What say you, Magic Flute???

How can this be so?? There are "sure fire methods" and books and everything that you can buy for silly amounts of money that make poker machines a guaranteed income!!

HA HA HA HA :lol:

I think if it's in a casino it's there to take your money. They're fun places to visit but I wouldn't want to make a living there.

Now horses! That's another story!

I'm almost ashamed to admit this but I tried a bit of research on these ************ things. I played 1c at a time (i.e. one reel on a 1c machine) on the Egyptian Pyramid thing, Queen of the Nile. What I was trying to see was if there was any way at all that one could predict approximately when the free spins gimmick came up i.e. would it be a reasonable gamble to sit there in the pokie palace and press the buttons 250 times @ 1c and if no free spins had been gained to then up the ante. The range varied from somewhere in the 100s to about 500. I only, however, lasted about 3 hours or so and probably did about $10. I came to the conclusion that no amount of money is worth subjecting oneself to such mind numbing, energy sapping boredom.

By definition, poker machines are strictly for those who have no idea of how to gamble sensibly. This ranges from those who can't stop to those who haven't a clue.
The addicts sense that they are being fleeced but are powerless to stop, most simple punters don't realise what a rip-off the machines are and sensible punters aren't tempted at all.
I'm just grateful that I live in WA and that the only time that I have to put up with the infernal machines is when I'm forced to go to the casino.
A final thought: To restrict use, make punters use an ID card on each visit and use that card to monitor each punter's spend. A daily limit of $100 to $200,would at least put a brake on individual losses.

Mankind has been gambling for thousands of years, not just asians. That said, they are keen gamblers (moreso than others). Still, as long as there is gambling there will be addictions, and addictions didn't start with pokies. I'm sure many asians had a problem before pokies came around.

As for the statement about the 2nd largest number of machines, I think the figure that we have the HIGHEST PER CAPITA is probally just as important. We ARE the pokie capital of the world, and that's a damn shame.

Machines are boring, and give out terrible returns. I've never EVER sent a coin down the slot and NEVER will. I don't see the fun in it at all. My primary income is BJ, which in my opinion is a much better option. The return is much better if the player knows basic strategy, hell even baccarat, roulette and craps are better than the pokies (AND sociably/mentally interactable games).

If you have to gamble, at least gamble on something where you have a chance.

Some of you sound so bleeding self-righteous!

What the hell, who cares if you think pokies are addictive/boring/evil/socially defunct?

Legislate against them? What an absurb idea. The people who are going to be problem gamblers will just gamble on something else.

Legislation is a denial of personal responsibility for the few, and an abuse of civil liberties for the majority.

Pokies? I love em! I know how to calculate 10%, so I want to own a squizillion of them.

Put my own hard-earned into them? No way, I'd rather blast my bucks on one wild night!

The Captain

hugen, I'm not saying they should be banned, I'm just totally amazed that people actually play them. They're boring, and give a terrible payout.