Floating Dragon
Floating Dragon is the highest published return on the shortlist at 96.35%, with high volatility and 10 lines.
- RTP
- 96.35%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 5,000x
- Lines
- 10
- Asian
- Pragmatic Play
Pokie guide · Australia
Golden Gong: what the numbers say before you spin
Golden Gong is a five-reel, three-row Aristocrat pokie with 25 paylines, high volatility and a minimum bet of A$0.01. This page sets out the published figures and what free-play versions are, so you can read the numbers before deciding anything.
- HighVolatility
Published, and checkable
- Volatility
High
How unevenly the return arrives
- Grid
- 5x3
- Paylines
- 25
- Minimum bet
- A$0.01
- Provider
- Aristocrat
- Released
- 2022
What the features actually do: Golden Gong
High volatility
The published volatility for Golden Gong is high. That describes how returns are spread over many spins, not what will happen in yours.
25 paylines
The game runs 25 paylines on a 5x3 grid. Paylines determine which combinations pay, not how often a winning combination appears.
Aristocrat release
Golden Gong was released by Aristocrat in 2022. The provider name tells you who made the game; it does not change the return figure.
Asian spiritual theme
The theme is listed as Asian spiritual, and the game includes a jackpot. Theme and jackpot are presentation and feature, not evidence about your session.
Step by step through a spin
- 01
Set the stake
The minimum bet is A$0.01, and the game allows you to choose the stake per spin. Pick an amount you are willing to lose, because every spin is a cost, not an investment.
- 02
Spin the reels
Each spin lands symbols on the 5x3 grid. The result is random; the previous spin has no effect on the next.
- 03
Check the paylines
Wins are counted on the 25 paylines. A losing spin is the normal case, especially with high volatility.
- 04
Consider free play
If you want to see how the game behaves without staking, use a free-play version. It uses the same reels and paylines, so the pattern is the same minus the money.
In order, with the reasons
The table below ranks a shortlist of pokies by their published return, from highest to lowest, so you can see how Golden Gong's figures sit alongside others.
Figures checked on 16 October 2026
The figures together
Sort by whichever figure decides it for you.
| 1Floating Dragon | 96.35% | High | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 2Big Bamboo | 96.13% | High | — | Push Gaming |
| 3Starburst | 96.08% | — | 800x | NetEnt |
| 4Wolf Gold | 96.01% | Medium | 5,000x | Pragmatic Play |
| 5Queen of the Nile | 95.98% | Medium | 800x | Aristocrat |
Select a column heading to sort.
Big Bamboo
Big Bamboo follows at 96.13%, also high volatility, with 50 lines.
- RTP
- 96.13%
- Volatility
- High
- Lines
- 50
- Bamboo
- Push Gaming
Starburst
Starburst is published at 96.08%, with 10 lines and a maximum win figure of 800x.
- RTP
- 96.08%
- Max win
- 800x
- Lines
- 10
- Space Gems
- NetEnt
Reading the numbers behind the game
Golden Gong was released in 2022 by Aristocrat. The grid is 5x3 with 25 paylines, the declared volatility is high, and the minimum bet is A$0.01. The theme is described as Asian spiritual, and the game is listed as having a jackpot. Those are the only specifications given; anything beyond them is guesswork.
High volatility is a description of how returns are distributed, not a promise about any single session. It means the game is designed to pay less often but potentially in larger amounts when it does pay. The minimum bet is a floor, not a recommendation of what to stake, and the presence of a jackpot does not change the underlying odds of the base game.
Free play and what it does not change
Free play means running the game without staking real money. In a free-play version the reels, the paylines and the published volatility are the same as the paid version; only the stake is absent. It is a way to see how often the game pays and how the features trigger, without a balance at risk.
Free play does not change the return figure. A long-run average is a property of the game's design, not of whether you are playing for fun or for cash. If a free-play version is offered by a venue or an app, it is the same maths running behind the screen; the difference is only what is at stake.
Venue and online returns are not the same
A pokie in a venue and the same pokie online can be configured with different return percentages. The venue version may be set to a lower return than a version offered online, even when the name, the grid and the theme are identical. The published figures for the game tell you what the design permits, not which configuration you are looking at.
That is why a return figure should be read as a long-run average for the version in front of you. If you cannot find the configuration for the version you are playing, the figure from another version does not carry across. The gap between venue and online returns is a configuration choice, not a change in the game's rules.
Asked and answered
What is Golden Gong's volatility?
The published figure lists Golden Gong as high volatility. That means returns are designed to be less frequent and potentially larger when they arrive, which suits a longer session more than a short one.
How many paylines does Golden Gong have?
Golden Gong is published with 25 paylines on a 5x3 grid. The minimum bet is A$0.01, and the game is from Aristocrat, released in 2022.
Can I play Golden Gong for free?
Free-play versions run the same reels and paylines without real money at stake. The published figures do not change between free play and paid play; only the stake is different.
Does Golden Gong have a jackpot?
The published specification says Golden Gong has a jackpot. The figures do not state the size or the trigger, so treat the jackpot as a feature of the game rather than a plan.