Australia is the world leader when it comes to splashing the cash on gambling, according to The Irish Times. Australians spend an astonishing $18 billion per year on gambling. With over 40% of Australian betting online, Aussies love gambling at sites like Woo Casino Australia.
When you think of gambling, you immediately think of Las Vegas, Macau and Hong Kong. The idea of Australia being associated with gambling is foreign to most people who can only conjure up images of crocodiles, sharks and spiders when thinking of the world’s smallest continent.
However, according to the latest article published by The Irish Times, Australians are the biggest gamblers in the world on a per capita basis, gambling $955 per person annually.
Why Do Australians Gamble So Much?
Australians love playing slot machines, known locally as pokie machines, both online and in clubs and casinos. It has become a national pastime for Australians to go to their local pub, order a beer, and play the pokie machines.
Australia’s booming Asian population has also bolstered the country’s love of gambling by opening popular Japanese-style Pachinko gambling rooms.
Their love of slot machines combined with Australians having a high amount of disposable income has resulted in Aussies becoming the world’s biggest gamblers.
What Other Countries Love To Gamble?
Singapore ranks 2nd in the world for gambling on a per capita basis, while Ireland ranks 3rd. The Irish spend on average $600 per year on gambling.
The Irish may not quite spend as much as their Australian cousins, but they lead the world in online gambling. 60% of Irish gambling occurs online, which is by far the highest in the world, with only 5% occurring in casinos.
Online casino popularity is continuing to grow in Ireland, experiencing 20 percent-plus annual growth since 2010. This is in large part due to the variety of games offered and the ease with which customers can sign up and gamble.
While the small nations of Australia, Singapore and Ireland may be the biggest gamblers on a per capita basis, they are still dwarfed by the size of the gambling market in the US.
Americans rank 5th on a per capita basis, but as they have a population of over 330 million and the world’s largest economy, they spend a total of $120 billion annually on gambling which is twice as much as China, including Hong Kong and Macao. That makes Australia’s $18 billion and Ireland’s $2.7 billion look like small changes.
It seems that America’s position as the home of gambling is safe for the foreseeable future, especially as after the recent elections, gambling restrictions have been eased, and more states are legalizing betting.
