Down Under in Australia and over in New Zealand, the word "pokies" is a quintessential piece of local slang, serving as the universal shorthand for poker machines. While most of the world refers to these devices as slot machines or fruit machines, the "pokie" label has a specific historical and linguistic lineage that is unique to the region.
The poker connection
The most direct reason for the name is that early mechanical gambling machines often used poker-inspired themes. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many machines featured five reels with playing card symbols; players would "spin" the reels to try and form a winning poker hand.
Even as machines evolved to feature different symbols, like the cherries and bells seen on US "slots" or UK "fruit machines"—the term "poker machine" remained the dominant descriptor in Australian and Kiwi bars and clubs. Over time, this was shortened to the "pok-" prefix.
Australian and Kiwi diminutives
The transition from "poker machine" to "pokie" is a perfect example of these two countries linguistic habit of creating diminutives. Much like how "a barbecue" becomes "a barbie" or "sunglasses" become "sunnies," "poker machines" were naturally abbreviated by adding the "-ie" suffix. Hence, poker to pokies.
*Great news! At Wildz, the home of high-octane online casinos and sports betting, you can enjoy online slot and fruit machines or "pokies" of every variety and then some.
Alternative theories
While the "poker" origin is the most widely accepted by linguists, other theories have circulated in local folklore:
- The "Poke" Action: Some believe the name was reinforced by the physical act of players "poking" at the buttons on the machine’s console.
- Machine Proximity: In some venues, traditional video poker games were often placed directly next to themed slot machines. Eventually, patrons began referring to the entire area—and all the machines within it—as "the pokies".
Evolution and legalisation
The term's official and cultural dominance grew after New South Wales legalised poker machines in 1956. This allowed the machines to proliferate in pubs and clubs, cementing "pokies" as part of the common vernacular long before other states followed suit in the 1990s.
Today, the term is so established that it is used in official government documents and by the Australian Institute of Family Studies to describe all electronic gaming machines.