Why Do Australians Gamble So Much?
A few years ago, we saw the birth of “Australians are the most likely people in the world to bet on the horse.” This claim is misleading, but in that one sentence, they get the attention of a lot of people. It’s also true that gambling in Australia is huge.
Many country residents play casino games and make sports bets regularly, which is just a fact. Tens of new Australian casinos online are registered monthly, which gives Australians absolute gambling freedom.
Last year was a big year for Australian gambling statistics. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australians took a staggering $5.6 billion from casino spending and $35.3 billion from non-casino gambling. At the same time, estimates of Australian Gambling Research Center suggest that Australians lost approx.
$25 billion on legal forms of gambling between 2018 and 2019, thus, representing the largest per capita losses in the world. We should admit that these are impressive numbers and that casino gambling is a real trend today. And we do not expect that it will change any time soon.
What’s Special About Gambling in Australia?
The thing with gambling in Australia is that people don’t want to admit they gamble. It is a norm for them, and no one considers playing casino games as something unusual or one of a kind. Thus, a survey last year showed that Australians only admit that they gamble when they are either losing or winning.
What’s more, a staggering 93% of Australians surveyed said that they were ashamed of their gambling, but, at the same time, they said that they gambled anyway. It is like you are lying about something, but you can’t lie about a lie.
Last year’s figures showed that overall gambling revenue had fallen, but the decrease was actually from a much higher starting point. The total gambling revenue had been growing at over 5% per year.
So Why Do Australians Gamble So Much?
It is a question that you may think about for a long time. There may be many different reasons explaining the love of Australians for gambling. Let’s see what we can learn from it.
Australian Culture and Tradition
The culture of Australia is a unique blend of indigenous and European culture. It is evident that Australia has been invaded by foreign cultures, such as British and French, and yet the country is still at the beginning of the exploration stage. And it is adapting to the rest of the world. The British culture brought Australians some remarkable things, such as a unique language and various types of recreational activities. Of course, that’s true. And casino games are some of them. They have been a part of their culture for quite a long, and nothing is expected to change any time soon.
Apart from that, many people associate the popularity of gambling in Australia with the fact that it is one of the safest countries in the world. Local people don’t need to worry about a possible robbery on the street, and the crime rate is very low. People lack adrenaline, and it is casino games that have something special to offer.
The Australian Way of Life
Aussies are known for their freedom and independence. There are no dictatorships or military coups even in times of crisis. Australia was the first country that embraced individualism. That is, there are no rules but rules that need to be followed.
Such an approach to life has greatly impacted the way people relax and recharge. Thus, the popular majority of Australians go to BestAuCasinosOnline trying to find the best gambling deals and offers. We should admit that the gambling platform has a lot to offer.
Readiness to Put Everything at Stake
Over recent years, the Australian gambling industry has made several attempts to shed its unsavoury reputation. It has largely failed. The number of Australians who admit to betting on anything is small, but their thirst for risk-taking, however, is widespread.
One of the most consistent characteristics of the Australian gambling market is the huge amounts of money that people are ready to spend on it. And it is no wonder that since mobile gambling security has been significantly improved, Australian gamblers do not have to worry about their money and deposits.
Since poker was legalized in 1991, Australians have spent over $70 billion dollars on their favourite game, and this is just a small part of the big industry. The gambling market in Australia continues to grow as both land-based venues and Internet casino sites expand.
The Legal Side of the Matter
The Australian government has tried various strategies to curb this. The Gambling (Restricted Activities) Act 1988 allowed authorities to seize bank accounts used to fund a gambling habit and to seize the money of people who had amassed huge debts.
Since the Act was put in place, more than a hundred million dollars in funds have been seized. The government has also tried to crack down on the number of land-based venues by introducing the Responsible Gambling Act (1995).
The Act allowed the government to close venues that were judged not to be of public benefit. Since its introduction, nearly 100 venues have closed. The government has also tried to curtail land-based internet gambling by introducing the Interactive Gambling Act (2006), which placed restrictions on gambling companies that provided interactive internet gambling services.
Since the legislation was introduced, nearly ten thousand land-based internet gambling venues have closed. However, all these haven’t changed the love of Australians for gambling. Casino games are still popular among the wide masses. And recent stats prove it well.
Wrapping up
Australia is renowned for its gambling habits, and as of 2022, it ranks as the sixth highest consumer of lottery products. What is more, gambling is among the highest in Australia’s share of total gambling expenditure.
The New South Wales State Government alone devotes more than 3% of its budget to the lottery, and the total is estimated to grow by at least 2% per year. The same applies to sports betting. This says a lot about the country and the real passions of its residents.
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