inside the pokies

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Inside the pokies

- player guide


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3nd Edition - May 2009

Reerences

1, 2, 3 Productivity Commission 1999, Australias Gambling Industries, Report No. 10, AusIno, Canberra.

4 Victorian Department o Justice, Can you Win, Really Win, on a Poker Machine? brochure.

5 based on the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) component.

Acknowledgements:

The ollowing guide was originally created by Gamblers Help Southern, supported by City o Stonington.

Victorian Department o Justice 2009


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3

IntroductionGamblers Help works to reduce the risk that gambling might become a problem andprovides services or those who need treatment.

We do not suggest you never gamble. Gambling, in its many orms, is enjoyed by

many in the community without major harm, but or some people gambling doesbecome a problem.

This guide explains exactly what you are up against i you decide to play electronic gamingmachines or pokies, as they are commonly known. It explains how pokies actually work andwhy, in the long run, you will lose money.

It also provides you with inormation that, i you do decide to gamble, ensures youunderstand the risks and can gamble as saely as possible.


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Chances are that you will play or have already played a gamingmachine. Studies1 have shown that most problem gamblers areregular pokie players.

Pokies are more easily accessed than most other orms o gambling in the community.They are also user-riendly. Pokie venues can be un places to visit. There is oten ree

tea and coee, the sta are helpul and ellow players may become your riends.

However, gambling involves risk and you may not understand that the risks can be more

than just the loss o a ew dollars here and there. Pokies are oten an escape rom thetroubles o the outside world.

Some people get hooked on gambling and this can have serious consequences. Assets,income, security, liestyle and relationships are oten put at risk. Just over two per cent

o Australian adults have gambling problems, however 15 per cent o regular non-lotterygamblers have gambling problems.2 Problem gambling does not only aect the person

who gambles, but may aect an additional fve to 10 other people in their lives.3

For these reasons it is important that we understand the choices we make when wedecide to gamble, and we recognise the warning signs that gambling could be developing

into a problem.

4

Why should I understandthe pokies?


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5

Who runs the pokies?

In Victoria, pokies are operated by Crown Casino, Tatts Group

and Tabcorp.Tatts Group operates the Tatts Pokies network and Tabcorp operates the TABARET network.

Together these two networks can have a maximum o 27,500 pokies in clubs and hotels.

An individual club or hotel can have up to 105 poker machines. They need to have a

contract with the operator and a licence rom the state government beore they can put anymachines in. The profts are shared between the venue, the operator and the government.

The Victorian Commission or Gambling Regulation polices the gaming laws in Victoria.It issues licences to venues and to gaming sta.

You will see the sta in any gaming venue wearing their licence.


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The profts are divided among the venue operator, the gamingmachine operator (Tatts Group or Tabcorp) and the government.

The profts are shared dierently in hotels and clubs, because hotels contribute

8 1/3 per cent o their profts to the Community Support Fund (CSF).

The CSF unds programs that provide a service to the community. These include Arts,

Tourism, Sport, Drug Initiatives and Problem Gambling initiatives such as Gamblers Help.

The table below shows how the profts rom pokies are distributed.

Both Tatts and Tabcorp pay the remaining 9.09 per cent proft to the Australian TaxationOfce as GST. The gaming machine operators are compensated by paying less State Tax.

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Hotel profts Club profts

Venue operator 25% 33.3%

Gaming machine operator

(Tatts Group) 26.34% 26.34%

(Tabcorp) 33.34% 33.34%Government taxes

(Tatts Group) 31.24% 31.24%

(Tabcorp) 24.24% 24.24%

Community Support Fund 8.33% 0%

But who really getsthe profts?


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7

How do pokies work?

A modern poker machine is simply a computer that has beenprogrammed to look and act like an old style machine.

It is just like a computer game but you are playing with real money and there is no skill

involved. You simply decide how many lines you want to play and how much you want tobet on each line. The machine spins and works out i you have or havent won.

Nothingyou do to the machine will improve your chances o winning no matter what youmight think. This guide will tell you why.


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What are credits?Machines in Victoria are tokenised. This means all machines willtake $1 coins and give you an equivalent amount o credits.

The table below shows how many credits you will get in dierent value machines.

It is important to know how much your credits are worth in real money. You can cash out

your credits at any time. Depending on how much you want to cash out, coins could bepaid to the coin tray, a ticket may be printed, or a venue attendant may have to pay you.

Never eel pressured to gamble all o your money. I you have an early win, cash it out andonly gamble what you planned on gambling beore you came to the venue. This way youcan enjoy gambling but still go home with a win. Also, i you have an early loss, dont try

and chase it with more money. Chances are that you will lose even more than you initiallyplanned. The table on the next page shows what credits are worth on dierent machines(1c, 2c, 5c, etc.)

Machine Value Credits or$1 coin1c 100

2c 50

5c 20

10c 10

$1 1


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Understanding the paytableThe paytable is the artwork on the machine that tells you which combinations o symbolspay and how much they pay.

It is important to understand the paytable and rules o a game beore you play, as this willgive you an idea o whether it is the type o game or you. An example is on page 11.

f

5 Lightning = 10,000 credits1 in 13,312,000 chance

5 Hearts = 100 credits

1 in 52,000 chance

The paytable will usually tell you what combinations o symbols will pay or 1 crediton a payline.

Look at the paytable careully, noting the paylines and combinations. There may be gameeatures that you dont understand. I you dont grasp the game rules and eatures you

may be throwing your money away. I you need help understanding the game, reserve themachine and call over a venue attendant. They will help you with any questions that youmay have.

It is important to realise that the bigger the win, the harder it is to get. For example, in thegame shown on page 11 there is less than a 1 in 13,000,000 chance o getting 5 lightning

compared to a 1 in 52,000 chance o getting 5 hearts.


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f5 10000

4 5000

3 1000

5 750

4 125

3 30

5 2504 30

3 10

5 100

4 25

3 10

2 5

1 2

5 5000

4 2500

3 500

5 5004 100

3 25

5 2000

4 1000

3 250

5 4004 50

3 25

2 10

5 200

4 25

3 10

2 5

5 1000

4 250

3 50

5 3004 40

3 20

2 5

5 150

4 20

3 10

2 5

cv

q

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x

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a

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f

Allwinslefttorightonly

Allwinsonlitlinesonly

Coincidingwinsareadded

Allwinsshownincredits

Allwinsaremultipliedbythecreditsstaked per line

Malunction voids all pays and plays Players responsible or ensuring correct credits are registered beore play

Gamblers Help Southern 2001

Gamblers HelpBest Bet

11


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What happens whenI press the button?

When you press the button, the computer

inside frst checks that the machine isworking properly.

To do this it sends a message to a central computer that monitors

it. I the central computer replies that it is working properly,it spins the reels.

When the reels are spinning the computer is actually deciding

what symbols to display. To do this it does a series o things.

To understand what it does we need to know some o the thingsabout the machine.

The reels

The reels o the machine are actually columns o symbols. You couldthink o a reel as being a strip o paper with symbols positioned oneater the other. The strips or each reel have a dierent number o

symbols and the symbols are in dierent positions on each reel.The computer numbers the positions on each reel. For example,i reel one o a machine has 32 symbols, then the reel strip will be

32 positions long, numbered rom 1 to 32. This allows the machineto know which position and thereore, which symbol, to display on

the screen.

Reel 1

PositionNo. Symbol

1 q

2 w

3 e

4 r

5 t

6 x

7a

8 f

9 f

10 w

11 c

12 v

13 e

14

15 f

16 q

17

18 t

19 c

20 r

21 q

22 v23 w

24

25 f

26 c

27 e

28 w

29 a

30 q

31 x

32 e

12


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The randomnumber generator or a bucket o balls

The random number generator (RNG) is what the computer insidethe poker machine uses to pick the symbol rom each o the reels.It works a lot like a lotto draw.

It is as i the RNG puts a numbered ball or each position on the reel

into a bucket and then shakes the balls up and picks one at random.

The ball that comes out is the position whose symbol will be displayed

on that reel. For example i the computer picks the position or thereel shown on page 12, it would put 32 balls, numbered rom 1 to 32,into the bucket and then pick one at random. I the ball is number 15,

then the symbol on position number 15, thef symbol, would bedisplayed. This is then repeated or each o the reels in the game.

RANDOMNUMBER

GENERATOR 15fq

Reel 1

PositionNo. Symbol

1 q

2 w

3 e

4 r

5 t

6 x

7 a

8 f

9 f

10 w

11 c

12 v13 e

14

15 f

16 q

17

18 t

19 c

20 r

21 q

22 v

23 w

24

25 f

26 c

27 e

28 w

29 a

30 q

31 x

32 e 13


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1. You press the button.

2. The computer inside the machine checks with a central computer that it is workingproperly.

3. The computer starts spinning the reels.

4. The computer picks a ball at random out o a bucket that contains all the numbered

balls or reel 1.

5. The computer stops reel 1 at the number on the ball it pulled out o the bucket.

6. It pulls a ball at random out o another bucket that contains all the balls or reel 2.

7. The computer stops reel 2 at the number on the ball it pulled out o the bucket.

8. It repeats this process or reels 3, 4 and 5 using separate buckets or each reel.

9. Once all the reels stop, the computer works out i there are any wins on the lines youhave gambled on.

10. I there are wins, it pays them otherwise you lose and the computer waits or you topress the button again. All o the balls go back into their buckets or the next game.

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The process


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Return to player (RTP) is the percentage o money playedon a machine that will be returned over the total number ocombinations on a machine.

In Victoria this is a minimum o 87 per cent. This doesnt mean that every time you playyou will get 87 per cent o your money back. It means that i you could play enough spinsto cover every possible combination on a machine (about 80 million) then you could expect

to get 87 per cent o your money back. This also means the operator can count on 13 percent o your money. For this reason the operator doesnt cheat and the machines arentrigged, they simply have a built in advantage or the operatorthere are many more

losing combinations than winning ones.

For practical and legal purposes, RTP in Victoria is calculated annually on a per venue

basisat least 87 per cent o the total amount bet in a gaming venue in a year must bereturned to players4.

What is return to player?


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Every time you press the play button each line you play will haveabout a one in 10 chance o winning.

This simply means you have a one in 10 chance o winning at least one credit. Oten thiswill not be enough to cover the total credits you have bet on that spin, so your spin will

have an overall loss. For example, i you bet one credit per line and played nine lines,the spin would cost you nine credits. I one line won and paid our credits, you lost fve

credits on the spin. Why?

Credits beore spin 20

Cost o spin -9

Wins +4

Credits ater spin =15 (A loss o 5 cents)

What are my chanceso winning?


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Usually your chances o winning the highest prize on a

machine are less than one in 10,000,000. That means thatyou have a better chance o winning Tattslotto or even beingkilled by lightning.

There are millions o possible combinations on modern poker machines and every spin hasan equal chance o bringing up a winning combination. However, your chances o winning

a signifcant prize arent very good. The operator has an advantage which is programmedinto the machinenot only are there many more losing combinations than winning ones,

most o the winning ones pay small amounts.

Why do my chances o winning dier rom game to game?

Your chances dier because each game has dierent paytables and game eatures.Whenever the rules o the game or paytable change, the RTP and chances o winning eachprize will also change. The same game may also have a dierent RTP i it is on a linked

jackpot, in a dierent venue or owned by a dierent operator. This is because RTP canalso be changed by the operator to approved variations.

What are my chanceso a big win?


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Understanding probabilityand odds

The terms probability and odds are two common ways used

to describe how likely it is that a certain event will happen.In gambling, both terms tell you how likely you are to win, but they do this in dierentways.

Probabilityisthenumberofwinningoutcomesdividedbythetotalnumberof

possible outcomes.

Oddscomparethenumberoflosingoutcomestothenumberofwinningoutcomes,in ratio orm.

Think o rolling a dice and hoping or a 4 to come up. In this case there are six possibleoutcomes, one winning outcome and fve losing outcomes.

Theprobabilityofrollinga4wouldbeshownas1/6,oroneinsix.

Theoddsofrollinga4wouldbeshownas5:1.

The maths o poker machines is simply an extension o this. Each reel has a number osymbols. The number o symbols depends upon the game, its paytable and its return

to player. The reels also have dierent numbers o symbols, or example reel one mayhave 32 symbols but reel two may have 39 symbols and reel fve may have 40 symbols.Also, symbols oten appear more than once on a reel and this changes the likelihood o

that symbol being selected. I we go back to our dice and it has two 4s on it instead oonly one, the probability o rolling a 4 would change to 2/6 (simplifed to 1/3). That is,it would become more likely than i there was only one 4.


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Probability on apoker machine

To work out the probability o a winning combination o

symbols on a poker machine, we need to fnd out theprobability o that symbol appearing on each reel.

For our example, we will look at the chance o getting the top prize (5 lightning)

on our Best Bet game. (The paytable is on page 11.) Reel one rom this game isshown on this page. This reel has 32 positions. That means on every spin therewill be an equal chance o getting any o the 32 positions. However many o the

symbols are repeated on the reel because even though there are 32 positions,the paytable only has 12 types o symbols. This means that most o the symbols

will be repeated more than once on the reel.

I we look at the reel strip we fnd that there are two lightning on the reel strip.This means there is a probability o two in 32, or one in 16, o getting a lightning

on this reel on any spin. To fnd the probability o getting fve lightning on anygiven spin, we need to know the probability o getting lightning on each o the

reels. We then multiply these probabilities. I we do this or our Best Bet game,we would get a probability o one in 13,312,000. Thats why it is so hard to winthe top prizes. The odds are against you.

On Victorian pokies, you can fnd out about your chances o getting the top fveand bottom fve winning combinations by pressing the inormation button (i) on

the machine.

q

w

e

rt

x

a

f

f

w

c

v

e

f

q

t

c

r

q

v

w

f

c

e

w

a

q

x

e


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There are many dierent game eatures that can appear on pokermachines. Game eatures include ree games, bonus eature orsecond screen games, scatters and substitutes.

Game eatures are added to poker machines to give you a eeling that you are getting

something or nothing or a second chance to win. However you need to remember thateverything that happens on a poker machine is included in the calculations done by the

maker o the machine. So even when you believe you are getting ree spins, you have paidor these through losses on the machine.

Game eatures can add to the enjoyment o playing poker machines, as long as you stay

in control o your gambling.

Double up

Double up and other win gambles are games in which you can gamble your winnings.Unless you are prepared to lose your winnings quicker it is not advisable to play Doubleup. It gives the machine another chance to take your winnings. The machine manuacturers

understand that many gamblers are willing to take the risk, however unless you areprepared to lose your winnings, dont choose to double up.

Game eatures


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Jackpots are a major part o the experience o gambling onpoker machines.

Oten jackpots will give you a chance to win a prize or an amount o money that would be

difcult or impossible to win by playing on a non-jackpot machine. Jackpot prizes includecars, motorbikes, boats, houses and even a million dollars. However, even the cost ojackpots are priced into the return to player o a game. I a game is connected to a jackpot,

your chances o winning prizes on the normal game are reduced slightly as a cost o tryingto win the jackpot.

I you want to play in a jackpot, make sure you are playing a jackpot machine. I you are not

sure, ask a venue attendant.

Jackpots


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Gambling on the pokies can be a un orm o entertainment as long as you stay in control

and dont bet more than you planned.

People gamble or many reasons and there are strategies that you can use to make yourexperience saer and more enjoyable.

It is essential to understand that gaming machines are or entertainment. Like other orms

o entertainment such as restaurants, movies and bars etc, you should expect to pay oryour entertainment, not get it or ree or even be paid money or doing it!

Gambling strategies


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Playing to occupy time

Play a 1c machine that has ree spins. Play as low a bet as possible. Make sure thatyou understand the game rules. I possible, play a machine with ree spins that are

progressiveyou earn the ree spins during play, or a machine with retriggerableree spins.

Playing or the excitement o second screen eatures

Pick a machine with a second screen eature that is triggered oten. Examine the paytableto fnd which machine suits you best. Oten when the machine is idle it will demonstrate

what the eature looks like.

Playing or the chance o winning a jackpot

Play as low a denomination as possible (5c is better than 10c) and have as low a bet aspossible. Make sure you are playing on a machine that is linked to a jackpotask an

attendant i you are not sure. On a jackpot machine your chances are the same i you betone credit per spin or 100 credits per spin. Dont play machines with ree spins or secondscreen eatures as you are only in the jackpot when you press the play button.


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Gamblers Help is a ree, proessional and confdential 24 hour

service unded by the Victorian Government.Wherever you live there is always someone at the end o the telephone. Through GamblersHelp you can talk to trained, experienced people who understand what you are goingthrough. You can talk over the phone, or i you preer, we can talk ace-to-ace in a sae,

confdential environment. Gamblers Help can support you to come to grips with theproblem and to fnd ways to deal with it.

Services available:

Immediatetelephonehelp

Individualcounselling

Coupleandfamilycounselling

Financialcounselling

Supportgroups

Communityeducation

Multiculturalservices

Professionaldevelopment

Who is Gamblers Help?


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There are some warning signs that gambling may be developinginto a problem or you or someone you know. Ask yoursel the

ollowing questions5.

Doyoubetmorethanyoucanreallyaffordtolose?

Doyouneedtogamblewithlargeramountsofmoneytogetthesamefeelingo excitement?

Doyougobackanotherdaytotrytowinbackthemoneyyoulost?

Doyouborrowmoneyorsellthingstogetmoneytogamble?

Doyoufeelthatyoumighthaveaproblemwithgambling?

Dopeoplecriticizeyourbettingortellyouthatyouhaveagamblingproblem,whether or not you think its true?

Doyoufeelguiltyaboutthewayyougambleorwhathappenswhenyougamble?

Doesyourgamblingcauseyouanyhealthproblems,includingstressoranxiety?

Doesyourgamblingcauseanynancialproblemsforyouoryourhousehold?

Warning signs


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I you answered yes to any o these questions,you could be heading towards a gambling problem.

Call Gamblers Help on 1800 858 858.We can help.


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inside the pokies

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