Why Australia Is One of the World's Biggest Gambling Markets - And What's Driving It
Australia has long been one of the world's most established gambling markets, both in terms of participation and spending. Whether it's sports betting, poker machines, lotteries, or the growing online casino sector, gambling is deeply embedded in Australia's entertainment landscape.
The ingrained and long-standing history with gambling is one of the reasons brands such as VoltRush Casino have found an audience among Australian players looking to branch into the evolving world of online casino play. While traditional, physical machines remain heavily used and land-based casinos still attract millions of players through their doors, the digital movement has given birth to convenient, practical, and portable alternatives to access casino gameplay.
The enormity of the gambling industry in Australia is represented in figures collated by Future Market Insight in their Australia Casino Tourism Market Size and Share Forecast Outlook (2025 to 2035) published in March 2025. In 2025, the casino tourism industry in Australia was valued at US$2 billion. But due to the impact that online gambling has had in boosting the profile of gambling, that value is set to nearly triple to US$5.8 billion by 2035.
But as we enter a new era of digital influence and innovation, what are the factors that could keep driving the value of gambling in Australia?
Long-Standing Relationship with Gambling
While many thoughts might wander to the digital future of gambling, it is important to reiterate the impact the past has had on gambling culture in Australia. Australia has become one of the leading markets worldwide for gambling, which is partly down to the acceptance of the activity. This is aided by a history with the activity that dates to the colonial era.
Since the late 1700’s, when Australia was colonised by the British, gambling has been on an evolutionary journey through the eras moulded by social, economic, and political factors. Over time, gambling of all rudimentary forms including games that still grace land-based establishments and online platforms to the present day such as blackjack, roulette, and poker began to build an entertainment avenue that has survived the test of time.
As time ticked by, the lottery was established in the 1880’s before commercialisation in the 20th century accelerated the growth of gambling and brought greater recognition to the activity. This was concretised in 1973 with the building of the first land-based casino in Hobart, Australia.
By providing casino enthusiasts with an establishment that housed all the casino classics up until that point under one roof, Australia was able to offer tourists an attraction to base evening entertainment around. Perhaps more importantly, it gave gambling an official presence in Australia beyond the vast array of poker machines that had emerged in pubs and sports clubs in New South Wales in the 1950’s.
Since then, poker machines have matured and now found homes on digital devices and online platforms to remain aligned with the digital advances engulfing Australia and the rest of the world right now. However, it is the long history Australia has with gambling that has given the activity the foundation to flourish in the present era.
Communal Attitude to Gambling
One thing that centuries of gambling promoted was a cultural acceptance of the activity. While gambling has been stigmatised by many other markets during that same period, the presence of gambling games that evolved into poker machines and physical casinos that spread across the country turned casual entertainment into a tradition and one that has carried through to the present day and promoted a sense of community amongst gamblers.
This has been driven further by a sports-crazy nation that also partake in sports betting action. Sports is another pastime ingrained in Aussie culture and in combination with gambling, Aussie sports fans have had an additional engaging element to supplement sports viewing ever since 1810, when the first horse race was held in Australia.
According to Yahoo, sports betting however was only legalised in 1983. But with all sports-related activity in Australia, there is a sense of cultural camaraderie and community.
In an article produced by Dr. Peter Gill, a Psychology Lecturer and Researcher at Victoria University, Gill talks about other attitudes prompted by gambling that stem from the sense of culture and ritualisation. He coins the term “tipping” when elaborating on the “notion of mateship” in gambling:
“Gambling and tipping is as much about the shared cultural activity as it is the money. It is part of our identities and influences how we feel about ourselves. It is possible to lose money gambling, yet still derive positive self-esteem from the activity. Many of us identify strongly with our perceived skills in forecasting results.”
- Dr. Peter Gill, Psychology Lecturer and Researcher, Victoria University
The shared cultural activity aspect is one that is evident in many classic casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and poker, with players of different backgrounds collected around a shared table all with their own individual objectives. This attitude has served gambling companies in Australia well, but the open door to gambling has also proved beneficial in attracting some of the biggest gambling events to the country.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming on 19th May 2026, the World Poker Tour is set to return to Australia with two marquee events and other championships. The announcement marks the recognition of Australia as one of the leading poker markets in the world with the global poker community set to flock to The Star Sydney in September 2026.
What Will Continue to Drive Success?
In recent years, Australia has been able to maintain its status as one of the biggest gambling markets in the world through innovation. From recent studies into the biggest gambling countries worldwide conducted by Tecpinion in August 2025, the following countries make up the top ten:
Top ten gambling countries in terms of annual revenue:
| Country | Estimated Annual Revenue ($) |
|---|---|
| USA | 60+ billion |
| Japan | 30-40 billion |
| Australia | 20-25 billion |
| China (Macau) | 20-25 billion |
| UK | 15-18 billion |
| Canada | 12-15 billion |
| Italy | 12 billion |
| Germany | 10-12 billion |
| France | 10 billion |
| Philippines | 5-7 billion |
(Source: Tecpinion, August 2025)
The U.S understandably tops the lot due to its long-standing relationship with gambling and the fervent passion for sports in the country, but Australia sits in the top three, alongside China (Macau). As the country with the highest spend per person globally to go with a high per capita gambling spend, according to an article published by The Guardian in September 2024, Australia is looking to remain at the top by incorporating new innovative gameplay forms into its offerings.
From new interactive sport betting features to new live casino games, Australia is keeping up with rapid digital advances to remain relevant in the gambling industry. The following features and game mechanics have contributed to the foundation of the new online realm of gambling:
- In-play sports betting
- Live dealer games
- Crash games
- Live game show games
- Variations in online pokies including Megaways
- Online casino tournaments
- Virtual reality gaming
- Enhanced responsible gambling options
- Mobile gaming
The features of live lobby or live dealer gaming is summarised by the coverage on vegas-aces.com of the gameplay on Voltrush Online Casino but while this hybrid form of popular table games involving real person dealers has produced heightened levels of interaction for players in Australia, the mobile gaming boom is arguably driving the growth of gambling in Australia in the current era.
With Australians relying more on digital devices such as smartphones and tablets, mobile exports of online casino or sports betting products is very much in keeping with evolving player behaviour and habits.
Final Thoughts
The current digital shift has brought new factors such as accessibility and community into play with more convenience, practicality, and portability afforded by the wave of online gambling options in Australia.
Throughout time, Australia has managed to maintain the momentum first produced when gambling arrived on the shores in the late 18th century to retain its place as one of the leading gambling markets across the planet.
With digital influences paving a path into a new era of online gambling, quick adaptation to a constantly changing digital landscape could be key if Australia wants to continue driving success in gambling.
Gambling is for entertainment purposes only and should never be seen as a way to make money. Please gamble responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. 18+ only.
Disclosure: This article contains sponsored content.
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