Where the Name "Pokies" Comes From
Some of the earliest coin-operated gambling machines were based on poker. In the early 1890s, the Sittman and Pitt company of Brooklyn, New York, produced a machine with five drums holding 50 playing card faces. Players inserted a coin, pulled a lever and hoped to land a good poker hand. These machines did not pay out automatically; prizes such as drinks or cigars were usually handed over by the venue.
Around the same period, sometime between 1887 and 1895, Charles Fey in San Francisco developed the Liberty Bell, a three-reel machine with symbols such as horseshoes, bells and card suits. Because it used fewer symbols, the machine could pay out coins automatically. Its basic design of spinning reels and symbol combinations became the template for slot machines that followed.
In Australia and New Zealand, the name "poker machine" stuck, even after the games stopped using poker hands. Over time, it was shortened to "pokies". In the United States and United Kingdom, the same machines are usually called slot machines or slots, after the coin slot. In official and regulatory language, they are often called electronic gaming machines (EGMs).
A Brief History of Pokies in Australia
Poker machines were legalised in New South Wales clubs on 19 September 1956. Australian manufacturer Aristocrat, founded in Sydney in the 1950s, became one of the best-known makers of these machines and remains a major global supplier today. You can read more about the company in our Aristocrat Gaming review.
Other states and territories introduced gaming machines over the following decades. Today, pokies are found in pubs, clubs and casinos in most of the country. Western Australia is the main exception: it allows poker machines only in its casino in Perth, not in local pubs and clubs.
Pokies are far more common in Australia than in most countries. The Australia Institute estimates that Australia has around three-quarters of the world's pub and club poker machines.
The machines themselves have changed a great deal. Mechanical reels gave way to electronic machines and then to video screens, allowing games with more reels, more ways to win and more complex bonus features. Linked jackpot games, such as Lightning Link and Dragon Link, became familiar sights in Australian venues.
How Pokies Work
Modern pokies look very different from their mechanical ancestors, but they all follow the same basic principles.
A Random Number Generator Decides Every Spin
Inside every modern pokie is a random number generator (RNG), software that continuously produces random numbers. When you press spin, the number selected at that moment determines where the reels stop. The spinning animation is just a display of a result that has already been decided. Each spin is independent, so past results have no effect on future ones. Our guide to how slot machines work and our Slot RNG Explained guide go into more detail.
Wins Are Formed by Matching Symbols
Each game has a set of symbols with different values, listed in its paytable. Wins are formed in different ways depending on the game, including fixed paylines, ways to win on adjacent reels and cluster pays for groups of matching symbols.
Bonus Features Add Variety
Most modern pokies include special features, such as wild symbols, scatter symbols, free spins and jackpots. Our guide to slot bonus features explains the most common types.
The House Always Has an Edge
Every pokie is designed to pay back less than it takes in over the long run. The percentage it is designed to return is called the return to player (RTP), and the remainder is the house edge. Our guide to pokies RTP explains how this works, and our Slot Volatility Explained guide shows how games with similar RTPs can still behave very differently.
Common Types of Pokies
- Classic pokies usually have three reels, a small number of paylines and simple symbols such as fruit, bars and sevens.
- Video pokies usually have five or more reels, detailed themes and animated bonus rounds. Most modern games fall into this group.
- Linked jackpot pokies connect a group of machines or games to shared jackpots that grow as people play. Our Progressive Jackpots Explained guide covers how they work.
- Megaways pokies change the number of symbols on each reel with every spin, creating a varying number of ways to win. See Megaways Slots Explained.
- Cluster and cascading pokies use grids where groups of matching symbols win and are replaced by new ones. See Cascading Reels Explained.
Pokies vs Other Casino Games
Pokies differ from other casino games in a few important ways.
- No decisions affect the result. In games such as blackjack or poker, the choices you make can influence the outcome. In pokies, you choose your bet and the game, but once you press spin, the result is entirely random.
- The pace is fast. A spin can take only a few seconds, so many more bets are placed per hour than at most table games. This means money can be spent quickly, even at small stakes.
- The odds are hidden. At a roulette table, you can see every possible outcome. In a pokie, the probabilities sit inside the game's software. The RTP shown in the game's information screen is the main clue to how it is designed to pay.
- Results vary widely. Depending on volatility, a pokie can go many spins without a significant win and then pay a large amount, which can make short-term results feel unpredictable.
Pokies in Venues vs Online Slots
Pokies in pubs, clubs and casinos are regulated by state and territory governments, which set rules for the machines and the venues that operate them. Online slots work on the same principles, but are made by online game studios such as Pragmatic Play and Play'n GO and often feature different mechanics and higher maximum wins.
In Australia, it is illegal for companies to offer online casino games, including online pokies, to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. If you want to see how an online slot works without spending money, our guide to demo slots explains how free-play versions work.
Playing Pokies Responsibly
Pokies are designed as paid entertainment, and over time players as a group lose more than they win. If you choose to play, decide on a budget and a time limit before you start, and never chase losses. Our guides on setting gambling limits and recognising gambling harm explain practical steps, and our Responsible Gambling page lists free support services. Gambling Help Online is available 24/7 on 1800 858 858.