Final Report: Gambling expenditure in the ACT (2014): By level of problem gambling, type of activity, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics

Abstract

A previous report by the ANU Centre for Gambling Research (CGR) explored the proportion of gambling expenditure derived from people with gambling problems and amongst different socioeconomic and demographic population subgroups. This report used the 2009 ACT Survey on Gambling, Health and Wellbeing and was funded by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission (GRC). Since 2009, the ACT has seen a 15% reduction in gambling participation rates (Davidson et al., 2015). Industry data also show large reductions in gambling expenditure over this time period. The degree of the reduction in expenditure differs substantially across individual gambling activities, with the biggest declines evident for races (a 40% reduction), table games at the casino (a 32% reduction) and electronic gaming machines (EGMs: a 28% reduction) (ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, 2015). The recent and rapid changes in the ACT’s gambling expenditure landscape raise questions as to whether findings and recommendations derived from the 2009 data are still applicable. In 2015, the GRC funded a replication study using data from a subsequent ACT survey conducted in 2014. The current report presents findings from the 2014 ACT Survey.