The Mechanics of Poker Machines

Inside the Pokies – Player Guide

Complied by Gamblers Help Southern and published in 2009 by the Victorian Department of Justice, this is the most detailed essay I’ve personally found describing the inner working of poker machines. It was originally conceived to help players learn how the pokies work so that they can combat the effect of harmful, compulsive gambling, without giving up this entertaining pastime altogether, but for inquiring minds like myself, it’s taught me so much more!

Legal Documentation

Interactive Gambling Act of 2001

The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 sets the precedence for all legal and illegal online gambling activities in the region and designates penalties for breaching the regulations within. Of interesting note, the IGA makes it illegal for Australian-based and offshore online gambling operators to provide their services to Australian customers, yet there is no penalty imposed for Australian customers who choose to do business with offshore online gambling operators.

National Gambling Reform Act 2012 (NGRA)

This document contains the full, official text of the National Gambling Reform Act of 2012. If you like reading legal jargon, this will keep you entertained for hours!

Timeline for NGRA Compliance

The text of the NGRA (above) neglects to set a timeframe for obligatory compliance with the new gambling reform laws. This document provides those dates and other relevant information.

Gaming Machine National Standard

A pivotal part of my research, this extensive document provides a wealth of information on the National Standard for all poker machines and other EGMs, as well as a comparison of the imposed National Standards for pokies in all Australian States and Territories, as well as New Zealand.

Japanese Penal Code – Gambling

Scroll down to Chapter XIII (13), Articles 185-187 of this PDF-based legal document (conveniently translated into English for the multi-lingual impaired) to read the laws of Japan as they relate to gambling matters.

Australian Gaming Regulatory Bodies

The following is a list of regulatory bodies across all Australian States and Territories. The Commonwealth sets the National Standard for gambling throughout Australia, but each State/Territory has its own regulatory statutes. These are the gambling authorities that enforce the laws on poker machines throughout their individual regions, providing an abundance of resources in regards to laws, penalties, licensing and standards.

Australian Capital Territory – ACT Gambling & Racing Commission

New South Wales – NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing

Northwest Territory – NT Licensing Commission

Queensland – Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation

South Australia – Independent Gambling Authority

Tasmania – Tasmanian Gaming Commission

Victoria – Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation

Western Australia – Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor

Land-Based Gambling in Australia

Gambling in Australia

This widely referenced document provides a brief history on gambling in Australia, including a timeline of legal statutes, taxation laws and a database of regulatory bodies throughout the country.

Slot Machines by Country

Here is another interesting read in the Wikipedia database based on the history of slot machines and laws that pertain directly to them on a by-country basis (starting with Australia).

Online Gambling in Australia

Legalizing Internet Gaming, Part I: Benefits and Concerns

This manuscript discusses the benefits and concerns related to online gambling in general. It focuses on the contrast between land-based and internet-based gambling destinations, including allurement for customers, operational expenditures, consumer protection capabilities and other key elements.

Online Gambling Laws in Australia

Wikipedia’s Online Gambling documentation details the laws of internet gaming throughout the world, including Australia. It provides a condensed description of the Commonwealth’s Interactive Gambling Act of 2001.

Extensive Studies Related to Gambling

The Psychology of Gambling

This special report was compiled by members of the APS Gambling Working Group in an effort to address many of the reasons why problem gambling has become such a strong obstacle in Australia. The study blames accessibility, the prevalence of gambling and a lack of mindful enforcement by some regions of the multiple reform policies introduced in the last two years. It also describes a multitude of risk factors for problem gambling.

Internet Gambling: Problems and Options

This report by Mark Creer was published by the Mathematics Department at Brigham Young University in 2003 and describes the basics of internet gambling; when it was created, how it works and the problems associated with the activity, including the potential for underage gambling. Measures to thwart such activity have been vastly upgraded over the last decade, but the undertones remain a constant.

Mobile Gambling User Numbers to Rise by 100mn Over Next 5 Years

Juniper Research published this fascinating study on the rise of mobile gambling in December of 2013, presenting a series of facts that all point towards mobile betting becoming the number-one gateway to iGaming in the world by 2018. Information is largely based on the convenience, superior capabilities and ever-increasing speed of mobile gambling apps, as well as the snowballing number of jurisdictions regulating iGaming (especially in the US).

Mobile Gambling Apps Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

While we’re on the topic of mobile gambling, this warning from security experts is a must read for anyone who does (or intends to) play the pokies form their mobile device. The title is self-explanatory.

Australian Gambling Research Centre

The Australian Gambling Research Centre was established by the NGRA of 2012 to conduct and publish studies on a regular basis dealing with everything from problem gambling to the efficiency of the Commonwealth’s reform measures. The purpose of these studies is to give lawmakers keen insight as to how to proceed with future gambling regulations.

Assistance for Problem Gamblers and their Families

Gambling Help Online

This website presents a wealth of multifarious resources for problem gamblers and their families. Despite the title, help isn’t just available online, but through telephone and in-person counseling. Users can select their state/territory and retrieve a list of localized help centers. The site also offers tools for helping individuals determine if they or someone they know has a gambling problem.