Australians Lead World in Online Casino Gambling

Research by two professors from the University of Lethbridge found that players from Australia and New Zealand bet an average of $435 a month at online gambling sites.

A study out of Canada examined more than twenty thousand people worldwide and concluded Australians gamble more per capita than any other nation at online casinos. Research by two professors from the University of Lethbridge found that players from Australia and New Zealand bet an average of $435 a month at online gambling sites.

Professor Robert Wood said the survey showed far higher monthly spending on gambling at online casinos than other countries.

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

Australia is pondering a nationwide block of certain Internet sites, including casinos and gambling sites. But the process has been found to be severely flawed, and has caused much consternation among anti-censorship groups.

David Costello, CEO of Clubs NSW, called for government regulation to place the same restraints on online gambling as exists at land-based casinos. He cited a need for better age verification and protection of problem gamblers.

Several Australian political observers hailed Costello's message, saying licensing and regulation would be far more effective than a ban.