Market researcher Roy Morgan reports that there are over 620,000 ‘problem gamblers’ in Australia – and the majority of those are aged under 35.
The facts are that gambling ruins families and lives – children go hungry, and domestic violence and suicide rates rise in homes where there are gambling addictions.
Amidst debate about gambling reformers, lashing out at pokies trials, and mandatory loss limits, Roy Morgan reports some 2.9 per cent of the Australian adult population, an estimated 622,000 people, have serious gambling problems.
The level of the problem
The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), brings together the responses to these key questions and identifies: problem gamblers, moderate and low risk gamblers, non-problem gamblers and non-gamblers and shows 3,492,000 Australians (16.2 per cent) are either problem gamblers or at-risk gamblers.
Although more Australians are non-gamblers, the incidence of ‘problem gamblers’ has increased year-on-year for the last two years – from 1.9 per cent in 2022-23, to 2.4 per cent in 2023-24, and 2.9 per cent in 2024-25.
Can you afford to lose?
How does gambling behaviour fit into the Australian population. Amongst all Australians aged 18+, some of the respndants said:
They ‘have bet more than they could really afford to lose’ (8.6 per cent); they ‘have felt guilty about the way they gamble or what happens when they gamble’(8 per cent); they ‘go back on another day to try to win back the money they lost’ (7.9 per cent); they ‘needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement’ (6.9 per cent).
The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), brings together the responses to these key questions and identifies: problem gamblers, moderate and low risk gamblers, non-problem gamblers and non-gamblers and shows 3,492,000 Australians (16.2 per cent ) are either problem gamblers or at-risk gamblers.
Although more Australians are non-gamblers, the incidence of ‘problem gamblers’ has increased year-on-year for the last two years – from 1.9 per cent in 2022-23, to 2.4 per cent in 2023-24, and 2.9 per cent in 2024-25.
Low risk gamblers down on two years ago
A detailed look at Australian gamblers shows the rate, and number, of problem gamblers has grown in each of the last two years while those classified as ‘low risk gamblers’ has decreased.
There are now more ‘moderate risk gamblers’ than there were two years ago.
There are now 622,000 Australians that fit the profile as ‘problem gamblers’, up a significant 111,000 (+22 per cent) from a year ago, and up 230,000 from two years ago.
Although a larger cohort, the 1,610,000 Australians classified as ‘low risk gamblers’ is down 149,000 (-8 per cent) on a year ago, and down 196,000 on two years ago.
In between each are Australians considered to be ‘moderate risk gamblers’ which are down slightly by 17,000 (-1 per cent on a year ago, but up significantly, by 180,000, compared to two years ago.
It’s worth remembering most Australian adults, more than five-in-six (83.9 per cent ), are considered either ‘non-problem gamblers’ (46.8 per cent ) or don’t gamble at all (37.1 per cent ).
Young people the biggest issue
People aged 18-49 are more than twice as likely to be ‘problem gamblers’ than those aged 50+
Analysing problem gamblers by age shows Australians aged under 50 are more than twice as likely to be considered ‘problem gamblers’ than those aged 50+, and Australians aged under 35 are more than three times as likely as those aged 50+.
Those most likely to be considered ‘problem gamblers’ are aged 25-34 (4.9 per cent), just ahead of people aged 18-24 (4.6 per cent). In addition, well above the national rate of 2.9 per cent are people aged 35-49 (3.7 per cent).
The rate of problem gambling drops off significantly for Australians aged 50+, down to only 1.4 per cent for people aged 50-64, and just 0.7 per cent for people aged 65+ – both well below the national rate of 2.9 per cent .
A look at how these rates of problem gambling break down in the numbers shows a slim majority of problem gamblers are aged under 35 (316,000, 51 per cent) compared to a minority aged 35+ (306,000, 49 per cent).
Help is at hand
The NSW government says gambling comes in many forms and can develop into a problem for some of us. If you or someone you know finds gambling difficult to manage, there are resources that can help, including:
You can also call 1800 858 858 for free and confidential support, or arrange to talk with a counsellor in your area.
FInd out more at Roy Morgan.
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