One in six Australian adults gambles at risky levels

The Gambling in Australia 2026 report, prepared by the Australian National University (ANU), found that around one in six adults in the country shows risky gambling behaviour. The report is based on seven waves of ANUPoll data collected between 2019 and 2026. The latest survey, conducted in March 2026, included 3,482 adults, and the data was weighted according to Australian population indicators.

Gambling participation has remained steady at around 60 percent since 2023. Meanwhile, around 17 percent of adults report at least one gambling-related harm indicator. Online gambling has now become the dominant form of participation. Thirty-five percent of adults play at least half of their gambling online. For sports betting, this rises to 90 percent, and for horse race betting, it is 71 percent.

According to the report, the share of people playing casino table games online rose from 5 percent to 22 percent between 2024 and 2026. Among poker machine players, the rate increased from 7 percent to 13 percent. Although online casino games and poker machines are prohibited from being offered in Australia, access to these products is growing.

Associate Professor Aino Suomi, one of the study's authors, said that fewer Australians are gambling, but this has not led to a similar decline in problems. Suomi stressed that the focus should shift from how many people gamble to how they gamble and who is most affected. Couples with children showed the highest rate of online gambling. Meanwhile, 5 percent of adults said they experienced negative effects last year due to someone else's gambling.

Last month, the Gambling Reform Bill, proposed by Northern Territory Legislative Assembly member Justine Davis, was backed by more than 30 politicians, community organisations and reform advocates. The bill aims to strengthen protections against the harms of gambling.