Problem gambling affects 200k Australians

New figures revealed that approximately 200k people in Australia struggle with problem gambling.

Australia.- The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (Hilda), a survey of Australia’s household, has added questions about gambling, and the results showed that 200k people in Australia have problems with gambling.

The survey revealed that gambling in Australia is widespread, specially among older men, which are also more likely to gamble than women, as The Guardian reported. On average men are also more likely to spend more money when they gamble than women, the biggest amount being played in the middle-aged groups. When it comes to average spend, poker is top of the list, followed by pokies and horse and dog races gambling.

Hilda estimates that 1.5 percent of men and 0.8 percent of women are affected by gambling. Nevertheless, in population terms the number rises to 200k. Moreover, the report showed that Indigenous people were more likely to become problem gamblers.

Back in June, The Council of Kingston in Victoria joined the federal program “Alliance for Gambling Reform,” which aims at reinforcing control over gaming operations. “Ideally we wouldn’t have as many poker machines and ultimately one day we might not have any in the city of Kingston,” stated Mayor David Eden in an article by the Herald Sun. Kingston residents bet over US$179k per day on poker machines, positioning the town as one of the most gamblers of the region.