What is the Difference between Pokies and Slot Machines

If you are someone who is just starting to explore the gambling world, the slot machine is the game that you would be probably interested in. The reason being it is one of the simplest and easiest game you can play at a casino with very little skill and knowledge.

All you need to do to operate a traditional slot machine is find yourself a slot machine, push a button and pull the lever. That’s it!

With the advent of the internet, you can now play the same slot machine games online on a computer or even on your mobile phone. Playing the slot machine is as simple as downloading an app or visiting a website and in a few clicks, you can start playing it.

Even if you are not a fan of slot machines, you must have heard the term pokies. So what are pokies and how are they different from slot machines? Well, pokies and slot machines are the same thing.

Countries like Australia and New Zealand love to gamble. So unsurprisingly pokies are the most popular game played by the residents. In fact, if you visit these countries to experience casino life, this game would be highly suggested by the residents.

These pokie machines are widely available in Australia and New Zealand. You will find them in most pubs, hotels, bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues.

There are around 250,000 pokie machines available across different locations in Australia and you will spot at least a few while visiting the country.

There is not much of a difference between pokies and slot machines apart from the name itself and pronunciation. The Pokie is a slang term that is commonly used in countries like New Zealand and Australia.

Kiwis can play the slot machine or pokie machine either on a physical machine or online with real money.

However this terminology- pokie machine is only used in Australia and  New Zealand. If this term is used in countries like the US or other parts of the world, it would be an alien word as no one would know what you are talking about. They could infer it as a poker machine or something to do with poker.

So why do Kiwis call the slot machine pokies? Well, no one knows how the name came into existence but many think that people confused the slot machines with the video poker machine that was introduced in the early days.

The citizens in these countries are generally fond of shortening the words. So Avacados are called avos while cigarettes are called ciggies. Similarly, poker machines became pokies, and because the slot machine looked similar the name stuck.

Different countries have different names for the slot machines, so in England and other British countries, the slot machines are called fruit machines.

In Scotland, the slot machines are called puggy. Some even call it one-armed bandits as they fancy some good old fashioned colloquial slang.

So if you are planning to visit New Zealand to experience the casino world then you must remember to call slot machines as pokies.