Authorities Warn Against Buying Poker Machines

If you’re a big fan of pokies, it’s probably tempting to own your machine that you can place in your den to hobby room. However, authorities have warning people against purchasing poker machines that have been used in gaming clubs or casinos; it’s actually a crime that could land you in jail, or at least leave you with a hefty fine to pay.

Recently, New South Wales authorities have confiscated 15 different poker machines from private homes and pawn shops. The games previously belonged to Maitland Bowling Club, but were reported as damaged during a fire. Rather than disposing of the games as the law dictates, the club had them refurbished and then sold them on.

This was quite a complex scandal. The club owners had to work with many different individuals and organisations to be able to get the games in working order again and to hide this fact from authorities.

“The level of sophistication and collusion that occurred in this instance we haven’t seen before,” says Troy Grant, Minister for Hospitality, Gaming and Racing. “Club officials were colluding with licensed gaming technicians to falsify documents, change gaming machines in order to rebirth them into the industry.”

The games were sold on Facebook and via pawnbrokers. Authorities state that some of the games were sold for $13 000, which would have earned the sellers upwards of $300 000.

Individuals across Australia are prohibited from having their own pokies, as there is the possibility that they could run their own illegal gambling operations from home. To prevent this from happening, club owners have to report the destruction of all pokies.

If you’re a big fan of playing pokies and want to have a game in your home – don’t purchase one that ever belonged to a club. You can find replica games all over the internet, which are perfect legal to own.