Lynnae is a journalist covering the intersection of technology, culture, and gambling. She has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor, with bylines at SlashGear and MakeUseOf. On the iGaming side,...
Read Full BioA new study from the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) shows that gambling participation and harm have increased across the country.
These findings follow recent regulatory action against Polymarket, which was blocked from targeting Australian users through social media.
The survey was conducted between August and October 2024 and sampled 3,881 adults using a probability-based mixed-mode approach.
The research found that 65% of Australians reported gambling in the past year, up from 57% recorded in the 2019 study. The increase was noticeable across a large number of gambling activities.
According to the study, “Among gambling activities offered in Australia, lotteries were the most popular, with 52.7% of adults participating at least once in the last 12 months. This was followed by instant scratch tickets (24.5%), poker machines (19.8%), race betting (17.8%), and sports betting (12.5%).”
Growing Evidence of Gambling-Related Harm
Along with the higher participation numbers, the study found a large proportion of people were at some level of risk for gambling-related harm, with the data showing that approximately 15% of respondents would fall into that group.
The survey asked participants about harm, including financial hardship and intimate partner violence, as well as the impact of gambling on their mental health and well-being.
The numbers for regular gamblers (those who gambled at least once a month) were even more concerning, with 33.8% falling into one of the at-risk categories.
Those in the higher-risk group were more likely to report mental health issues, including suicidal ideation (15.5%), compared to much lower numbers (3.8%) for the non-risk groups.
Age also played a role, with the reporting showing that, “Among regular gamblers, younger adults were disproportionately represented in higher-risk gambling categories compared to older adults, with 17.8% of the 18-24 age group being at high risk of gambling harm compared to 10.4% in the 35-44 age group.”
Among those who had a partner who gambled once a week or more, 18.9% said they’d experienced intimate partner violence.
The results of this survey suggest that gambling risk isn’t just about losing money, but is closely linked to mental health stressors and interpersonal harm.
Heightened Regulatory Focus in Australia’s Gambling Sector
The results of the survey landed amid intensifying regulatory scrutiny of gambling in Australia, as lawmakers debate whether to tighten the rules on gambling advertising, especially during live sports events. Regulators have already placed restrictions on when betting ads can be aired.
At the same time, consumers can use tools like BetStop, a national self-exclusion register, to opt out of all licensed online and phone wagering services in Australia. Thousands of Australians have already registered with the service.
While the new AGRC study doesn’t make any specific policy recommendations, the authors do say the report, “…underscores the need to treat gambling as a major public health issue requiring a coordinated public health response.”
