Where's the Gold RTP and volatility: what Aristocrat published and what each state requires

Return, per Aristocrat

94% to 97% (online showroom, several configurations)

Volatility, per Aristocrat

Medium (classic); medium-high (Jackpot Carnival Deluxe version)

Help file of the online version

No return figure

Lowest legal minimum

85% (NSW, VIC pubs and clubs, QLD, NT)

Highest legal minimum

90% (WA)

Only cap on return

92%, QLD clubs and hotels

What Aristocrat has published

The only return figure we could find from Aristocrat itself is in its old online showroom: Where’s the Gold, “25 Line”, volatility “Medium”, RTP “94% - 97%” [1]. The same range stands against every game in that list, because each could be supplied in several configurations with different returns.

Nothing more precise is published anywhere we looked:

• The online version’s help file gives the paytable and rules and no return at all [2].
• Victoria’s approval records list seven Where’s the Gold approvals between 2022 and 2025, for the Cash Express Luxury Line and Jackpot Carnival Deluxe versions, without return figures [10].
• Venues don’t publish the configuration of their machines.

Review sites quote figures such as 94.72%, 94.92% and 95%. They disagree with each other and none cites Aristocrat, so we don’t repeat any of them as the game’s return.

Volatility

Volatility describes how a game spreads its return: many small wins, or fewer and bigger ones. Aristocrat called the classic “Medium” [1]. Its catalogue lists the newer Jackpot Carnival Deluxe version as medium-high.

In the classic’s paytable you can see what medium looks like. The prospector and MINE pay from two of a kind, which keeps small wins coming, while five prospectors pay 1,000 times the line bet and the feature can add up to three gold wilds; the details are on the paytable page.

The legal minimum return in each state

Every state and territory sets a minimum return for gaming machines. Most write it into the Gaming Machine National Standard’s Appendix B [3]; some also put it in their own law.

A few details the table can’t hold:

• Victoria counts the whole venue. Pubs and clubs must return “not less than 85%” of what’s bet across all their machines over a calendar year [4]. A single machine can sit above or below that.
• Queensland also sets a ceiling. Machines in clubs and hotels must return between 85% and 92% [3], the only upper limit in the country.
• Western Australia bans reel machines. Crown Perth’s machines run without spinning reels, which is why Where’s the Gold appears there under the authorised game “Video Bingo”. Every game must be certified to return at least 90% [8].
• Tasmania raised its figure. Older Tasmanian standards gave 85%; the standards in force from 6 July 2026 require 87% [7].

What it means for one evening

A return is an average over an enormous number of spins, not a promise about yours. At a 94% return, the machine keeps $6 of every $100 played over the long run. In one evening, the feature might land twice in ten minutes or not at all for an hour, and both are normal for a medium-volatility game.

Two practical takeaways:

1. Fewer lines aren’t a better deal. Nothing in the rules says a smaller line count improves the return; it only switches off some winning lines. Cheats and tips goes through this.
2. Your budget is the number that matters. Decide it before you start. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, Gambling Help Online is free and confidential on 1800 858 858.