Cookie Policy
This page lists every cookie and similar local-storage technology used by Online Pokies, what each one does, how long it lasts, who can read it, and how to switch it off if you'd rather it weren't set. The wider picture of what data is collected and how it's processed is covered separately on the Privacy Policy page; this cookie policy is the technical companion to it. The broader description of what the site is and who writes for it lives on the About page.
What a cookie actually is
A cookie is a small text file dropped into your browser's storage by a website you visit. It holds a short string — usually a random identifier or a preference value — plus a little metadata: which domain set it, when it expires, whether it can travel over plain HTTP or only HTTPS, and whether it can be sent to other sites in cross-domain requests. The site that set the cookie can read it back on later page loads; other sites generally cannot, unless the original site has explicitly opened third-party access through the cookie's flags.
Browsers also support related local-storage mechanisms — `localStorage`, `sessionStorage` and IndexedDB — which behave much the same from a privacy standpoint. Online Pokies uses cookies and `localStorage` only; we don't use IndexedDB, fingerprinting techniques, or other unconventional state-storage methods.
What this site uses cookies for
Three reasons, in declining order of necessity:
- Strictly necessary. Holding your consent choice (so the cookie banner doesn't reappear on every page load), remembering accessibility preferences (dark/light mode, font-size override), and keeping your position in long pages between sessions.
- Analytics. Anonymous traffic measurement that tells us which pages get read, which inbound search terms send the most readers to which guides, and which outbound links get clicked. We use a privacy-respecting analytics provider (Plausible, or a self-hosted Umami instance depending on the deployment); neither sets third-party advertising cookies, both report aggregated visits rather than individual sessions, and IP addresses aren't stored beyond the request that generates them.
- Affiliate attribution. When you click an outbound link to a casino operator, a short-lived cookie or URL parameter records that the click came from us. If you then register on the operator's site and meet their qualifying conditions, the operator pays a commission. The mechanics are described in the Affiliate Disclosure. The attribution cookie is set on the operator's domain once you arrive there, not on this one — but it's worth flagging here because clicking an affiliate link triggers it.
Online Pokies runs no advertising on this site. We don't use Google Ads, Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, or any other behavioural ad network's tracking. We don't sell or trade visitor data to third parties.
The cookies, listed
The table below is exhaustive for cookies set directly by this site. Cookies set on partner-operator domains after a click-through are listed in those operators' own cookie policies, not here.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| op_consent | Online Pokies | Stores your cookie-banner choice so it doesn't reappear | 12 months | Strictly necessary |
| op_pref_theme | Online Pokies | Remembers dark/light mode preference | 12 months | Strictly necessary |
| op_pref_fontsize | Online Pokies | Stores accessibility font-size override | 12 months | Strictly necessary |
| _pk_id.* | Analytics provider | Anonymous visitor identifier for aggregate session counting | 13 months | Analytics |
| _pk_ses.* | Analytics provider | Marks a session boundary (rolls over after 30 minutes of inactivity) | 30 minutes | Analytics |
| op_ref | Online Pokies | Records which guide or list referred a click on an outbound operator link | 30 days | Analytics |
Local-storage entries are limited to two: op_toc_state, which remembers whether the table of contents on long guides is open or collapsed; and op_last_visit, which holds a timestamp used to suppress duplicate "back from a long absence" prompts. Both are first-party, both clear when you clear site storage in your browser, and neither leaves your device.
How to switch cookies off
Three layers of control are open to you, in increasing order of strength.
Browser settings. Every mainstream desktop and mobile browser offers controls to refuse third-party cookies entirely, to clear cookies on close, or to wipe cookies and local storage manually at any time. On Chrome, Safari and Firefox the relevant menu is Settings → Privacy. This site works fully with third-party cookies disabled — we use none.
This site's banner. The first time you visit, you'll see a consent banner. Choosing "Decline" sets only the necessary cookies and skips the analytics ones. You can change that choice at any time through the "Cookie settings" link in the footer; the new choice takes effect immediately and overrides the previous one.
Network-level blocking. Browser extensions such as uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger or NextDNS can block analytics requests at the network layer, which stops the relevant cookies from ever being set. These tools also block third-party tracking on operator sites you visit after clicking through from here.
Cookies set by other parties
If you click an outbound link to an operator, that operator may set its own cookies on its domain once you arrive. Those cookies are governed by the operator's own cookie policy, not by this one. Online Pokies can't read them and doesn't control their lifespan. The Affiliate Disclosure describes which outbound links are affiliated and which aren't; clicking an affiliated link triggers an attribution cookie on the operator's side regardless of your consent state here.
The badges in the footer (responsible gambling resources and DMCA) are static images served from this domain and set no cookies. The links to Gambling Help Online and BetStop are plain hyperlinks; whether those sites set cookies is governed by their own policies, which you can read on their domains.
Updates to this cookie policy
When the cookies set by this site change in any substantive way (the documented process for any content change sits in the Editorial Policy) — a new cookie added, an existing one's duration extended, a new analytics provider — this page is updated and the "Last updated" date at the top is moved forward. The cookie banner will resurface for everyone if the changes affect what's required for consent under Australian privacy law or under the GDPR, even if you've previously made a choice.
If anything on this page is unclear, contact us via the Contact page. We respond in writing, on the record, and keep the answers on file so the same question doesn't have to be asked twice.