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Gambling in Australia dates back to the 1800s and this is quite extraordinary considering how young the country is. The very first betting event was a horse racing one and took place in the year 1810 in Hyde Park, Sydney. The first lottery game happened in 1880 and people started to play the slot machines in clubs and pubs in the middle of the 1950s. Although bets were already taken during that period, casinos became officially legal only in 1973, with the oldest one being the Wrest Point Hotel Casino located in Tasmania.
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The team at CasinoChan has put together the top three land-based casinos in Australia that all punters should visit if they already live in Australia or if they are in the country for business or pleasure.
Wrest Point Hotel Casino, Hobart, Tasmania
As mentioned above, the casino prides itself on being in operation the longest. Wrest Point is inside a 5-star resort surrounded by amazing the Australian’s nature, close to a mini-golf and on the Derwent River. For those gamblers who love Las Vegas, they will surely fall in love with Wrest Point as it provides some of the best shows and acts, the likes of the Village People, Suzi Quattro and Jimmy Cliff.
Adelaide Casino, Adelaide, South Australia
One of the oldest casinos in Australia, Adelaide Casino offers a true luxury gambling experience thanks to its modern video gaming machines, table games and a boutique area reserved to poker’s lovers. The casino offers daily poker tournaments and it is home to the famous Adelaide Poker Championship, one of the most popular poker events held in Australia. Adelaide Casino has a good Rewards program where gamblers can use the points they collect on vouchers and special offers.
The Star, Sydney
The casino opened its doors in 1995 and it is the second-largest casino in Australia. Apart from a wide range of table games, the Star also prides itself for the many poker variations offered to its visitors and its exclusive VIP area for the high-rollers. For those gambling fans that also love a 5-star treatment, they are welcome to enjoy energizing and relaxing breaks in the casino’s spa, nightclubs, restaurants, bars and luxury venues filled with world-renowned music attractions and acts.
Advantages of Australian Online Casinos
Let’s now take a closer look at online casinos, what makes them so unique and why are they increasingly becoming so popular among Australians? As both land-based and online casinos have their own characteristics, the choice of whether vising a real one or signing up with an established online provider is entirely up to players’ preferences. Those who like to mix with other punters, make new friends or want to find new buddies to play poker with, they will visit more often a land-based facility.
On the other hand, those players who prefer to ditch the tuxedo and don’t really fancy driving to the closest casino, they will happily find the online operator that suits them better and play from the comfort of the own home. CasinoChan has put together a list of pros and cons of both aimed at explaining the reasons why the gambling industry is so fascinating and appealing. The thrill of playing the slot machines, placing chips on your chosen roulette numbers, or just having a good poker hand is always a great feeling to experience no matter if you play online or in a physical casino.
Bonuses and Reward Programmes
All casinos offer incentives such as VIP programs and bonuses but those provided to online players are way more rewarding. No land-based casinos can compete with online welcome offers, deposit bonuses, free spins on registration and high loyalty points for the simple reason that, physical casinos have costs that online ones don’t have: waiting and security staff, rent, building, facilities, maintenance, bills etc.
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Wider Range of Games
Virtual casinos offer Australian users thousands of table games, video slot machines, lotteries, bingo, and scratch cards and all come with a great variety of bet amounts, starting even from as low as 0.01 per stake. An online casino operator can truly attract high-rollers as well as more casual players, something that land-based casinos will hardly be able to do.
Higher RTP (Return to Player)
The Return to Player plays a big role while listing the pros and cons of these two types of casinos. While physical casinos pay around 85%, online ones can go as high as 96% because they need to be to face harsh competitors and again, their overall costs are much lower than their land-based predecessors.
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While Australians love playing pokies at land-based casinos, RSLs, pubs, and clubs, they don't really have to travel all the way to a land-based location to play their favorite pokies. This is because they have similar and at times even better alternatives at reputable online casinos.
Comparing Popular Land-based Titles With Online Alternatives
There are a number of reputable online casinos such as Play Amo Casino, True Blue Casino, and All Spins Win Casino that accept Australian players and allow them to play in Australian Dollars. To get started players only have to create a real money casino account at these online casinos and make a real money deposit. Most of these casinos allow players to play the pokies for free without having to register an account or make a deposit.
Here is a selection of best online alternatives to the pokies available at RSLs, pubs, and clubs:
Mister Money (Online) vs Show me the Money (Local)
Mister Money is a Real Time Gaming (RTG) online pokie that serves as a great online alternative to the Aristocrat's land-based Show Me the Money. Both pokies are based on the theme of wealth, but Mister Money offers several free spins.
Mister Money is a progressive pokie with 20 paylines, five reels, and a betting range of 0.01 to 0.25 per line. If players land five white diamonds, which also serve as the wild substitutes, they will win the top fixed jackpot of 5000 coins. The online pokie's best feature is its free spins with multipliers.
True Blue Casino Play Mister Money at True Blue CasinoRamses Book (Online) vs King of the Nile (Local)
Players may feel that there are too many land-based as well as online pokies based on the theme of ancient Egypt. The simple truth is most Egypt themed games are disappointingly similar, but there are few games that stand in a class of its own. Players who enjoyed playing Aristocrat's King of the Nile at any pub or club will definitely enjoy its online alternative, Gamomat's Ramses Book.
Ramses Book has five paylines, three rows, and five reels, all set within an ancient Egyptian temple. Thematic symbols of carved stones, flowers, statues, and cats adorn the reels along with playing card symbols. The Ramses Book symbol serves as a wild symbol as well as scatter symbol. The pokie comes with a free spins feature that can be re-activated during a free spin and an optional gamble feature that gets activated at the end of every winning spin.
PlayAmo Casino Play Gamomat’s Ramses Book at PlayAmo casinoPanda Party (Online) vs 1000 Pandas (Local)
Pandas are adorable creatures that are loved all over the world. Pokies based on the panda theme enjoy a lot of popularity, especially among animal enthusiasts. Australian players who have enjoyed the experience of playing IGT's 100 Pandas slot at clubs and pubs will definitely enjoy playing Rival Gaming's Panda Party, which is just as good.
Panda Party is a non-progressive online slot with a house edge of 3.5% and a top fixed jackpot of 100 coins. The slot has five reels and 20 paylines. Although it revolves around the panda, the slot also features Chinese culture and a Chinese jungle. Players can use special features such as a wild symbol, a free spins round, and a Pandemonium bonus round to boost their bankroll. During the Pandemonium bonus round, players can win a multiplier value of as much as 64x.
Shark School (Online) vs Jaws (Local)
Players who have watched shark-themed movies such as the US thriller 'Jaws' will definitely appreciate online pokies based on a similar theme. Aristocrat's Jaws pokie is easily available to Australian players at RSLs and pubs. However, if they want to enjoy a shark-based thriller pokie in the comforts of home, they just have to sign up at an online casino to enjoy RTG's Shark School online pokie.
Released in 2014, Shark School is based on the theme of the underwater in general and sharks in particular. The reels feature symbols of an octopus, four species of sharks, and several small fish that live in fear of being swallowed live by the sharks. The online pokie has 50 paylines, five reels, and three bonus games, which translates into great winning potential. Shark School is not only lucrative, but also packed with action and adventure.
Diamonds Wild (Online) vs Diamonds (Local)
Diamonds are not just a girl's best friends. They are also popular among pokie players as they deliver the experience of living a luxurious and lavish lifestyle. Diamond themed pokies have always been a hot favorite among land-based and online casino players. Ainsworth's Royal Diamonds is one of the most played pokies at clubs and pubs all over Australia. But for players who are not in the mood to leave their homes, iSoftBet's Diamonds Wild is a great online alternative.
Diamonds Wild is also a great pokie for players who prefer the traditional pokie experience. The reels feature traditional pokie symbols of bells, cherries, bars, and sevens. Although the pokie looks like a classic pokie, it comes loaded with special features such as five progressive jackpots, wild symbols, and free spins. The pokie comes with 20 paylines and a top fixed payout of 2500 coins, which goes to the player who lands a combination of diamond symbols along a payline. The free spins come with doubled wins, and the smaller diamond icons give players an opportunity to win the five-level progressive jackpot.
Why Play Online?
Australian pokie lovers may wonder why they should play online when they can choose from hundreds and thousands of pokies at their land-based RSLs, clubs, hotels, and pubs. Playing online pokies is an experience that stands in a class of its own. Also, there are plenty of advantages to playing online pokies.
- Play in the comforts of home
- Claim generous online casino bonuses
- Play for fun or real money
- Play on the move on smartphones or tablets
- Win big cash jackpots in the comforts of home
- Participate in lucrative promotions and pokie tournaments
The Popularity of Pokies At Clubs And Pubs in Australia
To give you an idea as to how popular poker machines are with Australian players, let’s take a look at some stats. Based on a report created by Australia Institute, a progressive think tank, 241,000 poker machines are available at non-gambling venues worldwide, and a majority of these machines, around 183,000, can be found in Australia’s local clubs and pubs.
The authors of the report say that 0.3% of the world's population resides in Australia, but the country has 18% of the world's pokies (link to free pokies page) and 6% of its traditional gaming machines. For example, Sydney, one of the biggest cities in Australia and the capital of New South Wales (NSW), has several clubs, RSLs, and pubs with pokies. Some of these land-based pokie venues are Oasis on Beamish, Railway Hotel, The Sly Fox Hotel, Sir John Young Hotel, Twin Willows Hotel, and Club Hillsdale.
Pokies in Australia's local RSLs, pubs, and clubs deliver an enhanced gaming experience. They strongly resemble the pokies found at online casinos. However, pubs and RSLs do not offer free pokies in the free, fun, demo, or practice modes. Players have to wager real money on them. Well-known providers such as WMS, Bally, and IGT have developed slots not only for land-based venues, but also for online casinos.
RSLs and pubs in Australia offer pokies based on a variety of themes, including ancient history, crime, fantasy, treasure, and many others. Some of the most played pokies at RSLs, pubs, and clubs are Haunted House, Greedy Goblins, Pirate's Treasure, Chests of Plenty, Deal or No Deal International, Family Guy, Jeopardy, and many more. There is also a great selection of pokies or online slot games available at Australian friendly online casinos.
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