I think most of us are familiar with good old-fashioned pokies in the corner of the bar, or the regimental ranks of pokies lined up in gleaming rows in a casino. Online pokies are however, perhaps less familiar a concept to many of us. Online poker has become relatively mainstream, specifically through the popular Facebook app, with a whole new generation of enthusiastic poker players, many of whom start to play poker online long before they play a physical game. Will pokies follow a similar path with online pokies becoming more popular and having far more online pokies players than those playing the physical pokies we are used to? In reality, pokies are more suited to an online environment than poker. Poker is a group game, and a large part of it is reading the other players, which is altered significantly in an online environment. Pokies have always been a solitary form of entertainment. This being the case, online pokies as a format do not distract from the general experience or gameplay. This natural compatibility is one of the primary factors as to why online pokies have been growing in popularity. A huge variety of options in online pokies as well as much larger potential jackpots are just two of the attractions driving the revolution in online pokies. The way standard pokies work is that pay-outs vary from pokie to pokie, within a legal framework. However, in actual practice, regulating physical pokies spread around many thousands of locations in a given territory is difficult. This always leaves doubts as to how well regulated pay-outs actually are. Online Pokies Highly Regulated Online gambling, online pokies included, is a very strictly regulated industry. The individual player has far greater choice as the whole world of online pokies is open to him or her. However, in reality, the number of companies operating online pokies is much less than would be the case with physical pokies. Operators of online pokies are also licensed and very tightly regulated, with their software and accounts being regularly audited by the national regulatory bodies. This means that from the players point of view they are actually much safer. The competition created by online pokies being accessible from all over the world also means that pay-out percentages can reach up to 97%, and numerous incentives are offered. When was the last time a bar owner handed you over $50 loyalty bonus to play with because you had been a good client for his pokie machine? Or offered you $10 to incentivize you to play on his pokie machine rather than the one in the bar next door? Great Jackpots on online pokies Jackpots available via online pokies are also far greater than anything you could possibly imagine playing physical pokies. Getting the top jackpot with online pokies compared to traditional pokies is a bit like the difference between playing a community hall raffle or the national lottery, because of the number of players involved. The chance of winning is the same if we look at the percentages of pay-outs compared to what is taken in. And as already discussed, pay-out percentages are actually higher with online pokies meaning the chances of winning are actually higher. Also, the top prices are phenomenal and for those lucky enough to win jackpots with online pokies, they can surpass $1 million. All things considered it is very likely that online pokies will become the rule rather than the exception.