Australians spending $1.7 billion less on pokies

Australians are now spending less on gambling than they did in 2002 according to the latest Roy Morgan Gambling Monitor.
Australians spent $12.3 billion dollars on poker machines in the 12 months to March 2011, down from $14 billion in the twelve months to December 2002.
Although expenditure on poker machines has declined since 2002 it still represents more than half of the total expenditure by Australians on gambling.
For betting on the races, $2.5 billion was spent as of March 2011, down from $2.8 billion in 2002. Sports betting, although still small at $0.6 billion, has increased from $0.4 billion in 2002.
The only other gambling activity to show a significant increase was casino table games at $1.4 billion, up from $0.8 billion in December 2002.
Expenditure on lotteries/scratch tickets, at $2.1 billion, has remained relatively steady. Expenditure on Keno at a club, pub or casino is $0.3 billion, down from $0.4 billion in 2002.
Explaining the trends, Jane Ianniello, Roy Morgan Research International Director of Tourism, Travel & Leisure, says our research "shows that the percentage of Australians who gamble has fallen steadily since 2002.
"This decline in participation has contributed to an overall decline in the total spend by Australians on gambling (and) in real terms this decline has been quite marked.
"Less Australians are patronising gambling venues like licensed clubs or visiting gambling outlets such as TABs and newsagents. The growth of online gambling, especially sports betting, has not been big enough to counter this large decline in gambling participation and expenditure at traditional venues."
For more information contact Vaishali Nagaratnam at Roy Morgan Research.
vaishali.nagaratnam@roymorgan.com
http://www.roymorgan.com