poker machines Archive

If you research the history of pokies – or slot machines as they’re called in North America, where they originated – you’ll probably find a great deal of misinformation. So many recountings tell of Charles Fey inventing the first gambling game with spinning reels, when in fact, it was a company called Sittman and...

In Australia, gambling has been a way of life for many decades. The nation is home to 20% of the world’s poker machines. Statistical research has shown that about 80% of all Australians enjoy punting every year, either with regular wagers, or just once or twice on special occasions. With that said, the chances...

South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon has made no secret of his deplorable view towards poker machines. His anti-pokies crusade has stretched on for what seems like forever now, and a recent multi-million money laundering case has added buckets of fuel to the campaign fire. Sen. Xenophon’s latest political efforts are geared towards a crackdown...

Of all Australia’s states, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has some of the most restrictive laws regarding gambling. ACT is home to just one regulated gambling resort – Casino Canberra – but it’s unlike any other traditional casino in the world, because it has no poker machines. The region’s clubs would like to keep it that...

Len Ainsworth is one of Australia’s most remarkable businessmen. In 1953, at the age of just 29, he established what quickly became one of the world’s largest poker machine manufacturers, Aristocrat Leisure. Four decades later, he sold that company and founded a similar brand, Ainsworth Game Technology. Now at the age of 92, he’s...

Some of the biggest legislative items circulating Florida’s government offices right now have to do with authorized forms of gambling. The Seminole Tribe is looking to shore up a ratified compact to maintain exclusivity for banked table games, while pari-mutuels are hoping to operate pokies with or without the need to host live horse...

Throughout Australia, a trip to the pub is often a multifarious experience. Patrons can rent a room, grab a meal, down a beer, socialize with friends, and have a go on the pokies all in one place, making local taverns a popular stop for the majority of adult-aged Aussies. But one prevalent hangout in...

The future of the Mount Beauty Country Club is looking more and more bleak with each passing week. The popular destination has been inactive since July, and if a prospective buyer isn’t found soon, the bowling club and its 19 poker machines—the only pokies found in the town of Mt Beauty—may be shut down...

Gambling seems to be on the decline in New Zealand these days. The same poker machines that were once a cause of great concern are generating less interest from residents, thus less revenue for publicans. At the same time, the initial fear that online gambling would become a bane for pokies addicts has begun...

Let’s be fair – we all love a good go on the pokies now and again. Enjoyment and responsibility are the keys to success for any Aussie when spinning the reels. But one Parramatta real estate director let her love of poker machines go too far when she began stealing money from the company’s...