Gambling has been around for centuries and found various uses among those who partake in the activity. From resolving conflict to assigning chores, games of luck were always incorporated into people’s lives.
Currently, about 1.6 billion individuals gamble and 4.2 billion people gamble at least once per year. That means 26% of the world population partakes in gambling! However, not every nation accepts and approves the activity. In fact, many countries have banned gambling on their territory.
So, this opens the question, where are games of luck widely spread and played? Well, let’s analyze some latest statistics and discover the countries with the most gamblers.
1. Australia
Australia is a highly populous and urbanized country. People from all over the world visit it to take in its natural wonders, as well as tour well-known cities like Sydney and Melbourne. While many people associate the country with wonderful landscapes, surfing, and beaches, you’d be surprised to learn that Aussies lead the way in gambling.
Australians love playing games of luck and especially slot machines, which they call pokies. Australians wagered above $916 per capita in 2014, and this isn’t even the most stunning statistic.
According to the Queensland Government:
- Casinos, gaming machines, and instant lottery are the top most popular forms of gambling.
- The overall amount of gambled money was AU$225.75 billion in 2019.
- People spent AU$11,525 per person when gambling in 2019.
- New South Wales owns the largest gambling market in Australia, worth AU$96.56 billion.
2. United Kingdom
The Land of the Rose doesn’t fall too short, either. In fact, slot machines, betting, and bingo are among the favorite pastimes of Brits. It seems that UK consumers just love to relax by playing their favorite games of luck.
Interesting research done by the UK Gambling Commission proves that Las Vegas may be facing some stiff competition.
Take a look at these gambling stats in the UK from April to September 2020:
- The overall gross gambling yield (GGY) was £5.9 billion.
- The overall GGY for gaming machines reached £470.0 million (those that require a local authority license are omitted).
- The overall GGY for remote gambling was £3.1bn. Many also partake in online gambling, which amounted to 17% of the entire population in recent years.
- The overall GGY for non-remote gambling (including machines) reached £629.3m.
3. Singapore
Singapore is a small-scale city-state with a large-scale interest in gambling. And despite the government’s consistent efforts to put a stop to gambling, the majority of the population practices it regularly.
The Singaporean National Council on Problem Gambling indicated that the predominant gambling demographic in 2020 was Chinese (53%) and male (53%).
The corporation also put out these 2020 survey results:
- The average amount wagered each month is $15.
- The most popular forms of gambling were 4D (34%), Toto (31%), and Singapore Sweep (17%). It is also interesting to note that many practiced Social Gambling (16%) as well.
- The majority of people wager $100 or less every month.
- Only 0.3% of gamblers in Singapore wager large sums of money.
Conclusion
As you can see, gambling is alive and kicking more than ever. And it isn’t just these countries that practice it. Canada is right behind them, with approximately three-quarters of Canadians gambling frequently. PowerPlay Canada is a fan favorite.
Some other gambling hotspots across the world are Las Vegas, Macau, Reno, and Monte Carlo. And with a sizable amount of countries legalizing online gambling and loosening restrictions, the numbers are only going to get bigger.
Photo by Kendall Hoopes from Pexels
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