Do you play the pokies?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (386081)
Rockingham, Australia
May 25, 2026 12:51am CST
Pokies are poker machines. I gather they're called by various names including slot machines.
We watched a programme about gambling in Australia and some surprising statistics were given. Australia has less than half a percent of the world's population but 20% of its poker machines.
For a long time, our state, Western Australia, was the only state without poker machines. We have them now but only in the Crown Casino whereas other states have them in casinos, Returned Servicemen’s Leagues (RSL) venues, hotels and clubs.
When it comes to gambling losses per person, Australia is by far the gambling capital of the world. Not something to be proud of in my opinion.
The photo shows the swanky bathroom of Perth Crown Casino where we stayed one night on a special occasion.
15 people like this
14 responses
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
26 May
You are smart lady away from gamble.
2 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (124112)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
26 May
I like poler machines a lot but i have not been to go to a casino due to my family obligations to take care of my nephew.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (386081)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May
They are fun to play but it's very easy to get caught in a gambling habit.
@Deepizzaguy (124112)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
26 May
@jefferson126 Thank you for your kind words.
2 people like this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
26 May
You are a good person without gambling.
family obligations is more important than gambling in your mind.
family obligations is more important than gambling in your mind.2 people like this
@snowy22315 (211899)
• United States
26 May
I didn't know Australia had a lot of gambling going on.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386081)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May
@jefferson126 Both men and women in Australia become addicted and it results in the break-up of many homes.
2 people like this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
28 May
@JudyEv ,Sorry to hear that,i think forbidding gamble is must there.Government should publish law to forbid gamble.
1 person likes this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
26 May
Gambling is a terrbile thing,i saw some man got divorced due to gambling.Even so,there are still some men addicted to gambling.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (57125)
• Canada
25 May
I feel like we have many more places with legalized gambling, including the slots, than we used to.
I know that online gambling has grown at an alarming rate in the past couple of years.
It is so highly addictive, as one doesn't need to leave their home to do it and it is there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386081)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May
We buy the odd lottery ticket. If we go to the races, then we'd have a bet but we don't gamble online and haven't been to the casino in years.
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
25 May
Many years ago i was obsessive about poker machine,and i lost amount of money at that time.Then i was aware that totally was gamble,i no more played poker machine later on.I saw somebody lost much money on poker machine.Now there isn't poker machine here.Hope quantity of poker machine no longer increase where you are.
1 person likes this
@jefferson126 (3667)
• Shenzhen, China
26 May
@JudyEv ,yes,i was addicted to poker machine years ago,thankful i can get rid of addiction eventually.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386081)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May
@jefferson126 I really admire you for giving it up. I'm sure it wasn't easy.
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (8563)
• United Kingdom
26 May
We call them slot machines in the UK and I remember playing on them as a kid when we went to the seaside. The one-armed bandits were my favourite but very addictive. The slot machines are still there, but I don’t play on them now.
I’m surprised that Australia is top of the gambling charts. I’d have thought it would be the US, with the UK not far behind. Our government positively encourages us to gamble. There is no tax to pay on any winnings, and plenty of adverts for lotteries, online gambling and ways to “get rich quick”. I occasionally buy a lottery ticket, but never won anything substantial.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (88360)
• United States
26 May
No, I don’t play the machines. I have played real poker.
By the way, an interesting note is that prisons in America have, as one of their nicknames, “the pokey.” It was derived from the word “poker,” as in, the fireplace instrument not the card game.
LOVE that bathtub!
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (138746)
• Marion, Ohio
25 May
That is not a good record to hold.
Interesting bathroom
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22543)
• United States
26 May
pretty bathroom. My mother used to say when I was little that I was lucky with poker machines. A friend of hers had some illegal poker machines. I did try to do one when me and Chris were in Las Vegas many years ago. But I didn't win.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (45381)
• Denver, Colorado
25 May
Very rarely. I grew up around gambling in Nevada, so it's not really a big deal to me. I have some friends though...
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (223946)
• United States
25 May
I don't like the poker machines. I play the regular slots on the rare occasions when we've been to a casino...only twice in my life.
1 person likes this
