Gambling Victoria Statistics
- Problem Gambling Victoria Statistics
- Gambling Victoria Statistics Definition
- Gambling Victoria Statistics Against
- Gambling Victoria Statistics 2020
Mobile gambling means individuals can easily lose large sums of money. There is also the risk of children using stolen details to gamble online, with one study suggesting two-fifths of 11-16 year. Australian Gambling Statistics is a comprehensive set of statistics related to gambling in Australia which is compiled annually in co-operation with all Australian state and territory governments. It incorporates information on all legalised gambling in Australia up to and including 2014-15. Problem gambling. Gambling can take the form of pokies, lotto, scratchies, card games, racing or other forms of betting. Each year, 70% of Australians participate in some type of gambling, but for some, gambling can quickly become a problem.
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The latest statistics on Australian gambling were released by the Queensland Government’s Statistician’s Office on 1 October 2016. Australian Gambling Statistics is a comprehensive set of statistics related to gambling in Australia that covers all legal gambling products. The Queensland Government has been compiling these stats annually since 1984, with the cooperation of all state and territory governments.
This thirty-second edition incorporates information on gambling in Australia up to and including 2014–15. It covers products such as pokies, casinos, race betting, sports betting and lotteries. Data includes total turnover, total expenditure, per adult turnover, per adult expenditure, percentage change in turnover and expenditure each year, market share of each gambling product and government revenue collected from gambling taxes.
Total losses, sports betting losses and pokies losses have risen, both nationally and in Victoria, between 2013–14 and 2014–15.
Recent research led by Deakin University’s Emily Deans on the influence of physical and online environments on wagering behaviour explored factors that may encourage risky types of betting. The team also analysed the relationship between environments and gambling consumption via in-depth, qualitative research with young male sports gamblers.
Factors identified with risky behaviour included:
- increased accessibility via mobile betting and apps, and multiple providers offering inducements to open accounts, leading to individuals having multiple accounts
- constant inducements to continue betting, delivered via apps
- a lack of a sense of reality when spending money gambling through online accounts
- the emotional appeal of gambling in groups in pubs and clubs
- being able to claim wins in cash at venues
- the role of alcohol consumption at land-based venues.
For more on this study and other research related to the risks associated with the new gambling environment, read You can get it anywhere … in this edition of Inside gambling.
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Stay informed about the latest research and statistics with our Gambling Information Resource Office’s GIRO alert.
The news was stunning. The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation recently released the figures from the 2018-2019 financial year, and the amount spent on pokies had increased from the previous year.
The new figure of pokies expenditures was $2.699 billion.
Overall Numbers
The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) published its annual gaming expenditure data for the previous financial year, which was from the first of July 2018 through the end of June 2019.
The amount that Victorians lost was $2.699 billion.
As compared to the previous years, it was not a significant increase, but it was notable.
2018-2019: $2,698,707,179 ($3,423,154 more than previous year, 0.13% increase)
2017-2018: $2,695,284,025 ($85,753,965 more than previous year, 3.29% increase)
2016-2017: $2,609,530,060
The percentages are not as startling as the actual numbers, as $3.4 million is still a big number despite being less than a one percent increase.
Further, the past two years have seen increases despite more initiatives and funding for responsible gambling programs and problem gambling assistance.
Locality Breakdowns
There are 492 clubs and hotels that offer pokies in Victoria, and the totals are broken down by the 57 separate local government areas in the VCGLR report. Those numbers are actually provided on a monthly basis.
To more closely examine the data, let’s take the month of July 2019.
The City of Greater Geelong has the most electronic gaming machines of all of the 57 government areas.
- Number of pokies: 1,304
- Number of venues: 26
- Total player loss in July 2019: $9,440,064.53 ($7,239.31 per machine)
- Total 2019 player loss: $120,385,434.81 ($92,320.12 per machine)
The City of Greater Dandenong has the second-highest number:
- Number of pokies: 957
- Number of venues: 15
- Total player loss in July 2019: $9,418,237.08 ($9,841.42 per machine)
- Total 2019 player loss: $119,311,877.93 ($124,672.81 per machine)
The City of Monash is a close third place:
- Number of pokies: 955
- Number of venues: 15
- Total player loss in July 2019: $8,946,838.35 ($9,358.42 per machine)
- Total 2019 player loss: $110,209,894.94 ($115,403.03 per machine)
Of course, the outcomes of these breakdowns depend very much on the location of the venues, the income average of the patrons, and even the location of the pokies in the venues. However, it gives some perspective as to the amount of money spent per machine in the various areas.
Data also varies by month due to seasonal changes. For example, in the City of Greater Geelong, July 2018 showed $10,670,474 in losses across all venues, but that number was only $8,873,166 in February 2019. A number of societal and season differences can affect the trends.
Problem Gambling Victoria Statistics
VRGF Work
The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation is the statutory authority created by the Victorian government to try to reduce the amount of gambling harm in the area. VRGF reports to the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation.
It was created in 2011 with the vision of making Victoria a place free from gambling-related harm. The mission statement sums up its goals:
“To improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians by working with our communities and government to deliver effective, evidence-based initiatives and innovative approaches to prevent gambling harm and provide support for those seeking help.”
Recent Research
The most recent major initiative from VRGF came from its research agenda for 2018-2022.
Through significant and detailed research, the hope is to obtain a base of evidence around gambling that enables the organization to reduce and prevent harm in a more focused and thoughtful way.
Gambling Victoria Statistics Definition
Through partnerships with universities and local organizations, the most recent studies have focused on the following topics:
- Testing the feasibility and effectiveness of an action-plan based intervention regarding gamblers sticking to their limits at pokie venues
- Effects of exposure to gambling and online gaming activities for children and adolescents
- Mapping the social networks of low-risk and moderate-risk gamblers for potentially risky behaviors like gambling and alcohol consumption
Initiatives from VRGF
The most recent initiative to emerge from the research done by the foundation was a program to teach parents how to identify signs of problem gambling and to talk to their children about the issue.
The rollout of the program took place in March at 12 schools in Victoria. In partnership with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, the VRGF targeted parents of children from 12 to 17 years of age at metro and regional schools.
Parents were informed about everything from lingo involved in the gaming community to features of video games and online gaming. This includes information about the technology used for gaming.
Gambling Victoria Statistics Against
The goal has been to identify behaviors that may put young people on a slippery slope to gambling, thereby stopping any problems with real-money gambling before they start.
Gambling Victoria Statistics 2020
The results of such a program will be based on long-term studies, but the initiative is a start to address issues in the hopes of preventing problems in the years to come.