According to analytics consultancy AlphaBeta and credit firm Illion, Australians’ online gambling saw a 67% jump during COVID-19.
The numbers derived by AlphaBeta and Illion, based on the transactions of 250,000 Australian consumers, showcases the online gambling industry as one of the biggest winners of the shutdown, followed by food delivery services up 63% and online retail and subscription services up 61%.
Gambling expert Dr Charles Livingstone commented that the rise could be reasoned to new gamblers trying their luck online, or regular betters being forced to use online accounts.
“If that’s maintained throughout the year, or the next six months, we can look at expenditure around $2 billion additional in online gambling. Psychosocial stress is a key critical factor leading to a gambling habit and a gambling addiction. It’s difficult to imagine a slightly more stressful situation than we’ve got at the moment for many people,” he said.
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