Surprising Stats About Gambling in Australia

Gambling has been an integral part of Australian culture since the very beginning. Early settlers were noted gamblers, and horse race betting has been regulated in Australia since the mid-19th century. Given the ubiquitousness of gambling here, ex-pats often see it as a means of integrating themselves into the Australian lifestyle.

Today, gambling is as popular in Australia as it’s ever been. You can find “pokies” in most bars and clubs, and even in some hotels. Despite its prevalence, some statistics about gambling in Australia may still surprise you.

1. Australia’s total gambling expenditure per year is $24.039 billion

When Australians gamble, they gamble with real money. They don’t just play for fun; they play to (hopefully) win! They also wager an increasing amount of money per year.

Currently, the average player in Australia spends somewhere around $1,200 per year on gambling at Australian casino sites and on sports betting. Online poker sites in Australia are also popular, as, according to Brett Curtis, they offer real money poker tournaments, cash games, and freerolls.

Based on the most recent Australian Gambling Statistics, the total gambling expenditure per year has increased to the $24 billion mark. These findings are based on the 2020-2021 financial year. This figure reflects a 13.2% increase from 2019-2020.

So, it’s safe to assume that the gambling industry is bigger and more popular than it has ever been. These figures are bound to increase by the time the next Australian Gambling Statistics paper is published.

2. Lotteries and scratches count for 64% of the total amount of gambling in Australia

In a recent study by the Australian Gambling Research Center, lotteries and scratches were found to be the most common form of gambling in Australia. This high participation is most likely due to the accessibility of scratches and also how easy it is to buy lottery tickets online.

This same study also found that race betting was the second most popular form of gambling in Australia, accounting for 38% of the total amount of gambling participation. This refers mainly to horse racing but also includes greyhound racing.

Sports betting is the third most popular form of betting in Australia, at 34%. Lastly, pokies are the 4th most popular, taking up 33% of the total.

The Australian Gambling Research Center also found that the majority of gamblers participate in more than one form of gambling. For example, if someone regularly participates in sports betting, there’s a high chance that they also regularly play pokies.

3. New South Wales has 87,298 electronic gaming machines in bars and hotels alone

New South Wales is of course the most populous Australian state, so it’s not surprising that it has the highest number of pokies out of all the states. However, what is surprising is the sheer number of electronic betting machines this state has - well over 87,000.

Amazingly, this figure excludes casinos! So, given that NSW has 13 established casinos, each of which being home to thousands of gaming machines, this figure could potentially reach 100,000.

So, if you’ve never been to NSW, don’t be surprised when you encounter pokies in basically every bar you enter.

4. Australian gamblers spend $83 on a typical sports betting day

To finish off, the average amount that an Australian sports bettor will spend on a standard day is around $83. The $83 could potentially be divided over several bets or put on a single bet. This is based on research conducted by the Australian Gambling Research Centre.

This estimate appears to be close to the average amount that bettors will spend on other forms of gambling, as the average amount that a gambler will spend on race betting is $93.