Betting is a part of Australian culture, as many people would like to say. It is also quite the gambling country, being the first country in the world when it comes to how much money is spent on gambling. There are annual statistics related to gambling, published by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, which paint a rather grim picture, of around 11,000 dollars being spent per person on gambling, every year. This translates to around 7,500 US dollars.
What do Australians bet on so much?
Sports Betting
Sports betting has been a large part of Australian culture and sports. In Australia, sports and sports betting often go hand in hand, to the point where doctors who specialize in problem gambling find themselves wanting to see a sports match without anyone placing a bet on it, which is a rather impossible goal.
The rise of online bookmakers made sports betting more accessible and promotional codes often entice the users who are on the verge of betting for the first time. You can find more about promotional codes on Sportpesa betting, in case you were wondering how they work.
Accessibility and an already developed sports betting culture makes for a very profitable gambling market in Australia, which is shown by their number one position in the rankings of most money spent on gambling.
Which Sports are the Most Popular?
Australia is often connected with surfing and water sports. Even though water sports are very popular, land sports are even more popular. Simply put, Australian football or Aussie rules, is a very popular sport. It is the most attended and most searched sport online.
Another very popular sport is horse racing. This is a remainder of their British origin, as is cricket, which is always butting heads with horse racing.
Motorsports are also very popular in Australia, not to mention association football, or simply put, football. Swimming, dog racing, basketball, golf and tennis also make the list of top sports, but are nowhere near Australian football.
Is Sports Betting in Australia Problematic?
Sports betting in Australia can be very problematic. There were patients who spent upwards of 500,000 dollars in a single day. That is a lot of money, and for those people, tens of thousands of dollars in a single day is not unheard of. 2015 statistics show that around 42% of regular sports bettors end up with having problems, or rather, being addicted to gambling. This might be a single problematic experience or an ongoing issue, but problem gambling is a real, highly present issue.
Doctors often think that gambling is a part of the Australian culture, but that sports betting advertisements do not help at all, and neither does the accessibility to online bookmakers.
These are some of the most popular sports that Australians like to bet on, including a quick glance at the Australian sports betting culture, problem gambling and its origins and impact in Australia.
