In Australia, Pokies are everywhere

In Australia, casino slots, termed 'pokies', are omnipresent. Unlike many other countries where slots reside mostly in casinos, in Australia, you can find them in hotels, pubs, and sports venues.

Pokies got their legal seal of approval in Australia back in 1956, with New South Wales leading the way. In 1976, the Australian Capital Territory joined the ranks. By the '90s, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory had all jumped on board. Western Australia is the exception, permitting pokies only in specific settings. casino's Across Australia, there are 196,900 pokies, which approximates to one machine for every 114 Australians. In comparison, next-door New Zealand has just 16,440 pokies, translating to one for every 304 citizens.

Each year, the typical Australian adult sees a loss of 700 Australian dollars to gambling. Aussies have a fondness for video poker, with machines in clubs and hotels clocking an average profit of 56,000 dollars. Pokies can outperform these figures, raking in over 200,000 dollars annually. It's no wonder 70% of Australians support tighter control on gambling, even as online casino ads burgeon on TV and social media.

Plans are underway to gradually remove pokies over the next five years. The government is looking at a 7 billion dollar transition package to aid clubs and hotels in light of prospective revenue deficits.

You might wonder, why are slots dubbed 'Pokies' in Australia? The term stems from 'poker machine'. Now, the label 'pokie' applies to all types of slot machines.