Gambling in Australia

[1] In 2017, Australians were estimated to lead the world with the highest gambling losses on a per-capita basis.

[7] During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 the proportion of online gamblers rose to 78% while half of the Australians gamble on a regular basis.

Labor minister Bill Shorten expressed doubts about the ban, while Jacqui Lambie accused the government of lacking courage.

[38] In response to concerns about network profitability, the Australia Institute proposed a new levy on gambling revenue, which could cover the losses.

[40] New South Wales has a long history of gambling; Australia's first official horse racing meeting occurred in 1810 at Hyde Park in Sydney; the first official Australian lottery occurred in 1881 at the Sydney Cup; and registered clubs operated the first legal poker machines in Australia from 1956.

[41] There are approximately 95,800 "pokies" in NSW, a state total beaten only by Nevada, which operated 181,109 gambling machines in 2014.

[44] This figure is $123 million greater than the combined total of profits generated from poker machines in the City of Sydney.

[44] From January to March 2013 poker machines in the Hunter region had a turn over of $4.5 billion, showing an increase of $500 million since 2010.

[45] The Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing found that Newcastle was the Hunter Regions most profitable location with the 3206 poker machines averaging $44,963 each.

Young men between the ages of 18 and 24 living on the Central Coast are the biggest players of poker machines in NSW and are the highest risk group for problem gambling.

All betting providers in Australia are required to verify customers against the registry, and must not allow users to create an account or receive marketing communications if a match is detected.

This requirement came into effect on September 29, 2024, and aims to prevent criminal exploitation while ensuring compliance with the National Self Exclusion Register.

Companies are now obligated to verify customer identities and conduct thorough checks as part of the ACIP process prior to providing any services.

This new regulation significantly helps safeguard the integrity of online gambling services in Australia.