Nearly half of Australian adults gambled in the past year. Sports betting draws one quarter of participants while pokies attract nearly one fifth. The figures also record 1.1 million people classified as problem gamblers alongside annual harm costs of 7 billion dollars.
Key Takeaways
- 38% of population aged 18-24 are male sports bettors 2022
- In 2022-23, Australia's total gambling turnover reached $300.4 billion
- 47.7% of Australians aged 18+ gambled in the past 12 months (2022)
- 1.1 million Australians classified as problem gamblers (2022)
- Australia has 198,440 gaming machines in 6,867 venues (2022-23)
Australian gambling remains steady, with most spending driven by pokies and online wagering.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics24 stats
01
38% of population aged 18-24 are male sports bettors 2022
02
Pokie players predominantly female 60% over 50 years old 2022
03
Sports betting dominated by males 80% aged 18-34 2022
04
Lottery players evenly split gender, skew older 55+ 40% 2022
05
Low SES groups over-represented in pokies 35% participation 2022
06
Indigenous Australians gamble at 2x rate of non-Indigenous 60% vs 30% 2022
07
Regional/rural gamblers 25% higher participation than urban 2022
08
18-24 year olds 47% gamble, highest sports betting 35% 2022
09
65+ age group 30% participation, mainly lotteries 2022
10
University educated less likely to gamble 40% vs 55% non-uni 2022
11
Unemployed gamble at 65% rate 2022
12
Single parents PG vulnerability high 15% rate 2022
13
Migrants from Asia higher online gambling 12% 2022
14
Baby boomers 50-64 pokies 20% participation 2022
15
Gen Z weekly betting 12% males 2022
16
Lower income <$50k gamble more pokies 25% 2022
17
Disability support recipients 70% gamble rate 2022
18
QLD residents highest pokies play 22% 2022
19
NSW sports betting highest 30% participation 2022
20
Victoria metro pokies high density affects demographics 2022
21
55% of sports bettors use apps daily under 35 2022
22
Women over 50 comprise 70% of venue pokie players 2022
23
VET qualified higher gambling 58% vs uni 42% 2022
24
Full-time workers 50% participation, casuals 60% 2022
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Economic Impact30 stats
01
In 2022-23, Australia's total gambling turnover reached $300.4 billion
02
Gross gambling revenue (GGR) for Australia in 2022-23 was $27.4 billion
03
Gaming machine turnover in Australia for 2022-23 totalled $100.2 billion
04
Total gambling taxes paid by industry in 2022-23 amounted to $6.5 billion
05
New South Wales gaming machine revenue in 2022-23 was $3.9 billion
06
Victoria's gambling expenditure in 2022-23 stood at $8.2 billion
07
Queensland casino revenue for 2022-23 was $1.1 billion
08
Total sports betting turnover in Australia 2022-23 was $9.8 billion
09
Australian gambling market size projected to reach AUD 32 billion by 2027
10
Lotteries and Keno turnover in 2022-23 was $7.5 billion
11
Race betting turnover nationally in 2022-23 hit $6.4 billion
12
Tasmania's gaming revenue contribution to state budget 2022-23 was $140 million
13
Northern Territory casino GGR 2022-23 was $250 million
14
Total bingo turnover Australia 2022-23 was $120 million
15
South Australia gambling taxes 2022-23 totalled $450 million
16
Western Australia non-casino gaming revenue 2022-23 was $80 million
17
Online gambling revenue growth 2022-23 was 12.5%
18
Clubs sector gaming revenue NSW 2022-23 $2.8 billion
19
Hotels gaming revenue Victoria 2022-23 $1.2 billion
20
Crown Melbourne GGR 2022-23 $1.5 billion
21
Tabcorp racing turnover 2022-23 $4.2 billion
22
Gambling advertising spend 2022 $450 million
23
Per capita gambling loss Australia 2022-23 $850
24
Gaming machine losses NSW clubs/hotels 2022-23 $3.2 billion
25
Total expenditure on pokies Australia 2022-23 $14.1 billion
26
Sports wagering GGR 2022-23 $1.3 billion
27
Casino table games turnover $12.5 billion 2022-23
28
ACT gambling revenue 2022-23 $250 million
29
Employment in gambling industry ~250,000 jobs 2023
30
Gambling contributes 0.8% to Australia GDP 2022
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Player Participation24 stats
01
47.7% of Australians aged 18+ gambled in the past 12 months (2022)
02
Past year gambling participation rate declined from 63% in 2015 to 47% in 2022
03
25.2% of Australians participated in sports betting in 2022
04
Pokies/gaming machines played by 17.8% of adults past year 2022
05
Lottery participation rate 37.4% in 2022
06
Horse race betting engaged 12.5% of population 2022
07
Casino table games participation 4.2% past year 2022
08
Online gambling participation rose to 28% in 2022 from 20% in 2019
09
Males gambling rate 51.2% vs females 44.3% in 2022
10
Young adults 18-24 gambling participation 55.6% 2022
11
Weekly gamblers make up 6.8% of adult population 2022
12
Instant scratch lottery participation 15.3% 2022
13
Bingo played by 3.7% past year 2022
14
Keno participation 4.1% in 2022 survey
15
Greyhound betting 2.8% participation 2022
16
Esports betting emerging at 1.2% among 18-34s 2022
17
Non-gamblers increased to 52.3% in 2022
18
Multiple gambling forms participated by 30% of gamblers 2022
19
Sports betting weekly among males 15-20% 2022
20
Regional gambling participation higher at 52% vs metro 46% 2022
21
Indigenous participation rate 60% vs non 47% 2022
22
Average sessions per year for pokie players 25 in 2022
23
Online slots played by 8% of adults 2022
24
Casino visits average 2.1 per gambler 2022
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Problem Gambling Rates25 stats
01
1.1 million Australians classified as problem gamblers (2022)
02
Problem gambling prevalence 4.8% of adult population 2022
03
Moderate risk gamblers 10.2% or 1.9 million adults 2022
04
0.5% low risk gamblers at risk of harm 2022
05
Pokies responsible for 50% of problem gambling cases 2022
06
Sports betting problem gambling rate 8.5% among bettors 2022
07
Annual cost of gambling harm $7 billion in Australia 2022
08
41% of problem gamblers female, higher for pokies 2022
09
Youth problem gambling 5.2% aged 16-24 2022
10
Online gamblers problem rate 12% vs 5% offline 2022
11
Suicide linked to gambling in 8.5% of cases 2022 study
12
Treatment seekers up 20% post-COVID to 45,000 annually 2022
13
Family impacts from PG affect 200,000 households 2022
14
Crime costs from PG $1.2 billion yearly 2022
15
Bankruptcy filings linked to gambling 10% 2022
16
Indigenous PG rate 17% vs 5% non-Indigenous 2022
17
Mental health comorbidity 75% in PG cases 2022
18
Average PG debt $20,000per person 2022
19
Helpline calls 250,000 annually 2022-23
20
Relapse rate post-treatment 60% within year 2022
21
Females PG treatment uptake 55% 2022
22
Sports bettors PG 15x higher than average 2022
23
Regional PG rate 6.2% vs metro 4.2% 2022
24
25-30% of PG are daily gamblers 2022
25
Youth exposure to betting ads correlates with 20% higher PG risk
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Regulation Policy Expenditure27 stats
01
Australia has 198,440 gaming machines in 6,867 venues (2022-23)
02
NSW regulates 92,000 pokies in 3,637 pubs/clubs (2023)
03
Victoria 17 states cap gaming machines at 200 per venue
04
QLD has 47,933 gaming machines across 1,366 sites (2022-23)
05
SA venue cap 12 machines per hotel implemented 2021
06
WA no private pokies, only casino and Skipper's Cove
07
TAS cashless gaming mandatory from 2022 rollout
08
NT 1,400 machines in pubs, no cap per venue 2023
09
ACT 5,600 machines in 164 venues regulated by ACT Gambling
10
National Consumer Protection Framework bans credit cards online 2018
11
Pre-commitment trials in TAS failed uptake <1% 2022
12
NSW point-of-consumption tax on online betting 8% from 2019
13
VIC mandatory carded play in 4 trial venues 2023
14
Federal ban on gambling ads during live sports daytime 2023
15
Loss limits online $1,000/month QLD trial 2023
16
70% of states have harm minimisation levies on operators
17
Self-exclusion registers national linkage proposed 2023
18
Average tax rate on pokies 45% across states 2022-23
19
Illegal offshore betting losses $1 billion annually estimated 2023
20
350+ licensed online bookmakers under Commonwealth 2023
21
Venue expenditure monitored quarterly via AGS since 1990
22
Supermarket betting terminals banned TAS/NT 2022
23
Max bet limits $5pokies QLD/NT/ACT 2023
24
Community benefit funds from gambling $1.2 billion yearly 2022-23
25
Online wagering license fees $200k+ annually per operator
26
Pokies expenditure per machine $500k/year national avg 2022-23
27
Online slots complaints to ACMA 10,000+ yearly 2023
Interpretation
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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Australia Gambling Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australia-gambling-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Australia Gambling Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/australia-gambling-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Australia Gambling Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australia-gambling-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
qgso.qld.gov.auvcglr.vic.gov.au
grandviewresearch.comgambling.tas.gov.au
h2gc.comliquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au
crownresorts.com.au
tabcorp.com.au
commercialisation.com.augamblingact.gov.auabs.gov.aupc.gov.augamblingreform.sa.gov.auaifs.gov.au
senatorforster.com.auaihw.gov.augamblinghelponline.org.auafsa.gov.augambling.sa.gov.audlgsc.wa.gov.aunt.gov.audfat.gov.aurevenue.nsw.gov.auinfrastructure.gov.auolgr.qld.gov.au
gamblingreformaustralia.orgag.gov.auacma.gov.aubusiness.gov.auaccc.gov.au