With 80% of the population engaging in some form of gambling, Australia has the highest rate in the world. There is no doubt that, for some, gambling can be an addiction and the pokies are not immune when it comes to the need for responsible gambling. With machines capable of taking up to $10,000 a time, there is certainly cause for concern in the minority. What is true is that the average Australian spends $650 a year on pokies with an estimated 600,000 players regularly feeding the pokies on a weekly basis. It’s a chicken and egg situation for most observers and the issue of which came first is sure to be debated for years to come.
This huge density is a concern for opponents of gambling in Australia and many believe that the proliferation and ease of access to these machines is the basis for the country’s problem gambling phenomenon. However, on a per capita basis Oz has five times the amount of pokies per person than America. Of course, the highest number of machines are located in the United States. Introduced over 60 years ago, most pokies are now digital and no longer of a ‘one-armed-bandit’ style.
