The New South Wales government has revealed survey results that indicate that the proportion of regular gamblers has dropped by around twelve percent since 2011.
European Gaming Media and Events sent out a press release, detailing that only 53% of the 10,000 people surveyed had gambled over the previous twelve months to the end of January, this is in striking contrast to seven years earlier when the ratio stood at 65%.
Lotto on top
The New South Wales Gambling Survey was requested by the Responsible Gambling Fund and in its findings; lotteries remain the most popular form of gambling with approximately 37% of respondents admitting to purchasing lotto tickets in the last 12 months. Further to these findings, the investigation showed that 16% of those surveyed make use of real money gaming machines with both scratch-cards and race wagering at 13% and 9% of participants preferring Keno.
Sportsbetting uptick:
Despite the overall decline, sports betting was found to be the fastest-growing type of gambling. About 6% of respondents reported having recently placed a sports bet. The overall rate within the wider population of those who had developed a gambling problem was negligibly higher by 0.2% to end at around 1%.
A bird’s eye view:
The press release advised that the survey is designed to offer the New South Wales government a holistic perspective of the state of gambling, changes in gambling behaviours and the prevalence of problem gambling’ with region-specific information
Vulnerable youth
The survey revealed grim realities regarding the effect of gambling on the state’s youth, with 15% of those aged between 18 and 24 likely to find themselves in gambling-related trouble. This is significantly higher than the overall rate of 7.2%.
According to the press release, an amount in excess of $24 million is being set aside this year to bankroll ‘responsible gambling programs and initiatives’ that are designed to ‘prevent and minimize gambling harm.’
The release further stated,
“The New South Wales government is committed to preventing and minimizing gambling harm. The information gathered from this survey will inform prevention, education and treatment initiatives as well as policy development and regulatory efforts.”
