Internet Betting On The Rise In Australia

Online betting in Australia, including sportsbetting, continues to grow despite an overall decline in gambling according to a recent study by Roy Morgan research. Although online casinos and poker rooms are outlawed from offering services to Australian punters, online gambling increased from AU$928 million in 2010 to AU$1.1 billion in the year to September 2012. This reverses the trend seen on land gambling, where the amounts wagered have declined by AU$1.6 billion in the last year and by AU$3.1 billion since 2010. Land gambling in 2012 generated AU$16.9 billion and still falls short of the amount spent on gambling in 2003 which came in at AU$19.1 billion. The pokies is Australia’s biggest form of land gambling and accounted for AU$10.2 billion wagered over the reporting period, AU$1 billion down on the previous year and a fall of AU$3 billion compared with 2003 figures. Australia is one the most gambler-friendly nations in the world and studies estimate more than 80% of the nation takes part in one form of gambling or another, whether it be National Lottery, sport betting or casinos. The ready availability of the relevant gambling licences has seen the government reap the tax benefits of land gambling but due to an inability to effectively legislate for online casinos, is missing out on revenue from the largest growing sector of the online gambling industry.