Australian Online Gambling Rates Double in One Decade

The results of The Second National Study of Interactive Gambling in Australia have been published, and they revealed that online gambling has doubled in the country in the past decade. The survey of more than 15,000 people found that close to 18% of adults had gambled online in 2019, up from just 8% in 2010.

This growth in online gambling has been driven by faster internet speeds, the convenience of betting on smartphone apps, extensive advertising and inducements, and new betting options like multi-bets. New online activities have also been introduced, including eSports, fantasy sports, skin gambling, and loot boxes.

Professor Nerilee HingCQ University’s Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory

Professor Hing also explained that the survey found Australia’s most popular forms of online gambling were lotteries, with more than 10% of adults taking part, followed by horserace betting and sports betting, both of which close to 6% of adults had participated in.

The study found that Australia’s average gambler is a well-educated young male who enjoys multiple forms of gambling.

At present, the Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments are working on implementing the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering. The National Framework has been designed to bring Australia’s consumer protection measures up to date, to make sure that they reflect best practices nationally and are consistent across the nations’ various jurisdictions. The Framework puts forward 10 consumer protection measures that aim to reduce harmful gambling.

A second study conducted into the negative impact gambling has on families and friends found that more than 9% of Australian adults have experienced some form of problem gambling from their own gambling, and 6% have from other people’s gambling.

Data has revealed that online gamblers are twice as likely to experience gambling harm than their land-based counterparts. The information will now be used to shape the country’s online gambling and consumer protection policies.

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