The Locations Where the First Pokies Were Installed In

Pokies are a huge part of life in most Australian states, where they have hordes of players and contribute considerably to tax revenue. While the modern pokie was invented back in the late 19th century, it was the 1950s that saw an explosion in their popularity in Australia.

But where were pokies first installed in Australia? And what has been the impact of pokies in the various Australian states? You’ll find out the answers to those questions, plus much more, when you read through this page.

The Emergence of Pokies in Australia

Pokies have been around in Australia since the 1950s, with Tasmania being the first state to see considerable numbers of pokies available, although they were unregulated. The pokies boom really started in 1956, when the New South Wales government legalised them, which saw swathes of pokies landing in venues throughout the state.

After this, it would be around 40 years before most other states in the country legalised pokies. In fact, all other states brought in regulations to legalise pokies in the 1990s, except the ACT, which legalised pokies in 1976, and Western Australia, where pokies are still banned, except for in the Crown Perth casino. Nowadays, there are over 200,000 pokies spread across Australia, with nearly half of them in NSW.

The First Pokies Installations in New South Wales

While the first pokies were in Tasmania, the first widespread introduction of pokies happened in New South Wales, after the state government legalised pokies in 1956. The majority of the pokies installed in NSW were Clubman pokies, the first widely produced and popular pokie designed and manufactured by Aristocrat, a huge name in the Aussie pokie industry.

Pokies would prove hugely popular in NSW, with more and more being found in the state over the years – many of which were provided by Aristocrat. Over the years, NSW would become the nation’s pokie capital, and nowadays, it plays host to around 95,000 machines. In fact, revenue from pokie taxation in NSW amounts to over 5% of all tax revenue in the state every year!

The First Pokies Installations in Victoria

Another state where pokies are popular is Victoria, and they’re particularly prevalent in the state’s largest city, Melbourne. While there were, of course, some unlicenced pokies in the state for many years, they weren’t legalised in Victoria until 1991. This meant that the first legal pokies in Victoria were quite advanced, offering something closer to what pokies offer nowadays.

It’s now the case that there are around 46,500 pokies in Victoria, making it the state with the second largest number of pokies in the country. Some pokies in Victoria earn more than $200,000 per year – the average across Australia is $56,000 per machine per year. As is the case in most Australian cities, it’s poorer areas of Melbourne that lose the most amount of money per person to pokies.

The First Pokies Installations in Other States

As previously stated, most states legalised pokies during the 1990s, except for the ACT, which legalised them in 1976. Victoria and Queensland were the next states to make pokies legal, bringing in laws to legalise them in 1991. South Australia followed in 1992, then Tasmania made them legal in 1997. Northern Territory then legalised pokies in 1998. They have never been legalised in Western Australia.

Popularity and Growth of Pokies in Australia

If you’re Australian and live outside of Western Australia, you won’t be able to help to notice the proliferation of pokies – they’re now present almost everywhere. In fact, Australia has the highest number of pokie machines per head of any country in the world, aside from places like Monaco and Macau, which are dominated by casinos.

The average person in Australia loses $1,100 per year on pokies, which is more than any other nation. Up to 30% of adults in Australia play pokies at least once a year, while 4% play pokies weekly. The fact that so many people play has made a huge difference to the economy of the country, with NSW alone earning over A$2 billion per year through the taxation of pokies. Governments would lose huge amounts of money if pokies were no longer permitted, which shows just how important they are to governments in Australia.

Regulation of Pokies in Different States

Pokie regulations differ from state to state, with each having its own rules on minimum RTP, maximum bets, maximum payouts, and more. Take a look at the table below to compare the rules in different states.

Many states are planning on bringing in tougher regulations on pokies. For example, in Tasmania, the government has announced that players will only be able to play pokies using a card, as it’s thought that card-only pokies make it easier to monitor spending. What’s more, players in Tasmania will have to enter a spending limit before they can play. Cashless pokies are also being considered in New South Wales.

Conclusion

Pokies first became popular in New South Wales, and the state is still the game’s stronghold, as it’s home to around half the machines in Australia. But every other state, aside from Western Australia, has now legalised pokies, most doing so during the 1990s.

It’s, therefore, now possible to play pokies pretty much everywhere in Australia, plus it’s also really simple to jump online and play pokies using a desktop or mobile device. While regulation is needed to curb some of the more unattractive aspects of pokies in Australia, don’t expect them to disappear from Aussie streets – pokies are here to stay.