Aussies, Kiwis Gamble the Most

Australians and New Zealanders gamble more money online than people from any other country, according to a new Canadian report into online gambling made public in Sydney newspaper The Sunday Telegraph.

The report shows that Australian and New Zealand gamblers spend an average of AU$435 (US$300) online every month, the Telegraph reported.

The amount is five times the amount that gamblers put through poker machines, according to the Telegraph.

The study was conducted by professors Robert Wood and Robert Williams from the University of Lethbridge in the Canadian province of Alberta. They surveyed more than 20,000 adults from 105 countries for the study.

Conclusions
"Australian Internet gamblers do report higher average monthly gambling spending than the overall average we observed among our sample," Professor Wood was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

"This would suggest that Australian Internet gamblers do indeed spend more on gambling compared with Internet gamblers from most other countries."

The figures may be influenced somewhat by the fact online gambling is legal in Australia and New Zealand, as opposed to countries such as the United States and China where gambling is extremely popular but banned online.

Gambling law
According to the Australian Interactive Gambling Act 2001, it is legal to play poker or casino games online; sport betting is legal with many government licensed operators in operation.

Across the Tasman Sea, TAB and the New Zealand Lotteries Commission are authorized to offer lottery products and sports betting over the Internet.

Aussie and Kiwi resources
Online Casino Reports invites players from Australia and New Zealand to visit our sister sites, with information catered to the players in the countries.