New Study Exposes Shift in Australian Gambling Habits
Recent research has revealed a significant decline in gambling participation across Australia, alongside a rise in risky gambling and a shift in demographics.
The Australian National University’s Centre for Gambling Research has uncovered a notable decline in gambling participation across Australia, with the percentage of Australians engaging in gambling activities falling from 65.6% in 2019 to 60.3% in 2024. This drop is largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly impacted in-person gambling.
The CGR study, which surveyed 4,027 adults compared to 2,054 in 2019, shed light on a growing trend within the industry. What might have started as a sheer necessity due to the shutting down of retail venues, has quickly turned into the new normal, with 33.4% of participants now gambling online versus 28.6% in person.
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Gambler Profiles
The research also exposed a clear demographic shift. While it was previously thought that online betting attracted younger demographics, the 45-55 age group now represents the largest segment of online bettors, making up 20.5% of this market, including those participating in lottery betting. This group is closely followed by the 25-34 age range, which accounts for 18.7% of online gamblers.
The online gambler profiles revealed that they tend to be younger, more likely to have full-time jobs and earn higher incomes. Among them, 28.5% hold a university degree, and 47.2% have post-secondary certificates or diplomas. They are also more likely to be employed and living with a partner and children. On the other hand, in-person gamblers are generally older, with 21.2% falling into the 65-74 age bracket and 66.1% being over 45. Gender-wise, females constitute 53.8% of in-person gamblers, compared to 42.1% among online gamblers.
Games
The lottery was recognized as one of the most popular forms of gambling, with 46.8% of those surveyed participating in this pastime. Raffles came in a distant second, enjoyed by 23.4% of respondents, while scratchcards, which 15.7% of people engaged with, ranked third.
Despite the Australian sports betting industry generating significant revenue, the CGR study revealed that only 4.7% of respondents engaged in this activity, with 94.2% of these bets being placed online. Similarly, casino table games accounted for just 2.7% of the gambling activity reported in the sample.
Behaviours
One of the most interesting yet concerning revelations of the report was that the proportion of individuals engaging in “risky gambling” increased from 11.6% in 2023 to 13.7% in 2024. This rise in risky gambling levels now exceeds the rates seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, which is very troubling. At the same time, the number of people who do not gamble has slightly increased over the past year, indicating a stabilization in overall gambling participation.
The Australian National University (ANU) used the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) to measure risk behaviours, employing a method similar to that of the UK Gambling Commission. According to the PGSI, a score of 8 or higher is classified as problem gambling, while scores between 1 and 2 are considered low risk. Scores from 3 to 7 are deemed moderate risk. The ANU emphasized that the term “risky gambling” refers to anyone with a PGSI score of 1 or more, distinguishing it from “high-risk gambling.”
Way Forward
Armed with these findings, the Australian gambling industry must take action. While the significant drop in in-person gambling is not surprising, some of the other report revelations are of considerable concern, particularly those highlighting “risky gambling behaviour.” The government has already been advocating for changes within the industry to mitigate the rise in problem gambling, with “risky gambling behaviour” falling under that category.
The government’s primary course of action has been to ban the use of credit cards, aiming to ensure that players gamble only with their own funds in the hope of limiting their spending. Recently, the government has also been campaigning for stricter advertising regulations. The current proposal, which limits ads to two per hour until 10 p.m. and bans them during live sports, has sparked a campaign advocating for a complete ban across all media platforms.