History of Online Pokies

Online pokies are some of the most interesting and exciting games available on the internet. With a rich and colourful past, the history of the game spans back nearly 100 years. From the inception of recreational gambling’s surge, pokies have been a crucial part of the industry. Before becoming the game it is today – popular in land-based casinos and in its digitized online form – it underwent many changes to provide players with a quality gaming experience.

It all began in the 1800s, when a manufacturer based in New York created a poker machine, where each of the 5 reels displayed poker cards. Similar to Video Poker, this game was actually the precursor to online pokies. The prizes that players won depended on the hands they played, and the venue in which the machine stood delegated which prizes were to be given out.

In 1887, Charles Frey changed things, developing the first system for automated payouts. This game featured 5 symbols on three reels, and if the player obtained three of one symbol they won ten coins. These games became so popular that restaurants and bars could not keep up with the demand of players wanting to try this innovative new machine.

These games remained popular in parlours until the 1960s, when electronic slot machines were developed. This is when multi-coin play options and progressive jackpot machines became popular. They were made in a similar fashion to Frey’s machine, with physical spinning reels that turned when a button was pushed or a lever was pulled.

In the 1980s, manufacturers made the move to video pokies, the type that is most commonly seen in land-based casinos today. These are the closest incarnation to online pokies games that we have seen thus far. The design of these games were then modified to suit online casino’s game suites, when the online gambling boom emerged in the early 21^st century. Now, pokies have become of the most sophisticated online games, with interactive player options and huge progressive jackpot networks.