A Look at Australian Poker Machines

Slot machines in Australia are popularly called "poker machines." Slots as poker machines also go by other names, such as video poker and pokies. They are also played in the US. In Australia, they are better known as gaming machines.

Australia may be seen as one of the countries worldwide where poker machines have an incredible following, especially in New South Wales. In this state alone, 21 percent of all the poker machines around the world can be found - that's something like 180,000 units - and about 5 times as many in the US. The city registered $A238 billion in profits from poker machines for the year 1998 alone. Other Australian sates going crazy for poker machines include Victoria and Queensland. Overall, for 2002 to 2003, some 2 billion Australian dollars were collected as revenues from gambling with poker machines.

Poker machines usually use 5 reels to operate. They feature free games and bonuses, especially in levels of play. Playing poker machines can be done 243 ways and use up to 50 slots lines. The higher the level of play, the more challenging the play becomes, and the more profitable poker machines are to players. The thrills and the rewards set the players going back for more and going back with new recruits.

There is an estimated one casino for in every major city in the country, and poker machines are played there, as well us in pubs, social, and sports elite centers. More sectors fear that this poses a major concern in unmitigated gambling in the country; just imagine if a country as big as Australia has gambling as a major industry. Concern is voiced over the resulting work attitude and morality among Australians. But this still needs to be assessed scientifically, though.

New South Wales was first to dare legalize poker machines in the mid 1950s. The policy was that the clubs where they were played must be licensed for monitoring and tax purposes. Soon, other states followed suit when the poker machines proved popular. Different states have different law treatment of poker machines. In Queensland, the official policy is that establishments with poker machines should submit a profit rate of 85 percent while casinos 90 percent. This became a go signal for other states to have the same policy.

Poker machines are popular in Australia. The revenues collected from them are proof enough of the enthralling lure poker machines. Perhaps, it's time to check their behavioral effects on players, if any.