Day: June 2, 2023

(This is not an in depth post)

NSW had them well before anyone else – followed by the ACT
But it wasn’t until the 1990s before they arrived here.
All (well about 99%) of the pubs and clubs here in Victoria now have them

Before that (for some) ‘tripping’ across the state borders was the way to go
Bus loads went up and down the highways – train loads in one state
Weekends away were the thing!
I’ll admit back in the 1980s even we took the occasional Saturday drive up to Echuca/Moama – visiting the Rich River Country Club (as it was known then) for lunch plus the novelty of pulling the handle on the machine (as was the way then)

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-pensioners-pokie-express-innocent-fun-before-the-music-stopped-20230216-p5cl00.html

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/sa-weekend/how-hundreds-of-people-caught-the-pokies-express-into-nsw-to-play-poker-machines/news-story/70b1535cc60464dc94ff17bdee75034f

Then it all went a bit haywire
They now can be found in just about any suburb in Australia
It’s accepted that Australia has a problem with gambling on poker machines

Australia’s love affair with the pokies – 2015
except in WA where they are only allowed in a casino
.
Facts and figures from Western Australia – 2023

But it seems we weren’t the only ones doing some travelling over the border.
Here’s a video to watch – (not on YouTube) so anyone will be able to open it.
.
A little 1966 insight into why the Irish favoured a tiny island in the Irish Sea

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2021/0825/1242753-isle-of-man-gambling/