What's The Hype about Gambling in Australia?

10:42
01 Sep

Australia is known for its beautiful landscapes and a widely acclaimed enthusiasm for gambling among its adults. With the advent of online gambling, the activity has become more popular than ever worldwide, but there's a certain hype about gambling in Australia that's different from everywhere else. Do Australians bet or play casino games more than anyone else? Are there better odds of winning Down Under, or is it just some marketing publicity? Let's unravel the gambling scene in Australia and what the hype is all about.

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The History

Australians have engaged in gambling activities since the colonial era, with participants placing bets on horses during races and other sports events. It was noted that the first official horse race was held in Sydney in 1810. This shows how far back the Australians have had a history of betting.

Even the art of gambling is well embedded in the country's culture. A tangible percentage of Australians see gambling as a leisure activity to have fun and relax after a hard day's work. This is probably why you find a lot of pokies in clubs, resthouses, and pubs where people relax after work or get together to have fun. Gambling is mostly regarded as a way to socialize and be entertained rather than a side hustle or something with potential harm.

Live and Online Poker

When discussing gambling in Australia, one cannot but mention poker. According to history, Australians have always been lovers of card games. Once poker was imported from the US, it was so well received that one wonders if the game originated there.

But the rise of traditional poker is nothing when we compare it to what happened in the late 1990s when operators introduced online poker. Almost every gambler was playing poker online, and by the early 2000s, different online variations of the games had sprung up, and the Australian online poker trend was off the roof.

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The Gambling Laws and Regulations

Though the laws on online gambling may be slightly strict in Australia, live gambling is popularized and promoted within the country. Even with the Interactive Gambling Act of 2016, which prohibits online casinos and poker sites from having their base in Australia, players still find ways. To enjoy, they find their favorite poker games at sites that are comparing the best Australian online casinos. These sites also share expert casino reviews, welcome bonuses, and guides on how to play poker.

Besides online casinos and poker machines, no strict laws hinder sports betting or other forms of gambling. Even more, the existing laws only prohibit online casinos from rendering their services from Australia; they do not deter players from engaging in online gambling.

Again, gaming laws are not unified. Each state has its own regulation, and this absence of harmonious regulation creates a gap that allows players to still engage in the activity as much as they want.

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The Statistics

Australian players lose close to $30 billion per year to gambling. That gives an average of about $1,000 loss in a year for every adult. While this is small when placed side by side in a country like the US where Las Vegas calls home, it is still 40% higher than a lot of other Western countries.

There Are Pokies Everywhere.

Still talking in numbers, about 20 percent of poker machines in the world find their home in Australia. That's one-fifth of the total pokies on earth in a country that isn't the USA or China. In Australia, slot machines are everywhere.

According to the World Count of Gaming Machines, New South Wales has the second-highest gambling machines after Nevada. While the world has 7,056 persons per poker machine, the figure is just 82 persons per machine in NSW. While these are interesting figures, it’s a worrisome factor that could foster pokies addiction.

Interestingly, it is not only in casinos that you can find pokies in Australia. Many hotels, pubs, and clubs have these gaming machines readily available to players. Some are even available to play for free.

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The Internet Has Made Gambling More Accessible

Like having pokies outside of casinos is not enough accessibility, the advent of the internet brought the growth of online gambling and, of course, more accessibility to players in Australia. All a player needs to gamble is a device with an internet connection, and they can bet at any time they want on any game.

Convenience is not just what lures most gamblers to online gambling; there are also a lot of incentives attached. Online betting sites are always trying to get more players and they do this by offering really tempting bonuses that you won't find anywhere else. This reels a lot of Australian gamblers in and is one factor contributing to the enormous statistics of gambling in the country.

In the end, one can argue that the hype about gambling in Australia is well-placed. When we consider the gambling history, culture, accessibility, and regulations, gambling has become a big part of the Australian way of life. But as gambling is becoming a big deal, it needs to be handled responsibly to prevent problems like addiction and debt. Players should be able to enjoy gambling in a balanced and regulated environment.