A new two-year investigation has revealed that more Australians than ever before have been turning to their telephones and computers in order to enjoy some form of gambling entertainment.

Conducted by researchers from Central Queensland University with funding from the Gambling Research Australia partnership, the Second National Study of Interactive Gambling in Australia surveyed more than 15,000 people from across the length and breadth of the giant nation and found that 17.5% of respondents had placed a remote wager over the course of the previous two years. The examination furthermore showed that this percentage represented a two-year rise of 8.1% after the overall gambling participation rate had decreased from 64.3% eleven years ago to 56.9% in 2019.

Lottery largess:

Professor Nerilee Hing from the Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory at Central Queensland University used an official press release to detail that the exercise also discovered that 10.1% of respondents had enjoyed a remote lottery wager over the course of the two-year period. She explained that race betting had subsequently occupied second spot in the popularity stakes at 5.9% with other forms of sportsbetting accounting for 5.8% of wagers.

Read a statement from Hing…

“This growth in online gambling has been driven by faster internet speeds, the convenience of betting on smartphone apps, extensive advertising and inducements and new betting options like multi-bets. New online activities have also been introduced including e-sports, fantasy sports, skin gambling and loot boxes.”

Characteristic customer:

The survey moreover ascertained that the typical online punter in Australia regularly enjoyed multiple forms of gambling and was likely to be a young male in a relationship with a higher-than-average level of education. It additionally established that 9.1% of participants had experienced some level of harm from gambling, which was twice as high as the rate for land-based players, with 6% having been hurt by another person’s gambling.

Ambitious aim:

For its part and Gambling Research Australia, which is a collaboration between the country’s federal, state and territorial governments, declared that the enquiry had represented ‘the first national study to examine the negative consequences of gambling for gamblers, their family and friends.’?The organization proclaimed that the results are to now be used ‘to further inform online gambling policy and consumer protection measures’ as its jurisdiction’s various authorities work towards implementing protocols to safeguard consumers.

A statement from Gambling Research Australia read…

“The intent of the national framework is to bring Australian consumer protection measures up to date, to ensure they reflect best practice nationally and are consistent across jurisdictions. The national framework consists of ten consumer protection measures that aim to reduce gambling harm.”