Australia has long been the country with the highest gambling losses globally, and recent data indicates that this situation is worsening. According to data released by the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA), the number of Australian men participating in sports betting significantly increased from 2015 to 2022, especially among young men, with an increase exceeding 60%.
In 2015, only 5.9% of Australian men participated in sports betting, which rose to 9.3% by 2022, an increase of 57.6%. Nearly one-quarter of all men who gambled reported participating in sports betting, compared to just 14% in 2015.
The HILDA survey tracks about 17,000 Australians annually, recording changes in various aspects of their lives. The survey collected data related to gambling behavior, expenditures, and harms in 2015, 2018, and 2022.
As the participation rate in men's sports betting has risen, so has the betting expenditure. According to the price levels of December 2022, the average monthly sports betting expenditure reported by men increased from 85.95 Australian dollars in 2015 to nearly 110 Australian dollars.
Young people bet more, online gambling acts as a booster
The growth in sports betting is mainly concentrated among the younger population. Data shows that the participation rate in sports betting among men aged 18 to 44 increased by 62% to 66%.
Compared to slot machines or casinos, young people prefer online gambling. The pervasive gambling advertisements on social media platforms and convenient betting apps make sports betting more accessible. This trend is particularly evident among the younger demographic. For instance, in 2022, only 2.7% of Australians aged 65 and above participated in sports betting, while the participation rate among those aged 25-34 was as high as 14.9%.
The harms of gambling are increasingly severe
The harms associated with gambling are also rising. Measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), researchers found that the proportion of men involved in sports betting who are at high risk of gambling problems increased from 6.3% in 2015 to 8.7% in 2022.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2022 population data, this means that over 105,000 male sports bettors belong to the high-risk gambler group—a significant number that cannot be ignored.
It is noteworthy that gambling harms are particularly severe among younger groups. In 2022, nearly 20% of Australian men aged 18 to 34 reported experiencing some form of gambling-related harm in the past year.
How to address the increasingly serious gambling problem?
Since gambling behavior data is mainly based on self-reporting, the actual number of participants and the severity of harms may be underestimated. Nevertheless, the results of this survey are significantly higher than previous estimates, indicating that the problem is more serious than imagined.
High-risk gamblers also pose a threat to the health and well-being of their family members, and the negative impacts of gambling extend far beyond the gamblers themselves, affecting the entire society.
It is worth noting that the massive expansion of sports betting advertisements in recent years is closely related to the surge in participation rates. Numerous studies have shown that advertisements not only expose young people to gambling behaviors earlier but also encourage more extreme gambling patterns. Since sports betting is almost entirely conducted online, the advertisements young people encounter on the internet become a major source of risk.
Therefore, many experts and advocacy organizations are calling for more decisive actions, such as a complete ban on gambling advertisements. This measure has also received widespread public support.
Researchers emphasize that effective measures must be taken promptly to protect Australia's younger generation, especially the male demographic, who are at the highest risk of gambling harms. Reversing the expanding trend of sports betting, particularly by limiting advertising, is considered one of the important ways to curb this problem.
