Gambling Statistics in Australia
- The Australian Institute of Family Studies conducted research that indicates that over 70% of adult Aussies engaged in gambling at least once during the past year. What's more, 38% of respondents practice the activity weekly.
- According to the study, 42% of Australian gamblers used mobile devices to place bets in 2023.
- Among the surveyed gamblers, over 40% experienced some level of gambling-related harm.
- The most popular expenditures were on lotteries and scratchies (64%), horse racing (38%), sports betting(34%), and pokies (33%). The interesting fact is that only 30% of participants stuck to a single type of gambling; the rest engaged in multiple forms.
- On average, gamblers spent around $83 on sports betting and $93 on race betting daily.
- Also, it is noticeable that men outnumbered women in gambling participation, showing higher frequency, spending and addiction levels.
Popularity of Online Pokies by State
We analyzed data from various services that show how many times a month Australians search for "online pokies" in each state:
The map's colours refer to the popularity of online pokies in each state. Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania are the top three front-runners by the number of pokie players.
Gambling and Gender
Average (mean (median)) Expenditure on a Typical Day When Gambling by Gende
| Gambling product(s) | Overall | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports (e.g. NRL, AFL ) | $83 ($20) | $98 ($25) | $53 ($20) |
| Racing (including horse, harness and greyhound racing) | $93 ($20) | $112 ($30) | $63 ($20) |
| Any/all other gambling (e.g. pokies machines, lotteries, casino games) | $109 ($30) | $119 ($30) | $92 ($30) |
The average spending per typical session among gamblers was about the same for sports betting, racing, and other types of gambling. Also, men tend to spend more money gambling on all three types of products compared to women.
Popularity by Category
The BetPokies team conducted its own research to find out which online casinos Aussies play at. We segmented casinos into the following categories: casino types, bonuses, games, and payment methods; analysed thousands of search queries and found out how many times a month Australians search for them. We chose only the most popular ones and wrote their frequency in numbers.
By Casino Types
The diagram demonstrates that among numerous types of gambling platforms and casinos, the most popular ones are online casinos and bookmakers. While new and mobile casinos take third place in popularity, accounting for only 7%.
By Bonuses
The popularity comparison of different types of bonuses proves that no-deposit bonuses remain the most requested ones. This is not surprising, considering that they allow players to try out new casinos without the need to risk any money.
By Casino Games
Based on surveyed players' preferences, online pokies are the most popular type of games in online casinos. Online poker, lotto and roulette follows behind with 34%, 29% and 27% respectively. However, gamblers do not neglect games such as online bingo and online keno, which represent 22% and 20% of players' preferences.
By Payment Methods
Among online casino payment methods, PayID casinos lead the pack with 1000 monthly queries, showcasing a strong preference for this particular payment option. Neosurf casinos and PayPal casinos follow, with 100 and 60 monthly queries respectively, indicating notable interest in these alternative payment methods. Meanwhile, queries for general casino payment methods and specific methods like Neteller and Paysafecard casinos are lower, with around 50 and 40 monthly queries respectively, suggesting a moderate level of interest in exploring different payment options within the online casino realm.
Attitudes Towards Gambling Among Australian Adults
Gambling Harm Among People Who Gamble
Despite the popularity of gambling activity, it is not completely safe. Besides the risk of facing rogue casinos, players risk gaining an addiction to gambling. Thus, the Problem Gambling Severity studies show that 46% of players have experienced some level of gambling-related harm within the past year.
The studies prove that male gamblers were found to be at risk more frequently than females, with numbers of 53% and 38%, respectively. Notably, young adults aged 18-34 were over twice as likely to be at risk compared to players aged 55 and older.