Best online pokies in Aussie’s spend a lot of money on pokie machines. So much so, that our relatively small population actually holds a world record for gambling spends on these machines. You may be wondering: A world record? So how much do Aussies really spend on pokie machines each year? Well, according to the 2019 Australian Gambling Statistics, compiled by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, the level of spend on gambling with pokie machines in Australia and Victoria surpassed $15 billion, as of 2018.
This is undoubtedly an astoundingly high dollar value. However, there are a few critical factors that we should consider that can help contextualize and explain our above-average expenditure levels when it comes to pokie machines in Australia.
First, as of the end of 2018, 80% of our country’s population reported partaking in gambling. This is significantly above the global average for the percentage of citizens reporting engagement in gambling activities. To put this in perspective, we are in the first place as the most prolific gambling nation in the world.
Additionally, across Australia, we have nearly 700 individual venues that supply pokie machines. Even more, this amounts to over 200,000 individual machines. In juxtaposition to the worldwide environment, where there is an average of 7,056 people per pokie machine, in Australia, there are just 123 people per machine. This means that Aussie’s can very easily and readily access the machines regardless of their location, inevitably driving up the annual national spend number.
Finally, our high and above-average spend on pokie machines very closely mirrors our countries wider spend trends for all modes of gambling. Unlike many other countries, where gambling spend and pokie machine spend are on the decline, Australia’s spend continues to rise. Given all of these factors, our $15 billion annual spend level is a lot more understandable.