The Online Gambling Industry in Australia – Revenue & Market Forecast (2025)
Australians love to gamble. In fact, the nation loves gaming so much that the land Down Under has been deemed the world’s gambling capital.
Recent estimates suggest Aussies spend around A$25 billion on legal gaming every year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
This is one of countless statistics and research studies that highlight the popularity of online gaming in Australia.
I did some research myself and will share more than a few statistics about the online gambling industry in Australia.
Overview of Australia’s Online Gambling Market
Australia’s online gambling market is a complex system that includes a wide variety of gaming options. We will discuss the legality in detail later on. For now, we can only say that the online gambling industry includes sports betting on rugby, basketball, football, and horse racing, among other sports.
You can also find online casino games, including blackjack, roulette, and, of course, online poker, among other options. You can also participate in online lotteries via the national lottery by buying tickets online.
A Population Drawn to Gaming
Internet-based casino gaming and sports betting in Australia comprise a major part of Australia’s gambling industry. According to a BBC News story, about 38% of Australian adults gamble every week.
One study found that around 90% of Australian adults and about 75% of Australian children see gambling as a normal part of their culture. The study was published on the website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2016.
A different study published by the NIH targeting 59 families in the Australian state of Victoria concluded that using marketing strategies, such as athletes in promoting gaming, played an important role in driving online gambling among adolescents.
Accessibility – A Key Factor Driving Online Gaming
When the COVID pandemic struck, most land-based betting shops and casinos in Australia were forced to cease operations temporarily. But not Aussie online casinos and betting sites.
In fact, we discovered that the simplicity of accessing betting sites and online casinos and the development of high-speed internet technologies played a major role in popularizing online gambling. This was confirmed by data shared by the IMARC Group.
Australia’s Online Gambling Revenue In Numbers
Recent statistics about gambling revenue illustrate best just how popular (online) gambling is in Australia.
With 2024 closing to an end, the market is projected to reach more than US $4.93 billion by year’s end, according to Statista. Data from Statista also indicates that the online gambling market will have an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.09%, which is expected to result in over US$5.4 billion (A$8.33b) by 2029.
According to the IMARC Group data, the market will have a value of US$ 8.5 billion by 2032, indicating a CAGR of 6.2% from 2024 to 2032.
Australia’s Online Gambling Market Volume
When it comes to online sports betting, Australia’s internet betting industry is equally popular and marks constant growth, according to Statista. Statista’s numbers indicate that online sports betting in Australia will have a volume of just over US$4.54 billion by the end of 2024.
Moreover, user penetration in online gambling will reach just over 15% in 2024. What is interesting is that most of the revenue will come from the United States, an estimated US$24.98 billion.
Online Gambling in Australia and Oceania
On a broader scale, the online gambling market in Australia and Oceania shows slightly different numbers.
| Metric | Number |
| Projected online gambling market revenue (2024) | US$6.17 billion |
| Annual growth rate CAGR (2024-2029) | 2.86% |
| Expected market volume by 2029 | US$7.11 billion |
| Online sports betting market expected volume (2024) | US$4.83 billion |
| Most revenue generated globally (2024) | United States, with US$24.98bn |
| Average revenue per user (ARPU) | US$1.34K (2024) |
| Expected number of online gamblers by 2029 | 5.7 million |
| User penetration in the A&O online gambling market (2024) | 14.4% |
User Participation Statistics
An interesting area of research when it comes to the online gambling industry in Australia is user participation.
It is estimated that the number of people in Australia who take part in online gambling activities will reach around 5 million by 2029. One metric that caught my eye was the average revenue per user (ARPU), which, in 2024, is expected to come to US$1.22K per user.
The 2022 research by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) we shared earlier includes a few secondary statistics about user participation, specifically (young) adults. For instance, the AIHW reports that 73% of Australian adults (18 or older) have spent money on gambling over the past 12 months that year (2022).
The Australian Institute of Family Studies further points out that about 38% of Australians gambled on a weekly basis.
Most Popular Forms of Online Gambling in Australia
Interestingly, the most popular gaming products among Australians were scratch cards and lotteries, with 64% user participation. Next came betting on horse racing, greyhounds, and harness racing, with 39% participation, followed by sports betting, with user participation of 34%, as per the AIHW.
Online video poker/online pokies (slot machines) came in last, with 33% participation. According to the Institute of Health and Welfare, Australians said they gambled on an average of 2 gambling products. However, of those who participated in the research, 23% said they’d used 6 or more (unspecified) gambling products.
More recent data, shared by the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, shows gambling participation among Australian adults at land-based venues and online in 2024.
The data the ANU collected covers all major forms of gaming, including pokies, racing betting, sports betting, lottery, and table games, among other forms. Here are the results.
| AU population (in %) | Mostly online (in %) | Mostly in land venues (in %) | Equally online and in venues (in %) | |
| Pokies | 12.9 | 4.7 | 93.5 | 1.8 |
| Racing betting | 10.0 | 67.9 | 26.6 | 5.5 |
| Scratch cards | 15.7 | 1.7 | 95.2 | 3.2 |
| Lottery | 46.8 | 45.0 | 47.9 | 7.1 |
| Keno | 5.2 | 8.9 | 89.5 | 1.6 |
| Casino table games | 2.7 | 3.0 | 95.3 | 1.8 |
| Bingo | 1.4 | 4.6 | 95.4 | 0 |
| Sports Betting | 4.7 | 94.2 | 4.5 | 1.4 |
| Raffles | 23.4 | 21.0 | 72.8 | 6.2 |
Australians and Pokies
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2022 research found online pokies to be the least-played gaming product among Australian adults.
But other data sets show that pokies remain the most popular form of gambling. For instance, an article by The Guardian, citing official data from the New South Wales government, notes there are around 90,000 pokie machines in NSW, with only the US state of Nevada having more (120,000).
Additionally, the iGB article, drawing on data from the Queensland treasury, points out that Australians had spent $191.2 billion on pokies for the 2022-23 fiscal year, making them the top gaming product among Aussies by far.
Online Gambling in Australia in 2022/23 in Numbers
Australia’s digital gaming industry has marked meteoric growth over the past few years. I dug up a few interesting statistics from the popular gaming magazine iGB for the 2022-23 financial year to illustrate this growth.
Citing data from the Queensland Treasury, iGB notes that the total online gambling turnover for the 2022/23 financial year had risen by almost 166%. According to the Treasury’s data, Australians wagered AU$244.3 billion across all channels.
That fiscal year, the online gambling turnover made up 31% of Australia’s total turnover from gambling, per iGB. The amount of money Australians spent individually was estimated at just over $397 per user.
The above data does not cover online sports wagering, racing, and online lotteries. From 30 June 2022 to 30 June 2023, the online gambling industry saw an increase of 18.2% across all verticals, resulting in $1,555 spent on gambling per capita across all territories in Australia, marking an 11.5% rise.
| AU Online Gambling Industry Key Stats for Fiscal 2022/23 | |
| Year-on-year online gambling turnover (in %) | 165.7% increase |
| Total amount of money Australians spent on online gambling across all verticals (in AUD) | AU$244.3 billion |
| Gambling spending per capita in all states (June 30, 2022-June 30, 2023) in % | 11.5% increase |
| Online spending per capita across all states (in AUD) | $1,555 |
| Total amount of money Australians wagered online across all verticals (June 30, 2022-June 30, 2023) in % | 18.2% increase |
| Market size (2023) | US$ 4.9 billion (A$7.54b) |
Online Gambling in Australia 2019-2024
One interesting area of research when it comes to Australia’s online gambling industry is the post-pandemic period.
The Australian National University’s (ANU) Centre for gambling research conducted a study, collecting data from April 2019 and Jan. 2024, covering both the period before and after the pandemic.
Dr. Aino Suomi, who heads the ANU’s gambling research centre, said internet gambling among Australian adults had risen from 50% during the pandemic to 60% after. Prior to the pandemic, online gambling participation in Australia stood at 65.6%, but in the 12 months after the survey, it had decreased slightly from 61.3% to 60.3%, The Guardian reports, citing ANU’s research.
Another noteworthy point in the ANU research is that the number of Aussies who gambled online “with risk” went up over 2 points, from 11.6% in 2023 to 13.7% in 2024.
The ANU paper points out that in 2024, the most popular forms of gambling among adults were lottery at 48.6%, raffles at 23.4%, scratch cards at 15.7%, pokies at 12.9%, and racing betting at 10%. Further, the paper notes that 33.4% of Aussie adults gambled online in 2024.
Sociodemographic Statistics About Online Gambling in Australia
When it comes to age groups, the ANU data reveals that men (aged 35-55) gamble more online while women (65 and older) in land venues.
As far as age is concerned, Australians aged 45-55 gambled most online (20.5%), and those 75 or older gambled least online (3.7%). In terms of education, those with post-school diplomas gambled online most (47.2%), followed by Australians who have a bachelor’s degree or higher (28.5%). Regarding employment, ANU’s data shows 48.3% of full-time employees participate in online gambling – the most of all employment demographics.
Finally, in the Household Type category, 44.2% of couples with children gamble online – the most of all household categories – followed by couples without children (29.6%).
What is interesting is the percentage of gamblers based on household income. As per ANU’s research, those with household incomes from $52,885 to $109,304 gambled most, making up 36.7%. They are followed by those with incomes from $0 to $52,884, making up 26.6% of online gamblers.
Legality of Online Gambling in Australia
While Australians spend hundreds of millions of AUD on online gambling every year, it is hard to believe that online gambling, in most forms, is not regulated in the country.
In 2001, the Australian Parliament approved the Interactive Gambling Act – the main piece of legislation that regulates online gambling. ‘Regulates’ is perhaps the wrong word, considering the Act prohibits online gaming operators from offering all forms of online i.e. interactive gambling, including poker, roulette, blackjack, in-play sports betting, and online pokies.
The IGA has undergone several amendments, specifically in 2017 and 2019, further restricting both offshore and domestic sites that offer or advertise online gambling services.
Under current Australian law, the only legal online sports betting and gaming platforms are those legalized by the government.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which was founded in 2005, oversees online gambling and offers advice and educational material about the rules of online gambling. It also provides ways for players to recognise illegal operators and self-exclusion options.
As part of the program to regulate and keep online gambling in check, the Australian government introduced the national self-exclusion system BetStop. It allows you to self-exclude from licensed gaming operators in Australia for 3 months to permanently.
State-by-State Regulators
Similar to the US, in Australia, each state has a state-regulated authority that oversees legal (online) gambling.
- Northern Territory – Northern Territory Racing Commission
- New South Wales – Liquor & Gaming NSW
- Victoria – Victorian Casino & Gambling Control Commission
- Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – ACT Gambling and Racing Commission
- Western Australia – Gaming and Wagering Commission
- Queensland – Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation
- South Australia – Liquor, Gambling & Lotteries SA
- Tasmania – Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission
The Northern Territory is unarguably the most easy-going of all territories when it comes to online wagering.
Final Thoughts
Different research efforts, polls, and studies indicate the online gambling industry in Australia is growing at a rapid pace. A reminder that the market is expected to reach over 2% annual growth rate by 2029, which is projected to climb to 6.2% between 2024 and 2032.
Almost all metrics and statistics indicate persistent growth, which points to both the popularity of the industry and the many challenges involving at-risk gamblers. The Australian Institute of Family Studies notes that 46% of those who gambled were facing “some risk” of harm.
However, the government has taken steps to control and mitigate the harmful effects through the national self-exclusion program BetStop, alongside other available resources and measures to promote legal and safe gambling.