Gambling rates in Victoria continue to decline, but problems persist

The latest snapshot of gambling in Victoria shows that while the number of Victorian adults who gamble has continued to decline, rates of problem gambling remain steady.

The survey of 11,000 Victorian adults was carried out by experts from The Australian National University (ANU) and commissioned by the Victorian Government.

Just over half, or 53.3 per cent, of those surveyed reported gambling in the past year – a significant drop from the 2018-19 rate of 69 per cent.

Lead author of the report, Associate Professor Aino Suomi from the ANU Centre for Gambling Research, said the decline in participation was evident across all gambling activities.

“We found half of all Victorians who gamble do so at a low frequency, or less than monthly. Lottery and bingo were the activities people were most likely to participate in at a high frequency, followed by sports betting,” she said.

“Males were more likely than females to engage in gambling at a high frequency – weekly or more often.”

Associate Professor Suomi said that while online gambling has increased exponentially since the last survey in 2018-19, Victorians still predominantly gamble in a physical gambling venue rather than online.

“There is also limited crossover between the two groups. Only 12.6 per cent gamble both in venues and online.”

Approximately 440,000 Victorians, or 8.5 per cent, were classified as being at some risk of experiencing problem gambling.

“When this is combined with the decline in gambling participation, we can see that a larger proportion of people now do so at risky or problem gambling levels than in previous years,” Dr Suomi said.

“Young people aged between 18 and 24 are impacted by gambling harm at a higher rate than those aged over 65.

“The harm reported most was financial. To add to this, about one in 10 Victorians who had a close relationship with someone who gambled were personally affected by that person’s gambling.”

Just under a quarter of those experiencing problem gambling sought help for their gambling in the last year.

The study also asked about exposure to gambling advertising, with a vast majority surveyed, nearly 80 per cent, reported exposure to gambling advertising in the last week. Younger groups (18-34 years) were predominantly exposed to gambling ads online, whereas for the older groups the main exposure was on TV.

The full report is available online.

The Australian National University’s Centre for Gambling Research was commissioned by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, on behalf of the Victorian Government, to conduct the 2023 Victorian population gambling and health study (VPGHS).