Study Conducted on Gambling in Australia
In a recent study conducted by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), they have been able to release the latest results on the gambling habits of Australians.
The results of the study revealed that around 6.8 million Aussies gamble on a regular basis, this translates to around 42% of the adult population within the country.
Gambling Critics Comment on the Results of the Study
According to comments by gambling critics, around AU$23.54 billion has been lost by AU gamblers in 2016 and 2017. More so, these critics believe that this should be used as evidence to prove to the country that the issue needs to be addressed. Further, it can be seen that the losses made increased to around 4.2% which is around double that of the inflation rate, between 2016 and 2017.
Studies suggest that around AU$11.77 billion of the losses are due to pokies machines. This is approximately half of the total amount lost. Additionally, players spent around AU$5.23 billion at the casino, AU$2.8 billion on horse racing and a further AU$1.83 billion on lotteries. Furthermore, there were losses that were made from sports betting. However, these losses were significantly less, totalling around AU$915.55 million. Although the least amount of money was lost while sports betting, studies do show that the amount of sports betting activity has increased by 13%. This is the biggest increase compared to all other gambling variants. Those conducting the study attribute this increase to the ease of access on the internet as well as being able to place these bets on online apps.
Should Pokies Take the Wrap?
The Alliance for Gambling Reforms states that the amount of money lost on pokies machines should be alarming legislators. Consequently, Tim Costello, the Spokesperson for the Alliance for Gambling Reform reports that politicians should be working toward a goal of under AU$26 billion per year.
In the report published by the AGRC, it can be noted that 6.8 million Australian citizens are categorised as regular gamblers. This means that these people place up to ten bets monthly on either lotteries, pokies, racing, sports, bingo, casinos, keno, poker, or even private bets. Of these 6.8 million people, it has been identified that around 1.1 million of them would be at risk of problem gambling.
Dr. Andrew Armstrong, one of the lead researchers on this particular study, stated the following: an average gambler spent approximately AU$1272 annually. Often poker players would spend the most topping around AU$3671. Those using scratchies and other gambling activities would spend around AU$620. A further look at the numbers displays that pokies fans spend an average of AU$1290 on pokies. An average of AU$1306 is spent on races, and approximately AU$1032 is spent on sports betting. Lastly, AU$1368 is spent on table games.
In a Nutshell
Thanks to the study, it is easy to see that gamblers could get carried away when playing casino games at either land-based or online casinos. That is why we at InternetPokies.org urge players to gamble responsibly and set a comprehensive bankroll before participating in any type of gambling.
