Australians are losing more and more at gambling

In Australia, the population lost the equivalent of almost 20 billion euros on gambling last year. This means that each person in Australia lost an average of over 775 euros through gambling. But why is it that the population in Australia turns to gambling?

Back in February last year, an article published on GambleJoe reported that Australia has a massive gambling problem. Now the losses of the population seem to have climbed to a new record high. According to the article, people in Australia gambled away a total of around AUD 32 billion last year alone. That is the equivalent of around 19.4 billion euros. Statistically speaking, each person in Australia gambles around 775 euros per year, whereby this calculation also takes minors into account.

Calls for a ban on gambling advertising are growing louder

In view of the rising gambling losses, more and more experts are calling for a complete ban on gambling advertising in the country. In 2021, gambling expenditure “only” amounted to AUD 28 billion. Now the figure is already over 11% higher.

Current data shows that one in three Australians gamble regularly. The high number of slot machines is particularly problematic in Australia. Almost half of gambling losses are attributable to slot machines, of which there are more in Australia than letterboxes or ATMs. Back in May 2021, we at GambleJoe asked ourselves whether a casino without cash would soon be coming to Sydney.

Politicians in particular seem to be alarmed by the high gambling losses. Calls for a reorientation of gambling policy are becoming ever louder. In this context, a strict ban on gambling advertising is also currently being discussed. The omnipresent advertising for gambling of all kinds would lead the population to normalize gambling more and more. At GambleJoe, we already asked ourselves almost a year ago whether a general ban on gambling advertising would make sense or not.

In Australia, however, there is unlikely to be a complete ban on gambling advertising, at least in the foreseeable future. Instead, it is more likely that selective measures will be taken. These include, for example, a ban on gambling advertising on the Internet and during live sports broadcasts. What is certain, however, is that the Australian population definitely has a problem with gambling.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/karte-weltkarte-australien-länder-8526430/