The market research company Roy Morgan has published its Gambling Currency Report, revealing data that gambling on poker machines is declining.
The results of the report are based by a Single Source survey held by Roy Morgan after thorough face-to-face interviews with more than 1,000 Australian residents on a weekly basis in their homes.
According to the latest data provided by the market research company’s report, the Northern Territory remains the part of Australia that has the highest betting and poker machine participation rates among all Australian states and territories. The highest scratchcard and lotteries participation rate, on the other hand, has been reported in Western Australia.
As revealed in the Gambling Currency Report of Roy Morgan, the Northern Territory had the largest proportion of gamblers who preferred so-called pokies. A total of 23.6% of the NT adult residents (the ones over 18 years old) have wagered at a gambling machine in an average three-month period. The states of Queensland and New South Wales (including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) followed, with the proportion rates there being 14.9% and 14.2%, respectively.
The poker machine participation rate in the state of Tasmania was 13.5%, followed by the one in South Australia, 12.4%. The lowest pokie machine participation rates were registered in the states of Victoria (10.6%) and Western Australia (5.0%).
The Largest Pokie Gambling Participation Is Currently in the Northern Territory
Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer of Roy Morgan, confirmed that the pokies participation rates in the Northern Territory significantly surpasses the national average.
Ms Levine shared that the past 18 years saw the number of Australian residents betting on poker machines to decline by 50%, from 4.8 million to 2.4 million. The poker machines participation rate in the Northern Territory, however, is nearly one in four, making the overall percentage rate in the state almost two times higher than the country’s average of 12.3%. She further noted that the Australian national average was kept relatively low by the low 5% rate in Western Australia where poker machine use outside casino venues is officially banned.
Betting participation rates have also been subject to Roy Morgan’s survey. The market research company’s boss noted that in general, gambling participation in the country has been declining for a few years. The only significant exception of this trend is sports betting, which has experienced an increase in the past year to year and a half.
According to the survey results presented in the Gambling Currency Report, the highest betting participation rates are once again registered in the Northern Territory. The report has shown that 15.3% of the NT adult residents having gambled in an average three-month period. This result is followed by the state of Victoria, with a gambling participation rate of 10% and Western Australia, with 9.6%. The betting participation rate in the states of Queensland and South Australia were close – 8.1% and 7.4%, respectively. Tasmania had the lowest result, with 4.7% of its residents over 18 years of age having bet in an average three-month period.
As mentioned above, the highest participation rate for scratch tickets and lotteries was reached in Western Australia – 52.8%.
- Author
Daniel Williams
