Recently, I traveled to Australia on a business trip to exhibit at the Australian Gaming Expo(AGE) and to meet with some of my clients. I learned quite a bit about the country, the culture, and Australian gaming. It’s a fantastic country with a lot of beautiful cities, beaches, restaurants and entertainment venues. I had such a good experience that I wanted to share it with you.
Here are some of the things that I learned:
They Like Americans
I have never felt more at home in any other country. Each time I met a new Australian person, they would smile immediately and welcome me with warmth after learning I was an American. Although they are located halfway around the world, it seems that they love our culture, our TV shows and our celebrities. I found that it was easy to start and sustain a conversation with just about anyone there. Americans seem to have a lot in common with them except for a food they eat called Vegemite (a dark brown Australian food paste made from leftover brewers’ yeast), I don’t understand why anyone thinks that stuff tastes good. It’s definitely a condiment that you’ll need to acquire a taste for — I doubt anyone likes this stuff on their first try.
Continental Coffee Confusion
I was a bit confused when I walked into the first coffee shop during my visit. I tried ordering an “Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte” and the Barista just stood there in disbelief. I said it again and still no response. I then looked upon the menu-board and ordered a double ristretto (it rocked my world … very little sleep that night). Just so you don’t have to go through the same thing I did, here’s a break-down of the coffee drinks and recipes:
- Short black: Single 30ml shot of espresso.
- Ristretto: Similar to an espresso, but a restricted shot of only 15ml. It is a very rich short drink. (This became a personal favorite of mine.)
- Short Macchiato: Espresso with a dollopof froth.
- Long Black: Hot water then a double espresso.
- Americano: Upside down long black (Double espresso then hot water).
- Cappuccino: 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 froth.
- Latte: Same amount of espresso as cappuccino, but less froth – approximately 1cm. Served in a glass generally.
- Flat White: Same amount of espresso as cappuccino and latte, but with between 0-5 ml of froth
Ripper Words & Phrases
Sometimes when you’re talking to an Aussie, you’ll be confused by some of the words or sayings they use. Here are a few of the popular examples along with the meaning:
- Mate: Buddy or friend. They use this word in almost every sentence and I like it. It’s a constant reminder of friendship.
- Pokie: Slot machine. I misunderstood this word at first so I had to clean up my thinking.
- Punter: A casino patron or player (Example: The punter played the Pokie at the Servo.)
- She’ll be right: Everything will be all right.
- Club: Not a casino, but it has casino games, sports, restaurants and other casino-ish looking stuff
- Servo: Gas station
- Bloody: Very
- Snag: Sausage (I like this word. It seems to be a better description of the product.)
- Mate’s Rate: Cheaper than usual for a friend
- No worries: It’s not a problem
- Saltie: A saltwater crocodile
- Barbie: Barbeque (Example: Throw another shrimp on the barbie.)
- Ripper: Great or fantastic (Example: We had a Ripper time at the Club last night.)
- Two up: Gambling game – spinning two coins simultaneously
Sometimes the Word “Casino” is a No-No
In Australia, gaming operations are found in a multitude of different businesses types. Here’s a breakdown of the names they use for the various business types.
Clubs– Clubs in Australia can be a combination of something similar to a YMCA, a casino and many times a professional sports arena. Some of the clubs look like Indian casinos and some look like a YMCA that you’d see in an American city. Many of these clubs have lawn bowling league teams that they sponsor and some sponsor rugby teams as well. Clubs tend to draw memberships from the people who are local or in the neighborhood and loyalty to them seems to stem from a patron’s loyalty to the sporting team the club supports. One thing that I learned quickly is that it is taboo to refer to a “Club”as a “Casino.” Apparently, clubs are places where families participate and they’re used for a lot of other activities besides gambling. In general, folks out there don’t like it when you confuse the two.
Casinos– From what I could gather, casinos are usually larger in size and they’re operated in a similar way to what you’d expect to see a casino operated in the U.S. The main difference that I noticed was that the slot machine titles were very unique to the region and the sports books had Australian rules football and rugby instead of NFL, MLB and NBA like ours. I didn’t recognize many of the slot games they had on the gaming floor. However, I did win $300 on my third spin of a slot in the high limit area, which is pretty cool since I normally lose my money when I play in the states.
Pubs (a.k.a. Public Houses)– Most people know that pubs are similar to bar businesses that serve alcohol and usually have good beer on tap. Many of the pubs in Australia have pokies in them. They tend to have a room in the back with 20 to 30 Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs).
Hotels– I have to admit that I am still trying to figure this one out. It seems that some hotels in Australia don’t have rooms and they are very similar to pubs. This is a bit confusing to me, but I did not push the issue while I was there as I had too many other things going on at the time. Many of the hotels have pokies in them as well.
Some Australian Gaming Facts that May Surprise You…
- There are roughly 200,000 EGMs in Australia across a multitude of gaming operators.
- Nevada holds the top spot as the state with the most slot machines in the world, New South Wales is number two on the list.
- More than 80% of adults in Australia engage in some sort of gambling which is the highest percentage in the world.
- Total gaming revenue in Australia exceeds $20 Billion per year.
- Gambling winnings are tax exempt in AUS. The Australian government views gains from gambling activities not as income, but as a result of good luck. Even if someone wins big, they also lose a lot in other gambling sessions. We can only hope the United States IRS will adopt this policy,but we shouldn’t hold our breath.
My Personal Recommendation
In closing, I would say that Australia is now my favorite country outside of the USA. Australians are very nice people and they’re very hospitable. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome in their country and they genuinely want to ensure that you’ll have a great time while you’re there. I found that most Australians are very happy and they’re also very humorous as well, which makes the visit there even better.
The country itself is beautiful and the city of Sydney is amazing. I found it to be a cross between Hong Kong, Seattle and San Francisco. The city was culturally diverse and there was a ton of activity at all times.
If you ever have the opportunity to travel there, I would not hesitate to take it. I hope you have a similar experience to mine if you get the chance to go, and I hope you’ll get the “mate’s rate” on your travel expenses.
G’Day Mate.
Christopher Swanger is a technology veteran in the gaming industry and has worked both as a vendor and an operator. He is a Go-To-Market expert who helps companies establish relevance and value within the gaming and hospitality sector. As a proponent for innovation, Chris writes for Gaming & Leisure Magazine to help tell the stories that his technology partners and colleagues deem important to the betterment of the gaming industry. You can learn more about Chris at http://www.christopherswanger.com.