Microgaming software, the games all have that incredibly modern look that you’ve come to know and love from the world’s leading casino software provider.
Plenty of table game action can also be found at Lucky Nugget. This includes various forms of blackjack, video poker, roulette, keno, and more. If you’re a mobile player, know that your game selection will be severely limited compared to if you were playing on a desktop computer or laptop.
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Roulette5 VARIETIES
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Pokies & slots400+ POKIES
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Video poker180 VARIETIES
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Baccarat4 VARIETIES
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Blackjack12 VARIETIES
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Craps3 VARIETIES
Customer service
Lucky Nugget Casino has a pretty detailed FAQ on their site to help you answer your most common questions. Should you not find what you are looking for there, they also have 24/7 live chat that seems pretty responsive, as well as an Aussie dedicated phone line. There’s also a customer support email address if you prefer to take that route, too.
Bonuses / promotions
When you sign up for Lucky Nugget Casino, you’ll have two options in the way of welcome bonuses to choose from. The first is a 150% match on your first deposit up to $200, and option two is a 100% match on your first deposit up to $1,000. The bonus is deposited instantly to your account, however you will have to wager 50x the amount of your wager times the bonus before you can withdraw those gifted funds, a pretty high rate compared to many other online casinos. The percentage of your wagers that counts toward this requirement varies by game type, from 100% for pokies and keno to 10% for video poker to not counting at all when you play roulette or most of the other table games.
If you were hoping that Lucky Nugget would make up for these tying stipulations by offering a slew of other special promotions, then you might be a little disappointed. The site claims to offer weekly and even daily special promotions that reward its players with free spins and credits, however we couldn’t find the specifics about these bonuses anywhere on Lucky Nugget’s site or even within their software. However, they do have a VIP program in which you earn loyalty points, anywhere from 1-3 (depending on the game) for every $10 you deposit and wager. Two-hundred loyalty points equals one real money credit that can then be wagered any way you like.
Summary
Lucky Nugget is one of the easiest online casinos to get started with. It supports a large number of deposit methods and offers a good selection of pokies with more than 300 to choose from. That said, it pays out a bit less than other online casinos, returning just 89% of the total money taken in, and its average payout times of between 4 and 6 days is a bit slower than some of our top recommended sites.
Why Lucky Nugget pokies are worth trying
Lucky Nugget has all the most important things taken care of that a quality online casino should: a huge selection of pokies and table games on great software, strong security, and 24/7 customer support.
- Latest pokie and table games from industry-leader Microgaming
- 300+ pokies and counting
- Play for free or real money on most games
- Great payout rate on pokies and all games in general
- Banking options easily viewable by country
- The strongest banking security around