Education kit: What are the odds? - Powerhouse Museum

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Created as a novelty promotion by Aristocrat, the Matilda was designed primarily for casinos in the USA, Europe and Asia, although a small number of the machines were used in NSW clubs. The seven-reel machine, the largest machine made in Australia, plays the tune of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ to announce a payout. Poker machines What are the odds? Poker machines were imported to Australia as soon as they appeared in the United States a century ago. The early machines were totally mechanical and operated by means of levers and gears. Such mechanical machines later gave rise to electrical ones. In 1978 the Australian-made machines were the first to use computer technology. In 1956, NSW became the first Australian state to permit the use of poker machines in registered clubs. Machines in NSW are required by law to be programmed at a player-return percentage of at least 85%. Therefore poker machines return more money to players than most of the popular forms of gambling. Yet, theoretically, poker machines must always come out ahead in the long run. Poker machines now account for the majority of the money gambled and lost in Australia. Most of the people who develop a gambling addiction play poker machines. The key to poker machines’ command of the gambling dollar lies in their style, process and design. Playing any poker machine is a game of chance --- the outcome is always unpredictable. The chance is the same at any one time on a machine so there can be no play strategy. Poker machines will not become ‘due’ to ‘loosen up’ or ‘dry up’ because of past events such as near-misses or a long period without a big payout or a big recent payout. On a machine with five reels and 35 possible stops on each reel, there are 52 521 875 possible stop combinations. It is often the case that the jackpot symbol is only assigned to one stop on each reel so there is only a 1 in 52 521 875 chance of hitting the jackpot in any one play. The minimum player-return percentages of other forms of gambling are: 60% for Lottery, Lotto and Instant; 84% for TAB and on-course Tote. Language • Totalisator: a machine that pools together all bets for each race and offer odds according to the betting market. With certain percentages deducted for the operators and the balance distributed as winnings, the operators can’t lose. • Player return percentage: the percentage of total bets expected to be returned to the player as winnings. EDUCATION KIT 12
Resource What are the odds? • For information on how a poker machine works, visit http://www.entertainment.howstuffworks.com/slot-machine4.html • PlaySmart brochure on ‘Know your chances on the pokies’ from http://www.dgr.nsw.gov.au/IMAGES/GAMING/PlaySmart/ brochures/english/1_english.pdf Did you know? • George Adams, who became known as the man in the hat, loved horseracing and gambling. When he died in 1904 he left his gambling business, Tattersall’s, in the hands of his four trustees. The trustees run the business and the profits are distributed to the staff and the beneficiaries of the will. Today Tattersall’s is Australia’s largest private company. • It is illegal to play poker machines if you are under 18 years old. EDUCATION KIT 13
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Education kit: What are the odds? - Powerhouse Museum

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