Rockloff, M, Browne, M, Hing, N, Thorne, H, Russell, A, Greer, N, Tran, K, Brook, K & Sproston, K
Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation - May 2020

Summary

About the study

This report details results from a large general population survey on gambling participation, gambling problems and gambling-related harm in the state of Victoria, Australia conducted between September 2018 and January 2019.

The study is the third of its kind in Victoria. Previous studies were conducted in 2014 and 2008. The latest study differs from earlier surveys in that it includes new elements that better align the investigation with a public health approach through the consideration of gambling harm in the broader community.

The study involved a mobile phone and landline survey of 10,638 randomly selected Victorians adults.

Key findings

The study found a modest decline in gambling participation, with the number of Victorian adults who gamble declining from 73.1% in 2008 to 70.1% in 2014 and 69% in 2018–2019. Participation is highest among people aged 65–74 years (78%), and lowest among people 18–24 (52.4%).

The key findings include:

  • 69% of Victoria’s adult population gamble, of whom:
    • 28.7% participate in race betting
    • 20.4% play the pokies, with those in the problem (69.3%), moderate-risk (52.3%) and low-risk (40%) gambling categories more likely to play the pokies than non-problem gamblers (16.3%)
    • 8.8% bet on casino table games such as blackjack, roulette and poker
    • 8.3% bet on sports, with men (13.9%) significantly more likely than women (2.9%) to do so. This has increased from 10.9% of men and 2.% of women in 2014, and 9.3% of men and 2.1% of women in 2008
  • 21.9% of Victorians aged 18–24 years who gamble participate in sports betting. At 31.9%, Victorian men of this age who gamble are most likely to participate in sports betting, while 10.3% of Victorian women of the same age do so
  • online gambling is growing in popularity, with 19.2% of Victorian adults who gamble betting online
  • 71.7% of people who participate in sports betting place bets via online bookmakers or mobile apps. This is a dramatic increase from 22.4% in 2008 and 52% in 2014
  • the prevalence of problem gambling has remained largely unchanged, from 0.8% in 2014 to 0.7%t in 2018–2019
  • 39% of people who experience problem gambling are in a state of high distress, compared to 5% of Victoria’s general population (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale)
  • about 330,000 adults in Victoria who gamble (9.6%) experience at least one form of gambling-related harm
  • pokies alone account for 37.7% of gambling harm in Victoria
  • 70% of gambling harm is experienced by people whose behaviour is not classified as problem gambling
  • 6.1% of Victorian adults – about 300,000 people – are harmed by someone else’s gambling
  • using the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, self-reported satisfaction with life drops as risky gambling behaviour increases
  • risky gambling behaviour, excessive alcohol consumption and heavy smoking are linked.

Implications for the Department of Justice and Community Safety 

The data collected in this study will be used to inform and refine policy, prevention and treatment efforts in Victoria, for example, in relation to where programs and services are located. The study also provides valuable information for governments and agencies to monitor, enhance and track the success of initiatives designed to tackle gambling-related harm.

While gambling participation levels have remained steady, the negative side effects or consequences – gambling harm – have become more apparent. Gambling harm is associated with poorer health and wellbeing of the individual who gambles, family, community and population.

The findings of this study are important because they provide evidence that efforts to prevent, reduce and treat gambling harm should focus on community interventions, rather than on individuals who struggle with gambling issues.

Fact sheets

Citation

Rockloff, M, Browne, M, Hing, N, Thorne, H, Russell, A, Greer, N, Tran, K, Brook, K & Sproston, K 2020, Victorian population gambling and health study 2018–2019, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Melbourne.

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