Why It's Called Pokies and Not Slots

Video slots, as you may know, have been widely regarded as slots on most gambling sites, but what makes people call the same category of the game by the name of ‘pokies’ in other regions? If you’ve browsed casino sites in Australia, you might be familiar with the term ‘online pokies’. Wondering what pokies mean? Here’s an insight into how the name originated and gained popularity in the gambling market.

Why It's Called Pokies and Not Slots

What are online pokies?

So pokies are nothing more than a slot machine. The term is derived from what was called a poker machine and gradually came to be used as pokie. Similar to the latest slot machine designs, pokies in Australia also use video screens. You may also spot pokie action in Australian clubs and pubs other than at casinos and obviously, they are to be found everywhere at the online gambling sites.

How the term online pokies originated?

You might be thinking that if the name pokie came from poker machines then how they closely resemble video slot machines rather than video poker games. Though it’s difficult to pinpoint on that, slot games have been referred to as pokies since quite long now.
Some experts say that the very first game at the Australian online casinos was the poker machines but soon the slot games gained more popularity and were installed near the poker machines. Thus, it just became easier to call all the gaming action as pokies. However, the term has stayed on and now you see casinos and players referring to online slots and video poker games as pokies in general.

Is there a difference between online slots and online pokies?

The answer is that the differences between slots and pokies may not be a visible one. Pokies in Australia and New Zealand are similar to slots in other parts of the world. With people travelling from around the world including Aussies moving to Vegas and the Atlantic City, what pokies mean is well understood by the majority in the industry.

In fact, in many other parts around the globe slot games are better known by other names such as in England many players still refer to those as ‘fruit machines’. In Scotland, slot machines are called ‘puggys’. Most popular online casinos allow players to enjoy free pokies before staking real money. You can also find the latest favourites powered by crowned software developers in the industry when browsing on popular gambling sites. Pokies such as Golden Lotus, Book of Dead, Great 88, Panda King, Great 88 and many more are easily accessible on several free pokies sites.

Like slot games, online pokies also feature a gamble option which facilitates players to double up their wins. Pokies are playable instantly like slot games and can be accessed from preferred mobile devices. Some sites also allow playing pokies without any registration along with unlimited free credits enabling players to play as long as desired.

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