Australian Pokies statistics

A recent news programme from the BBC shows some interesting, yet alarming gambling statistics from Australia. According to a BBC produced programme called ‘Close Up - Australia’s love for the pokies’, Australia has the 53rd largest population in the world but is home to over 20% of the world’s pokies, a statistic which goes some way to explaining why playing the pokies is something of a national past time.

But the programme throws up some more interesting statistics that give a clear indication on the reliance of pokies to the Australian economy, and the dominance the machines have in the Australian gambling sector. Statistics show that for every $1 gambled on horse racing in Australia $5 are spent playing the pokies.

Much of this growth in the pokies market has materialised in the last decade following liberalisation of the gambling laws in many of the Australian states. With this liberalisation has come an enormous growth in not only the number of venues hosting pokie machines, but also the times that these venues are open. The period has been marked with the establishment of a number of ’super clubs’, with opening hours similar to those of casinos, that have gone on to meet the ever increasing demand from players, particularly in regional and out of town locations.

But there are some alarming statistics which has a number of anti-gambling watchdogs concerned. According to the programme over 40% of the Aussie population play the pokies 2% of which ‘has a significant gambling problem’.

In fact, it’s not only the Australian population that seem to be in need of their regular ‘pokies fix’. Federal and State Governments have become increasingly reliant on the taxes earnt off the pokies industry, as can be seen with the recent auction of pokies licenses in Victoria which netted close to $1 billion for the Victorian Government. Indeed, the reliance by Government on the proceeds of pokies has increased twenty fold in the last decade.

Other statistics that come out of the programme include the fact that Australians spend more on gambling than they do on alcohol and petrol and almost as much as they do on clothing. Given the Aussie love of a ‘cold one’ that is an alarming statistic indeed.

Source: Online Pokies Club - the latest source of news from the online pokies industry - for the latest free online pokies with free spins.