The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released the latest results of an ongoing study into gambling trends in Australia. The data revealed an increase that the number of Australians engaging with online gambling for the six months through to June 2021.
Crunching Numbers
The study detailed that 11% of Australians claimed to have participated in online gambling at some point over the period, a higher figure than the 8% recorded in 2020.
The ACMA also underlined the notable growth in online sports betting since its 2020 survey. The authority concluded that this was related to the return of sporting events, following the government-mandated lockdowns of the same year.
The report elaborated that online sports and race betting were “marginally more popular” than other forms of online gaming such as poker and table games, neither of which enjoy the same legal status as the former two.
Lotteries retained their top spot as the country’s most prevalent form of online gambling. A significant 21% of adult respondents admitted to playing the lottery over the defined period. The research additionally revealed that a minor segment of the country’s online gamblers uses illegal online wagering services, with one in 20 online gamblers surveyed admitting to using offshore betting platforms.
The report continued to state that 25% of respondents who had participated in online sports gambling over the six months, including wagering on racing, eSports and fantasy sports, had made online in-play bets.
Trend-Tracking
The report states that it “examines the prevalence and nature of online gambling in Australia, and how this has changed in recent years. The research provides a snapshot of online wagering in Australia at this time and how this has changed from pre-COVID years.”
The organisation added that it continues to implement the improved illegal offshore gambling rules that were presented in 2017 under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. These restrictions forbid online gambling services like casinos from being offered or marketed to Australians.
In the years since this change, the ACMA has expedited the blocking of 354 illegal gambling websites and 21 affiliate marketing sites.
