First Poker Machines In Australia

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The Parts

All poker machines are made up of a range of parts. These include external parts and internal parts. Below we list the major parts.

External

The community of online poker in Australia has several key advantages over land-based counterparts, such as poker bonuses, poker tournaments, video poker and more. Poker itself has long been popular with Australian players, going back to the 1950s with house games. The first Australian state to legalize this style of gambling was New South Wales in 1956 when they were made legal in all registered clubs in the state. There are suggestions that the proliferation of poker machines has led to increased levels of problem gambling; however, the precise nature of this link is still open to research. In the early 1900's the first slot machines appeared on Australian shores. While they were illegal they were popular with gamblers. In 1953 an Australian company called Aristocrat saw that the slot machine business was the way of the future and developed their first game known as the Clubman which was designed by Joe Heywood. Lines of slot machines – commonly called poker or 'pokie' machines, 73 in total – are coiled within the room. Despite it being a weekday mid-afternoon, the venue is virtually full of silent. Australia’s first legal casino offering pokies was opened in Tasmania in 1973, and two years later the arrival of the first video poker machines signalled a new revolution in games for the world.

  • Cabinet - This houses the game and comes in a variety of types
  • Video Screen - This is where the game is displayed
  • Buttons - Found under the screen and used to interact with the game
  • Note & Coin Acceptor - Used to insert coins or notes into the machine
  • Top Box & Belly Panel - Used to display game artwork and pay table
  • Coin Tray - Found at the base of the machine. Paid coins collect here

Internal

  • Motherboard - A computer component that holds parts such as RAM
  • EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) - The game logic
  • Interface Card - Connects the EPROM and motherboard to the buttons
  • Meters - Record all game data, pay outs, money in, etc.
  • Cables - Connect the screen, motherboard, buttons, etc.
  • Note Validator - Checks all inserted notes for authenticity
  • Lights - Found behind the top box and belly panel art covers
  • Cash Box - Stores all notes inserted into the machine
  • Hopper - Stores all coins in the machine releases wins to the tray
  • Speakers - Play the game sounds such as the win music
  • Door Alarm - A sound to alert staff to a door on the machine being open

What Happens When You Press Spin

On the right is a diagram showing a simplified example of a poker machine. The virtual reels have been extended out of the screen to show that they continue past the visible screen area.

You will notice that each of the symbol positions has a different number. In our example there are 15 symbols per reel but there can be anywhere from 10 to 1,000's of symbol positions.

While the reel positions have different numbers you will find that there are more lower paying symbols on each reel than higher paying ones. For instance a low paying symbol could be in positions 2, 5, 9 and 11 on reel one.

As soon as you press spin the EPROM randomly selects five numbers - one from each reel. In the example on the right this would have been 6, 30, 38, 51 and 69.

The reels then spin and come to stop on the selected positions. You are then awarded any resulting wins and then have the option to try to double up your win. The games pay back percentage (RTP) is controlled by the symbol positioning through extensive mathematical testing.

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One point to note is that the symbol positions never change and that the casino or pub cannot change the payout percentage. For this to be changed a new EPROM must be installed. Each game type can come in a variety of different payout levels.

First Poker Machines In Australia

Online Pokie Games

Online pokies work in exactly the same way with the only real difference being that instead of an EPROM, the game logic and RNG is on a remote server that your game connects to.

When you press spin a message is sent from your computer to this server and the server returns an encrypted set of numbers that resolve to the symbol positions you see on the screen.

Whenever gambling is mentioned, the glitzy images of Les Vegas come to mind. America has been considered as a gaming nation for a very long time. However, America is not the world’s biggest gambler as many would think. In fact, the biggest gamblers in the world include countries that are least suspect. The ranking of the 200 gambling countries is based on data provided by H2 Gambling Capital. The ranking takes into account the losses in a year divided by the adult population. The losses include the entire amount lost on all types of gaming including poker, slot machine, horse racing, and casinos.

The Biggest Gambling Countries In The World

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Australia

Gambling is so prevalent in Australia that the central bank was led to increase interest rates. Australia allows online wagering on sports. Slot machines are favorite games in the country. New South Wales accounts for half of the country’s total poker machines. Adult gamblers reported a loss of $1,128 per adult with 935 gamblers registered to be banned from casinos between 2006 and 2010. However, these gamblers were caught over 1,200 times for breaching their ban

Singapore

Singapore only opened its first casino in 2010 but has since become one of the largest gambling countries in the world. The opening of casinos in Singapore created worries in the country, with the majority fearing addictions and losses. The government is discouraging gambling by the locals by imposing an entry fee of $81 for locals who wish to enter the casino. Families are also allowed to ban their members from visiting the casinos under the “Family Exclusion Orders.” However, these measures have done little to dampen the gambling spirit in the country. The country recorded $1,174 losses per adult in 2010.

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Ireland

The casino industry in Ireland is entirely unregulated because the country depends on the old Gaming and Lottery Act of 1956. According to the law of Ireland, only registered members’ club is allowed to offer casino services. Bets on gaming machines are not allowed beyond 6 pence while the rewards for gaming are allowed up to 10 shillings. However, this law cannot be enforced since the Irish pound has not been in use as a legal tender since 1999. The huge losses by gambling adults which average $588 per adult have forced the government to start enacting laws that will help regulate the gaming industry in Ireland.

Canada

Over 75% of Canadian adults have been involved in at least one form of gambling. The highest number of gamblers in the country comes from Saskatchewan. The province has gambling revenue of $841 per person above the age of 18 years. The popular gambling games in Canada include lottery and scratch and win. The popularity of lottery games in Canada has led to the government setting up initiatives to discourage giving of lottery tickets to minors as gifts. Canada recorded $568 gaming losses per adult

Finland

Over 41% of the adult population in Finland gambles weekly, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The minimum age for gambling in the country was raised to 18 years in 2011 from 15 in the previous years in a bid to discourage gambling among children. The national lottery company in Finland is a property of the government and is managed by the Ministry of Education with the revenue from the company channeled to education, culture, and arts. The Paf Group of Finland, running the internet gambling company, offers paybacks to its loyal customers who spend at least $171.40 on its site but are certified to be suffering from gambling addiction. Finnish gamblers lose an average of $553 per adult.

Countries That Gamble The Most

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RankCountryGaming Losses Per Adult
1Australia$1,288.00
2Singapore$1,174.00
3Ireland$588.00
4Canada$568.00
5Finland$553.00
6Italy$517.00
7Hong Kong$503.00
8Norway$448.00
9Greece$420.00
10Spain$418.00