Australians, already the world's biggest gamblers, are hitting a new record in 2015 as the equivalent of A$1,000 ($734) is lost by every man, woman and child Down Under.
In the 12 months through September, Australians frittered away A$24.1 billion on gambling. That's an increase of 6 percent from a year earlier, more than double the expansion of the overall economy, which grew a below-average 2.5 percent over the same period.
Gambling Down Under has long been tolerated as part of the national character -- best summed up in the line that Australians would bet on two flies crawling up a wall. But growth in wagering using foreign-based websites, along with widespread use of slot machines and casinos in each city, is drawing heightened scrutiny.
The government estimates more than 400,000 Australians, mainly men, have gambling problems, out of a total of 23 million people. It commissioned former New South Wales state Premier Barry O’Farrell to investigate the use of offshore-based websites and wants a report this month on what could be done to curtail the negative social impact of new forms of gambling.
