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Australians spending $1.7 billion less on pokies

Announcement posted by Roy Morgan Research 15 Jul 2011

Roy Morgan Research
Australians spending $1.7 billion less on pokies
14/07/2011
Although expenditure on poker machines has declined since 2002 it still represents more than half of the total expenditure by Australians on gambling. Australians spent $12.3 billion dollars on poker machines in the 12 months to March 2011, down from $14 billion in the twelve months to December 2002.

Australians are now spending less on gambling than they did in 2002 according to the latest Roy Morgan Gambling Monitor. For the 12 months to March 2011, Australians spent $19.2 billion dollars on gambling, down from $20.3 billion in the 12 months to December 2002.

For betting on the races, $2.5 billion was spent as of March 2011, down from $2.8 billion in 2002. Sports betting, although still small at $0.6 billion, has increased from $0.4 billion in 2002. The only other gambling activity to show a significant increase was casino table games at $1.4 billion, up from $0.8 billion in December 2002.

Expenditure on lotteries/scratch tickets, at $2.1 billion, has remained relatively steady. Expenditure on Keno at a club, pub or casino is $0.3 billion, down from $0.4 billion in 2002.


Annual Expenditure by Australians on Gambling ($billions)

Purchase detailed Roy Morgan Gambling Profiles
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, January – December 2002 n=24,164; April 2010 – March 2011 n=17,748.


Jane Ianniello, Roy Morgan Research International Director of Tourism, Travel & Leisure, says:

“The Roy Morgan Gambling Monitor shows that the percentage of Australians who gamble has fallen steadily since 2002. This decline in participation has contributed to an overall decline in the total spend by Australians on gambling.In real terms this decline has been quite marked. Less Australians are patronising gambling venues like licensed clubs or visiting gambling outlets such as TABs and newsagents. The growth of online gambling, especially sports betting, has not been big enough to counter this large decline in gambling participation and expenditure at traditional venues.”


Purchase detailed Roy Morgan Gambling Profiles of Australians 18+ who have participated in different forms of gambling in the last 3 months, such as all forms of betting, poker machines, casino table games, lottery or scratch ticket, online betting and keno.

Purchase other gambling related profiles available which include visitor profiles for key gambling venues across Australia such as Crown Casino, Burswood Casino, Conrad Jupiters Casino, Conrad Treasury Casino, Skycity Adelaide Casino, Star City Casino and profiles of visitors to any casino over the last 12 months. All these profiles examine the demographics, attitudes, activities and media consumption of the target group.

Purchasethe detailed Roy Morgan Report available on Gambling Trends.This report examines the current and future trends that are driving Australia’s gambling sector. It focuses specifically on leisure and gambling trends, such as participation in traditional leisure activities and incidence of gambling, gambling expenditure and frequency. Trends regarding participation in different forms of gambling and gambling methods, such as online gaming or betting are also included, along with a demographic profile of gamblers. Insights regarding trends in technology are examined, and the report is concluded with an analysis of heavy gamblers in the Australian gambling market.