Experts "alarmed" by rise of online gambling in Australia

[The Buzz]

According to a database that tracks the consumption patterns of hundreds of thousands of Australians, spending on online wagering increased by 67% during the past week compared to average weekly spending, while expenditure on alcohol and tobacco increased by 33%.

From yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald:

The data, collated by analytics consultancy AlphaBeta and credit firm Illion, has sparked concerns that the economic and social climate many Australians have been thrust into by restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has created a perform storm for harmful and addictive behaviours.

Associate Professor Charles Livingstone, from Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, said with clubs and pubs temporarily closed, a portion of poker machine users, who collectively spend $15 billion a year, would migrate online.

"They’re [poker machines] tapping straight into the pleasure genre of your brain. People who are under stress find that very liberating," Associate Professor Charles Livingstone said. "It's actually quite alarming if it is indeed 67 per cent," Associate Professor Livingstone said.

He said that once the traditional, physical restrictions on wagering amounts with poker machines were removed and the customer moved to an online environment, "the conditions are there for them to get quite out of control quite fast".

People are also turning to free mobile phone games which mimic the effects of poker machines and allow users to keep playing by buying credits.

Read more here: https://www.smh.com.au/national/alar...08-p54ics.html

[ddm]

while expenditure on alcohol and tobacco increased by 33%.

I guess they just grow their own weed, and use the $ they save on dealers to gamble online

[PROFRBcom]

The most gamblingist country in the entire world rushes to gamble amidst global lockdown!

This is surprising news?

[ocreditor]

I guess they just grow their own weed, and use the $ they save on dealers to gamble online

That sounds just about right

[wonderpunter]

What do they expect? everyone rolling out the twister mat? people are bored and currently have no freedom, they will do whatever it takes to pass the boredom

[tallman]

Not surprising lol. They can't flock to the local pokies during lock down :P

[cantona07]

I guess they just grow their own weed, and use the $ they save on dealers to gamble online

lucky buggars! I wish we had the weather so it was an option too

[sweetbet]

If they can't gamble at a land casino, then they're naturally going to gamble online. There's nothing surprising about that.

[drifter8]

I do not see anything to be marked as surprising.

When there is no land-based places to place your bets, mot logically you will orientate to online-betting platforms.

[Renee]

I bet the government is wishing it legalised rather than criminalised now....imagine all that tax money they would be getting to pay for the billions of dollars stimulus packages they are putting out.

[Sherlock]

The good thing for aussies is that I recently tried to order some drugs from Holland and they arrived at speed of light.

[universal4]

I bet the government is wishing it legalised rather than criminalised now....imagine all that tax money they would be getting to pay for the billions of dollars stimulus packages they are putting out.

My guess is that a LOT of governments are thinking that

Rick
Universal4

[Muppet]

I wonder how much the amount gambled at pubs, clubs, and casinos on the 85% payback rip-off pokies has declined at the same time? Could there actually be a net decrease in amount gambled in reality, and could people be spending less in total due to playing games at a ~10% better RTP? I don't know but more research is required. Same goes for alcohol consumption. Don't hold your breath waiting for the answers though.

I bet the government is wishing it legalised rather than criminalised now....imagine all that tax money they would be getting to pay for the billions of dollars stimulus packages they are putting out.

I doubt that. If they were sensible open-minded people who listened to informed research then maybe, but if they fit that description they probably would not have made the decision they did in the first place. Religious ideologues like our current gov don't generally respond to reasoning backed by facts that contradict their narrow-minded world view.