With staggering revenues pouring in from nearly $300 billion in annual gambling turnover, Australia's complex relationship with betting reveals an industry of immense scale and profound social impact, as shown by the latest data.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022-23, Australia's total gambling turnover reached $300.4 billion
- Gross gambling revenue (GGR) for Australia in 2022-23 was $27.4 billion
- Gaming machine turnover in Australia for 2022-23 totalled $100.2 billion
- 47.7% of Australians aged 18+ gambled in the past 12 months (2022)
- Past year gambling participation rate declined from 63% in 2015 to 47% in 2022
- 25.2% of Australians participated in sports betting in 2022
- 1.1 million Australians classified as problem gamblers (2022)
- Problem gambling prevalence 4.8% of adult population 2022
- Moderate risk gamblers 10.2% or 1.9 million adults 2022
- 38% of population aged 18-24 are male sports bettors 2022
- Pokie players predominantly female 60% over 50 years old 2022
- Sports betting dominated by males 80% aged 18-34 2022
- Australia has 198,440 gaming machines in 6,867 venues (2022-23)
- NSW regulates 92,000 pokies in 3,637 pubs/clubs (2023)
- Victoria 17 states cap gaming machines at 200 per venue
Australia's immense gambling industry generates billions in revenue while causing widespread harm to citizens.
Demographics
- 38% of population aged 18-24 are male sports bettors 2022
- Pokie players predominantly female 60% over 50 years old 2022
- Sports betting dominated by males 80% aged 18-34 2022
- Lottery players evenly split gender, skew older 55+ 40% 2022
- Low SES groups over-represented in pokies 35% participation 2022
- Indigenous Australians gamble at 2x rate of non-Indigenous 60% vs 30% 2022
- Regional/rural gamblers 25% higher participation than urban 2022
- 18-24 year olds 47% gamble, highest sports betting 35% 2022
- 65+ age group 30% participation, mainly lotteries 2022
- University educated less likely to gamble 40% vs 55% non-uni 2022
- Unemployed gamble at 65% rate 2022
- Single parents PG vulnerability high 15% rate 2022
- Migrants from Asia higher online gambling 12% 2022
- Baby boomers 50-64 pokies 20% participation 2022
- Gen Z weekly betting 12% males 2022
- Lower income <$50k gamble more pokies 25% 2022
- Disability support recipients 70% gamble rate 2022
- QLD residents highest pokies play 22% 2022
- NSW sports betting highest 30% participation 2022
- Victoria metro pokies high density affects demographics 2022
- 55% of sports bettors use apps daily under 35 2022
- Women over 50 comprise 70% of venue pokie players 2022
- VET qualified higher gambling 58% vs uni 42% 2022
- Full-time workers 50% participation, casuals 60% 2022
Demographics Interpretation
Australia's gambling landscape is a grimly efficient machine, finely tuned to exploit the young man's ego with a sports app, the older woman's solitude at the pokies, and the desperation found in poverty, unemployment, and social disadvantage.
Economic Impact
- In 2022-23, Australia's total gambling turnover reached $300.4 billion
- Gross gambling revenue (GGR) for Australia in 2022-23 was $27.4 billion
- Gaming machine turnover in Australia for 2022-23 totalled $100.2 billion
- Total gambling taxes paid by industry in 2022-23 amounted to $6.5 billion
- New South Wales gaming machine revenue in 2022-23 was $3.9 billion
- Victoria's gambling expenditure in 2022-23 stood at $8.2 billion
- Queensland casino revenue for 2022-23 was $1.1 billion
- Total sports betting turnover in Australia 2022-23 was $9.8 billion
- Australian gambling market size projected to reach AUD 32 billion by 2027
- Lotteries and Keno turnover in 2022-23 was $7.5 billion
- Race betting turnover nationally in 2022-23 hit $6.4 billion
- Tasmania's gaming revenue contribution to state budget 2022-23 was $140 million
- Northern Territory casino GGR 2022-23 was $250 million
- Total bingo turnover Australia 2022-23 was $120 million
- South Australia gambling taxes 2022-23 totalled $450 million
- Western Australia non-casino gaming revenue 2022-23 was $80 million
- Online gambling revenue growth 2022-23 was 12.5%
- Clubs sector gaming revenue NSW 2022-23 $2.8 billion
- Hotels gaming revenue Victoria 2022-23 $1.2 billion
- Crown Melbourne GGR 2022-23 $1.5 billion
- Tabcorp racing turnover 2022-23 $4.2 billion
- Gambling advertising spend 2022 $450 million
- Per capita gambling loss Australia 2022-23 $850
- Gaming machine losses NSW clubs/hotels 2022-23 $3.2 billion
- Total expenditure on pokies Australia 2022-23 $14.1 billion
- Sports wagering GGR 2022-23 $1.3 billion
- Casino table games turnover $12.5 billion 2022-23
- ACT gambling revenue 2022-23 $250 million
- Employment in gambling industry ~250,000 jobs 2023
- Gambling contributes 0.8% to Australia GDP 2022
Economic Impact Interpretation
Even as the pokies' relentless churn of a hundred billion dollars sounds like a national nervous tic, the sobering truth is that Australians lost over fourteen billion on them last year, funding a quarter-million jobs in an industry that vacuums up nearly a thousand dollars from every citizen while contributing less than one percent to our actual wealth.
Player Participation
- 47.7% of Australians aged 18+ gambled in the past 12 months (2022)
- Past year gambling participation rate declined from 63% in 2015 to 47% in 2022
- 25.2% of Australians participated in sports betting in 2022
- Pokies/gaming machines played by 17.8% of adults past year 2022
- Lottery participation rate 37.4% in 2022
- Horse race betting engaged 12.5% of population 2022
- Casino table games participation 4.2% past year 2022
- Online gambling participation rose to 28% in 2022 from 20% in 2019
- Males gambling rate 51.2% vs females 44.3% in 2022
- Young adults 18-24 gambling participation 55.6% 2022
- Weekly gamblers make up 6.8% of adult population 2022
- Instant scratch lottery participation 15.3% 2022
- Bingo played by 3.7% past year 2022
- Keno participation 4.1% in 2022 survey
- Greyhound betting 2.8% participation 2022
- Esports betting emerging at 1.2% among 18-34s 2022
- Non-gamblers increased to 52.3% in 2022
- Multiple gambling forms participated by 30% of gamblers 2022
- Sports betting weekly among males 15-20% 2022
- Regional gambling participation higher at 52% vs metro 46% 2022
- Indigenous participation rate 60% vs non 47% 2022
- Average sessions per year for pokie players 25 in 2022
- Online slots played by 8% of adults 2022
- Casino visits average 2.1 per gambler 2022
Player Participation Interpretation
While the percentage of Australians gambling has fallen to a coin-flip's chance of 47.7%, the nation's habit is far from kicked, having simply migrated online and doubled down on sports betting, with young men leading the statistically risky charge.
Problem Gambling Rates
- 1.1 million Australians classified as problem gamblers (2022)
- Problem gambling prevalence 4.8% of adult population 2022
- Moderate risk gamblers 10.2% or 1.9 million adults 2022
- 0.5% low risk gamblers at risk of harm 2022
- Pokies responsible for 50% of problem gambling cases 2022
- Sports betting problem gambling rate 8.5% among bettors 2022
- Annual cost of gambling harm $7 billion in Australia 2022
- 41% of problem gamblers female, higher for pokies 2022
- Youth problem gambling 5.2% aged 16-24 2022
- Online gamblers problem rate 12% vs 5% offline 2022
- Suicide linked to gambling in 8.5% of cases 2022 study
- Treatment seekers up 20% post-COVID to 45,000 annually 2022
- Family impacts from PG affect 200,000 households 2022
- Crime costs from PG $1.2 billion yearly 2022
- Bankruptcy filings linked to gambling 10% 2022
- Indigenous PG rate 17% vs 5% non-Indigenous 2022
- Mental health comorbidity 75% in PG cases 2022
- Average PG debt $20,000 per person 2022
- Helpline calls 250,000 annually 2022-23
- Relapse rate post-treatment 60% within year 2022
- Females PG treatment uptake 55% 2022
- Sports bettors PG 15x higher than average 2022
- Regional PG rate 6.2% vs metro 4.2% 2022
- 25-30% of PG are daily gamblers 2022
- Youth exposure to betting ads correlates with 20% higher PG risk
Problem Gambling Rates Interpretation
While these statistics coldly quantify a national crisis as 1.1 million problem gamblers and a $7 billion annual cost, they are ultimately a ledger of human anguish, where the relentless spin of a pokie machine or a targeted sports ad can quietly unravel lives, families, and futures with a devastating and often tragic finality.
Regulation Policy Expenditure
- Australia has 198,440 gaming machines in 6,867 venues (2022-23)
- NSW regulates 92,000 pokies in 3,637 pubs/clubs (2023)
- Victoria 17 states cap gaming machines at 200 per venue
- QLD has 47,933 gaming machines across 1,366 sites (2022-23)
- SA venue cap 12 machines per hotel implemented 2021
- WA no private pokies, only casino and Skipper's Cove
- TAS cashless gaming mandatory from 2022 rollout
- NT 1,400 machines in pubs, no cap per venue 2023
- ACT 5,600 machines in 164 venues regulated by ACT Gambling
- National Consumer Protection Framework bans credit cards online 2018
- Pre-commitment trials in TAS failed uptake <1% 2022
- NSW point-of-consumption tax on online betting 8% from 2019
- VIC mandatory carded play in 4 trial venues 2023
- Federal ban on gambling ads during live sports daytime 2023
- Loss limits online $1,000/month QLD trial 2023
- 70% of states have harm minimisation levies on operators
- Self-exclusion registers national linkage proposed 2023
- Average tax rate on pokies 45% across states 2022-23
- Illegal offshore betting losses $1 billion annually estimated 2023
- 350+ licensed online bookmakers under Commonwealth 2023
- Venue expenditure monitored quarterly via AGS since 1990
- Supermarket betting terminals banned TAS/NT 2022
- Max bet limits $5 pokies QLD/NT/ACT 2023
- Community benefit funds from gambling $1.2 billion yearly 2022-23
- Online wagering license fees $200k+ annually per operator
- Pokies expenditure per machine $500k/year national avg 2022-23
- Online slots complaints to ACMA 10,000+ yearly 2023
Regulation Policy Expenditure Interpretation
Australia's gambling landscape is a contradictory tapestry of near-ubiquitous, highly lucrative pokies and a patchwork of well-intentioned but often struggling harm reduction policies, all held together by billions in tax revenue and community funding.
Sources & References
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