New Problem Gambling Survey In Australia

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Aug 5, 2017

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study results appear to be in line with international norms

Contradicting the reputation of Australians as avid gamblers, a new study by the local Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia has shown that the incidence of potential problem gambling is more or less in line with international experience at 1.5 percent for men and 0.8 percent for women.

That’s not to gainsay the dangers of problem gambling, with observers pointing out that in relation to Australia’s population that represents some 200,000 at risk individuals.

HILDA executives decided to include gambling questions in the annual survey of Aussie households to fill a gap in available information on the subject and its associated socio-economic issues.

Conclusions from the survey include:

* Gambling is popular across the nation, with men more likely to gamble than women;

* The incidence of gambling increases with age;

* Men spend more on average than women, with the highest expenditure occurring in the middle-aged and older age groups;

* Lottery games are the most common form of gambling, but poker attracts the most gambling average spend, followed by the pokies machines, and gambling on horse or dog races;

Listed by popularity, gamblers prefer:

Lotto or lottery games
Instant scratch tickets
Poker machines
Betting on horse or dog races
Betting on sports
Keno
Bingo
Casino table games
Private betting
Poker

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/02/problem-gambling-affects-200000-australians-survey-shows

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