The word “pokie” has been used by Australians and New Zealanders for decades to describe what the rest of the world knows to be casino slots. The origins of this unique lexical peculiarity can be found back in the beginning of Australia’s adoption of slot machines, and before Australian pokies online became popular.

Early History

Slot machines were first introduced to the general continental region in Tasmania in the early 1950s by the Aristocrat gaming company. In 1956, New South Wales became the first and only territory to legalize gambling on these machines, until the 1990s when other territories also legalized slots.

The first slot machines to enter the market were called the “Clubmaster.” These machines were the old-style, mechanical kind with three reels, activated by pulling a lever on the side of the machine. They were called slot machines because the player put a coin into a slot to bet, and then pulled the lever to spin the reels. The first slot machine reels had poker card faces or fruit.

These machines were pretty basic to run and maintain, although they did not offer a very diverse range of graphic interfaces. In other words, players could either choose to play machines featuring poker cards or fruit. This is probably the reason why they became known as “pokies.”

The 80s

This era introduced video slot machines into the mix, and catered to the need by players for faster and more varied versions of slots. The electronic operation of the machines also rendered the side lever redundant. Players merely pushed a button to activate the reels. The new design also innovated the user interface of the games, introducing more than three reels, faster spins, and differently themed graphics.

The 80s was the era of wild fun and excitement, which translated into the type of casino games that were produced for the market. Machines came out with multiple reels and multiple paylines, offering a better chance to win. They also included more sound effects, which roused the senses and got the adrenaline pumping. Instead of the simple poker face cards of fruit, game designers brought out adventure themes, or referenced popular media products and characters to entice and thrill players.

The 90s

As mentioned before, Australia had one legitimate territory for playing pokies, from the 50s, all the way up till the 90s, when local governments recognized the potential income of this form of gambling. In 1991, Queensland and Victoria legalized pokies. Then, in 1992, South Australia followed suit. In 1997, Tasmania legalized the games, and in 1998, the Northern Territory did the same. Western Australia remains the only territory not to have legalized pokies, although Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) are legal at casinos.

The 21st Century

Technological advances over the last two decades have introduced brighter, louder, more engaging pokies to Australian societies, with a vast array of themes to pick from, including adventure and horror. They can be found not only in casinos, but also in sports bars, pubs, and clubs.

As a form of entertainment, they represent a significant investment in the players’ time and money. There are roughly 197,000 registered pokie machines being operated in Australia. As a form of annual revenue, they represent quite a substantial tax income for the Australian governments. Australian governments realized a total of A$3.2 billion in the 2013/2014 tax year from pokies alone.

With the ever-encroaching presence of the internet, and the ability to access the worldwide web from any device, pokies are no longer a car ride away but can be played anywhere, at any time.

Numerous gaming companies, such as Aristocrat, IGT, and Ainsworth, have invested a substantial amount of resources into making playable, user-friendly and diverse online pokie games. They can be played with real money, or for free, simply for the thrill of it. Pokie games online can be hosted by casino websites, or players can download an app to their phones, allowing them to connect and play without needing to log in to a site.

Where Australians were once enthralled with the old-fashioned way of playing pokies, they now have the opportunity to play pokies on any device, be it tablet, smartphone, smart television, laptop, desktop, or (coming soon, no doubt) neural net. Internet technology has shifted the paradigm, improved accessibility, and allowed a broader range of developers to create new and interesting pokies, without having to rely on capital investment to manufacture a physical product. Pokies are the most popular casino game in Australia. They are definitely here to stay and, thanks to technology, they are certainly a far cry from the hokey pokies of last century.