Pokies In Australia

Lets Play the Pokies!

The flash of lights, the spin of the wheels, the intake of breath, the expectant hush as the wheels settle into place, and then the adrenaline rush of that big win. Walk into any casino in the world and this will be the atmosphere that greets you. You will see banks of glittering machines populated by eager gamblers looking for the thrill of the win, big or small. Slot machines, Slots, or Pokies are the most popular gambling medium in the world, found in casinos in every country around the globe.

History of the pokies

Born in 1890 by Charles Fey, the Liberty Bell, the first slot machine, became an instant sensation in the United States. Migrating to Australia in the 1900s, pokies quickly caught the attention of the Australian people despite the illegal nature of the devices. Fifty three years later an Australian company called Aristocrat took pokies in Australia to a new level with the development of the Clubman, designed by Joe Heywood. Three years later New South Wales bowed to the will of the public, who had fallen in love with the pokies, and legalised gaming machines in registered clubs. Despite the relative simplicity of the games and the small jackpots available, the popularity of these machines continued to grow.

In the mid 1980s the slot machines made a huge leap forward in the form of video slots. More complex than its predecessor, the video slots offered more lines, more excitement and more ways to win. Queen of the Nile, 50 Lions, Indian Dreaming, Show Me The Money, and Mr. Cashman followed the Clubman from Aristocrat and continued to thrill and excite the people of Australia. Each Aussie pokie offered new ways to win, new challenges and exciting jackpots. Each of these land-based Australian pokies led the way in popularity with the Australian people.

The birth of online pokies

Fast forward to the 1990s and we introduce the next huge advancement in the pokies as the first Internet casinos opened offering a whole new way to play! Online host sites like Spin Palace, which handles more than 75% of all Australian online pokie players, to Mummy’s Gold that caters to beginning pokie players offering one hour of free play with real money that you can keep if you win have some of the most popular online pokie games.

Mega Moolah which pays out a massive progressive jackpot with its cute cartoony safari theme, to Thunderstruck II the sequel, to the most popular online pokie game ever are all created by Microgaming, the leading developer of online pokie software.

So why play online pokies instead of casino based pokies? The answer is simple; the house always wins in land-based pokies. The jackpots in land-based pokies are lower and profits go into the pockets of the casino owners. Online pokies in New Zealand and Australia, as well, however, pay-out up to 95% versus the 70-80% of land-based casinos. The biggest benefit however may be the ease and convenience of use. Just a simple download and you can be playing without the crush and hassle of crowded land venues. Online, your favourite Aussie pokie will never be taken and you can enjoy the thrill and adventure of pokie playing from the comfort of your living room couch.