People all over the world have a real love-hate relationship with gambling. However, in Australia, you will find that more often than not, there is nothing but love for all of gambling's many forms. According to recent statistics, over 80% of all Australian adults engage in some form of gambling. This gives Australia the highest rate of gambling in the world by a considerable margin.
The latest estimates suggest that around 5% of all Australian adults regularly play "pokies." For those of you not familiar with the term, pokies are the official term for gaming machines such as slots. That 5% figure seems to account only for those going to a casinos, pubs, and clubs. That estimate may not take into account those adults that are playing pokies at any of the numerous trustworthy sites accepting Australian gamblers. As such, the number of Australians playing pokies both offline and online combined may be far greater than estimated.
Throughout all of Australia, there are nearly 200,000 poker machines. The breakdown places over 95,000 in New South Wales, almost 47,000 in Queensland, and almost 29,000 in Victoria. To compare this to the rest of the world, there are a bit over 97,000 poker machines in the entirety of Canada. To put another way, there is one gambling machine for every 114 people in Australia. Obviously, there wouldn't be this many pokies throughout the country if the demand wasn't there. Not only is the demand there, but it's there in full force.
According to the official 2010 Productivity Commission Inquiry Report by the Australian government, spending on online gaming surpassed $800 million. In addition to digital pokies, Bingo plays a major role in the online gaming habits of Australians. A number of casinos, online or otherwise, tend to offer simulated bingo games for fans to enjoy. Bingo games, much like lotteries, tend to pose the least amount of risk for the player. Fans of the game enjoy it because the games are always fair to all players. Obviously, the online only experience does not include those colorful daubers, but the feelings of victory are still present no matter where the game is played.
Just Stay Home
There is an obvious benefit in our current bizarre situation. We are talking about a benefit that places online gaming in a much more favorable light than actually visiting your favorite casino or pub: Quarantine. Thanks to the ongoing threat from COVID-19, stay at home orders are in effect for a significant portion of the world. This "new normal" means that pastimes like going to the pub for a few goes at the pokies just isn't feasible. Even if your government doesn't have a strict quarantine in place, people should still be trying to stick to a self-imposed quarantine.
It is because of this global pandemic that staying at home is more important than ever before. Even though you cannot meet up with your pals, you can still have a great time by playing some rounds of bingo online, or trying your luck at any of the digital pokies. You can play even some traditional card games online like blackjack, poker, or baccarat if you're feeling like mixing it up. Sadly, the more exotic games like 52-card pickup just don't translate well to the online world.
Another major benefit to playing your favorite games online is the fact that many of them can just be played for fun. The risk of losing money and the agony of defeat are a negative part of the real-world experience that simply don't exist when money isn't always on the line. In 2016 alone, Australians had lost an average of $990 (USD) per person through playing at actual casinos and pubs. In total, Australians were spending around $18 billion per year just on gambling. Why even take that risk? Stay at home, play for fun with little to no risk, and do it all without having to put pants on.
