Pelican Pete pokies are pure seaside fun: a goofy pelican, a lighthouse, a few fish and a free games round where the wilds stay put once they land. Aristocrat released it in 2004 on its MKVI hardware, and it has been a quiet favourite ever since.
Here is how Pelican Pete plays, why the sticky wilds matter, and where you can spin it free in an official app.
How Pelican Pete pokies play
Pelican Pete is a five-reel game with selectable lines: 1, 12, 25, 38 or 50, depending on how much of the screen you want covered. Pete the pelican is the wild and appears on reels 2 to 5. The lighthouse is the scatter and only lands on reels 1, 2 and 3. Like many machines of its time, it also has a gamble option where you can try to double or quadruple a win by picking a card colour or suit.
If lines and scatters are new to you, have a look at our pokie glossary.
The sticky wild free games
- Trigger: three lighthouse scatters on reels 1, 2 and 3 win 10 free games.
- Sticky wilds: any Pelican Pete wild that lands during the feature stays in place for all remaining free games.
- Extra games: up to 5 extra free games can be won during the feature.
The appeal is obvious once you see it. Each pelican that lands makes every later spin better, so a feature that picks up two or three early wilds can snowball nicely.
History and trivia
Pelican Pete came out in 2004 on Aristocrat's MKVI platform. It started a little run of sticky-wild games: Miss Kitty followed in 2006 and Harlequin Hearts in 2008, both built around the same idea of wilds that lock in during free games. If you enjoy that style, Miss Kitty is the obvious next stop. More on the MKVI years is on our history page.
What to expect when you play
The base game is gentle, with plenty of small wins on 50 lines. The feature is where it gets interesting, and how much it pays depends almost entirely on how early the pelicans show up. Venue return to player is set within state limits. Keep to a budget, and if it stops being fun, our play-safely page has tips.
Where to play Pelican Pete free
Pelican Pete was added to Heart of Vegas, Aristocrat's social casino app by Product Madness, which uses play coins with no cash value. Line-ups change over time, so check the lobby. Other options are in our free Aristocrat pokies guide.
Can't find it online?
Look for 50-line seaside pokies where wilds stick in place for the whole free games round. We explain the honest situation, and which mechanics to look for, on our can you play Aristocrat pokies online page.
If it stops being fun, read our play-safely page.
