What’s up with those Aussies? Why do they always speak so weirdly? Why do they call them pokies? And what’s up with them being the biggest gambling nation in the world? It seems wild to think that the nature-loving Aussies spend more than their US counterparts gambling, but when you take a closer look at the culture you might just understand why.
Today we are taking a deep dive into the Aussies, their affinity for electronic gambling machines, and how pokies are looked at within Australian society.
Source: internetpokies.org
Contents
Why are they called Pokies?
Aussies have a knack for shortening almost any word that they can get their hands on. That’s Maccas for McDonalds, servo for the service station, arvo for the afternoon, Shaz for Sheryl, Daz for Darren, and yes, Pokies for poker machines.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that spends more than a couple of weeks in Australia that Pokies are named the way they are. What is more difficult is deciphering the vast library of shortened words across the entire vernacular. The amount of shortening that goes on can also vary from city to country and from state to state, which can make it even more confusing.
If you’re in Australia and want to get along with the locals just go ahead and shorten some words. If someone looks at you quizzically, you can just say you heard it in the neighboring state. You’ll probably have a reply like ‘That’d be right, those drongos have no idea what they’re bloody doing half the time, they think they’re better because of that beach but they’re just a pack of… blah, blah, blah.’
Who plays Pokies?
Pokies players vary wildly in demographics, but often times it’ll be the old ducks (ladies over the age of about 50) sitting at the machines. Typically, people come and play solo for a short session, although some people can sit for hours at a time. Venues are required by law to do sweeps of their floors to ensure that people aren’t staying for too long on any given day. Gambling is just as addictive as anything else: drugs, alcohol, and sex. This is why the regulations are fairly comprehensive.
Source: itnews.com.au
Where do they play ‘em?
Pokies machines are a staple of any casino around the country, but it doesn’t stop there. Different states can license pokies differently, which means that they’re a staple in many clubs and hotels around the country. In NSW, for example, you’ll usually find pokies at any RSL club that you enter. In WA, on the other hand, the state bans pokies outside of the casino. This means that if you go to WA and mention pokies you might receive a blank stare in return if the person hasn’t been to the casino very much and hasn’t traveled interstate often.
For the biggest concentration of pokies machines, you will want to head to NSW. Here, you can find venues that have over 700 machines on one gaming floor, like the case at Bankstown Sports Club or Rooty Hill RSL. Oftentimes these massive gaming floors are located in lower socio-economic areas, which certainly can draw a bit of a side eye from some members of the public.
What about online Pokies?
Thanks to the power of the internet, Aussies can now play the pokies from the comfort of their own homes. While you can’t grab a Parma or Parmie and a pint for a tenner (a chicken parmigiana and a beer for $10) while you’re at it, it’s a whole lot easier than heading out to a venue to play. So it’s far from surprising that some of the top Australian online casino pokies are as popular as they are!
Online pokies are climbing in popularity in Australia, even though regulations surrounding their operation are a little hazy. For example, there are no specific licensing bodies in the country to register an online casino or pokies parlor.
Source: gamblerspick.com
What do the Pollies (politicians) think about ‘em?
The pollies in Aussie are split on their opinions on the pokies. On the one hand, the pokies inject a lot of cash into certain states, due to the amount of money that goes through the machines and back into the State’s coffers. On the other hand, some jurisdictions are experiencing issues with problem gambling that’s making certain activities harder to run and causing trouble in the community.
Recently, there’s been a bit of an uproar, as journalists track gambling within the country in a series of exposes. Thanks to new investigations, it has been uncovered that $18 million is attributed to political donations from organizations and individuals with links to gambling over the past few years. Due to differing laws between the states and varying ideas of what’s disclosable, it can be hard to track dark money. The intent of political donations remains the same however; to try and curry favor with a particular person or party to influence policy or decision-making. Has it been effective? Who’s to know?
How about across the ditch?
Aussies aren’t the only ones Down Under, there are also their close relatives across the ditch, the Kiwis. While plenty of people think that New Zealand is a part of Australia, that’s not the case, even though they are only separated by the Tasman Sea. Over in NZ, there are also pokie machines, sprinkled throughout pubs and clubs around the country.
Source: medium.com
Similar to Australia, pokies bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes to the New Zealand government, and thus to Kiwi citizens and communities each year. And, yes, similar to Australia, they are also known as pokies within the country, too. The same issues that Aussies face with pokies machines and vulnerable sectors of the public exist in NZ, although on a much smaller scale, as the population of their close siblings is around five times smaller.
