It is quite surprising that pokies have been invented only 120 years ago. Due to the crazy popularity of poker and all the other games of fortune and chance centuries before that it is hard to believe, a slot machine was born only in 1920’s. It comes from the USA where Charles Fey has created one with a simple Liberty Bell game. That very first machine gained enormous popularity. It looked like a big box with a handle and a glass screen on the front part of it. The Machine produced music and could be taken for a weird jukebox.
50 years later Australian company Aristocrat noticed that more and more people tend to spend time and money on the quite weird activity. They realized one could make a fortune on those devices and game development took its start. Clubman saw the world in 1953 and a year later, all the Australian registered clubs could legally install pokies. Is there any need to say people rushed for their spots close to the machines?
Up to the 1980’s all the pokies looked the same: they had a handle and one, three or five lines, and traditional three reels for spinning. How many combinations could it give? Not much to stay attracted for long, especially taking into consideration the fact that those automates could hardly bring the gamblers big jackpots. But the situation turned upside down as soon as the first video pokies rolled in. More lines, more wheels, no need to wait too long as it was before. Increased number of winning options like free spins and so on. And, what is important – larger jackpots.
Australians got addicted to the novelties more than the other nations. Soon every pub was decorated with at least one device (read this for detailed information). In the USA – every second pub and bar. More games, victories and fans of one-handed bandits.
As soon as the Interned came to our lives, it brought lots of changes with it. 1990 was a revolutionary year for all the gamblers. It was when the very first virtual playhouse was opened. The players welcomed a few types of slots online. The Gaming Club was one of the first casinos online and is still fully functioning. The developers started working out new and new slots variants. All those with your favorite movie characters or superheroes appeared after 1995 when larger corporations started their own online playrooms.
And finally, in 2006-2007 the world welcomed the very first mobile apps for online and offline gambling. That was the time when smartphones conquered the world making all other mobile devices stay away. People left cameras, MP3 players and notebooks at home. They put the smartphones in their pockets as well, and it was the moment when one had no more need to go out to the pub or bar to play the most loved games. It was enough to turn on the phone and enjoy.
Years after men and women still love playing pokies at those awkward retro devices. But each of them has a few more apps to try the skills gambling online.