Australia has one of the most robust gambling sectors in the world. The industry is enormous in Australia, with 9.9 million regular consumers. More than half of the population gambles every year. Despite 18 years being the legal age, 16% of the youths start putting their money at an earlier age. However, the last year has been revolutionary for the casino industry for many reasons. For the global economy, 2021 was a year of uncertainty and turbulence. The Australian casino industry was well-acquainted with both sides of this narrative. During the COVID-19 crisis, a significant percentage of the population lost employment and was forced to reduce their gambling expenditure. On the other hand, some individuals have increased their time and financial spending on online casinos in order to alleviate boredom during the lockdown period. In this post, we will walk you through some of the most influential events in Australian casino trends in 2021 and illustrate some statistics.
Prohibiting Gambling Venues
These gambling limitations were first implemented in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 epidemic and were extended in part in 2021. Almost all land-based gaming facilities have been closed. Even sports betting was on the verge of collapse, as the government put restrictions on most sporting events. Certain games, such as poker, keno, and scratch tickets, were prohibited more often than other games, resulting in a drop in gambling participation. Nevertheless, this crisis was not without its advantages. Numerous data indicate that Australians had bet more throughout the epidemic, with online gambling seeing a substantial increase.
Surprising Increase of Visitors to Online Casinos
A handful of top Australian online casinos gained more than a 37% increase in visitors. The data revealed by Agile-Hatch.com shows the visitor statistics of the top 5 Australian online casinos:
| Casino Site Name | Number of visitors (2021) | Visitor Increase |
| Joe Fortune Pokies | 312000 | 24% |
| Woo Casino | 178000 | 37% |
| Aussie Play | 253000 | 46% |
| Ignition | 483000 | 13% |
| NicPokies | 93000 | 40% |
As a result, despite the restrictions on land-based gambling, the aggregated gambling statistics increased tremendously. According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, 78% of Australian gamblers now do so online. That is up from 62% prior to COVID-19. Furthermore, according to a consumer spending tracker created by the two firms, the average weekly gambling expenditure by Australians of legal age has climbed from a pre-COVID base index of 100 to 384.40 per week ended September 19, 2021.
Acquisition of Playtech PLC
This was the most prominent event in Australia’s casino business in 2021. On October 18, Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), the largest Australian casino gadget manufacturer and gambling giant, announced a $3.7 billion deal to purchase Playtech PLC (LON: PTEC). Playtech PLC is the world’s leading software developer for the gaming industry. The transaction is most likely to be finalized, given that Playtech has already asked for shareholder approval. With over 7,000 workers in 24 countries and 170 worldwide licensees, the company produces infrastructure and content for the global gaming business. While Astritocrat is currently the industry leader in terms of gambling hardware, the acquisition of Playtech will almost certainly make Aristocrat the undisputed market leader in terms of both gambling hardware and software. The primary reason for acquiring Playtech was to leverage their B2B (business to business) gaming platform. Additionally, Playtech has expertise in managing several business-to-consumer gaming enterprises, notably the Italian online business Sanitech. This acquisition will make Australia an even larger player in the worldwide market for casino machines and software.
Government Report on Gambling Expenditure
Gambling is a serious public policy issue in Australia, impacting people and families in a variety of ways. As a result, it is consistently subject to research and studies by the government. Numerous government bodies publish their findings on the socioeconomic consequences of gambling on a regular basis. According to research issued in 2021 by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, Australians lost nearly $25 billion in 2018–19 on legal forms of gambling. The most per capita losses in the world. Indeed, Australia and Ireland have the highest gambling losses on a global scale. The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Gaming Research Centre are highly concerned about such large expenditures and have highlighted various negative consequences of irresponsible gambling practices. They advised a free 24-hour gambling hotline for individuals in need: 1800 858 858.
Source: Browne et al. 2016:136, Figure 19.
Conclusion
For a running financial process like gambling, each and every day has its unique importance. We just tried to illustrate a flashback of some most significant events of the Australian casino industry in 2021. If the land-based competitions fully reopen with the decline in COVID infection rate, 2022 is expected to be a far better year for the industry.
