LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The latest figures compiled by the Global Betting and Gaming Consultants show that Australia is by far the biggest gambling nation on the planet with a per capita spend of US$866 a year. British operators Paddy Power, William Hill, Ladbrokes and Bet 365 have all been quick to recognise the potential and have licensed their business in Australia to take sports bets. Forty six percent of Paddy Power’s group operating profits come from customers based in Australia.
But the real gambling spend for Australia comes not from internet but the widespread distribution of pokie machines (50%) played by locals and then also casinos (20%) that host Chinese gamblers.
Hong Kong Jockey Club are in second place even though many residents are going to Macau to gamble in the casinos.
Canada comes in third with strong gambler support for casino, gaming machines and lotteries. Ontario is the lead state almost double in terms of gross gaming yield in front of Quebec.
Italy has growth in stature as a gambling market with the growth of various slot machines through deregulation as the Italian Government has sought to gain a higher tax yield from gambling.
The United Kingdom has dropped to tenth from third in 2008. “This is because other countries have decided not to criminalise the gambler and bring forth legislation to legalise gambling. However we expect the UK to rise in the ranking next year when we will see a full year of on shore licensing for internet gambling which was previously allocated off shore, mostly in Gibraltar, Isle of Man and Malta” said Warwick Bartlett Chief Executive of GBGC.
All of the top ten listed are prosperous countries which destroy the myth that the poor gamble most. “You can only lose what you have in your pocket, and gambling is not a priority for poor people, it is essentially a luxury purchase when all essentials have been paid for” says Warwick Bartlett, GBGC’s CEO.
2013 Data
| COUNTRY | GDPUS$ | population | GGY(US$) | GGY per Capita | |||||
| 1. Australia | 1,505,924 | 23.32 | 20,202.00 | 866 | |||||
| 2. Hong Kong SAR | 274,027 | 7.22 | 3,502.00 | 485 | |||||
| 3. Canada | 1,826,769 | 35.11 | 16,287.00 | 464 | |||||
| 4. Finland | 267,412 | 5.45 | 2,251.00 | 413 | |||||
| 5. Italy | 2,071,955 | 59.69 | 23,109.00 | 387 | |||||
| 6. New Zealand | 181,574 | 4.48 | 1,661.00 | 371 | |||||
| 7. United States | 16,768,050 | 316.50 | 100,827.00 | 319 | |||||
| 8. Japan | 4,898,530 | 127.34 | 40,495.00 | 318 | |||||
| 9. Norway | 512,581 | 5.10 | 1,531.00 | 300 | |||||
| 10. United Kingdom | 2,523,216 | 64.09 | 18,136.00 | 283 | |||||
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Source www.gbgc.com |
GGY = Gross Gaming Yield (what the customer actually loses gambling)
Singapore and Macau have been left out of the calculations because the high gross gaming yields are predominantly created by tourists from China and the rest of Asia.
