Online Gambling Up 67% in Australia Due to Pandemic
Those that oppose online gambling have their tricks to try and get their points across. During this pandemic, they don’t focus on how the gambling industry is hurting. Instead, they tell you that Aussies are “saving money” by not gambling on pokies.
However, another fact that they either overlook or condemn is the fact that online gambling numbers are spiking presently. It appears that online gambling has seen an increase of 67% since the beginning of the pandemic. Instead, they try and focus on the fact that players are gambling at “unregulated” casinos.
Gambling Opponent Claims Aussies Saving $38 Million Per Day
Gambling opponent Stephen Mayne has recently come out with numbers that he believes supports extending the shutdown on pokie dens around Australia. Since the shutdown of 5,000 pokie rooms on March 22nd, he claims that Aussies are saving $38 million per day.
Mayne further contends that this results in a community stimulus of $722 million thus far. He revealed these numbers on Twitter, calling for followers to retweet if they want pokie rooms to be among the last things to reopen once the pandemic crisis is over.
Today is the 19th day since Australia's 5000 pokies venues were shut. Given we lose $38m a day on the pokies, that's a community stimulus worth $722m so far. Retweet this if you reckon suburban pokies rooms should be the very last thing that resumes as the clamps come off.
— Stephen Mayne (@MayneReport) April 10, 2020
He talked about the topic at length in the article in his tweet, taking every negative angle that he could. However, it is interesting to note that he believes that communities are having a $722 million stimulus when we all know that many people have lost work and cannot pay bills, much less play pokies.
If things were normal, this figure would make sense. However, it also overlooks an interesting stat being reported by several news agencies.
Online Gambling Up 67% in Australia Due to COVID-19
Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a positive impact on any form of home entertainment. Companies like Disney + are taking initiative to give homebound people an escape from the crisis. Online gambling is another form of entertainment enjoying a huge uptick.
According to various sources, online gambling in Australia has seen an increase of 67% during the pandemic. Many of these players are simply transitioning from live to online gambling. Since live casinos are shut down, gamblers are looking for alternatives.
online Gambling up 67% and the trot boys are on fire betting up on all meetings and #strippingthebookies pic.twitter.com/Vz3XGPXSmC
— Tom Hogan (@gothevikings) April 10, 2020
There are estimates that say that approximately $15 billion in funds could go online The downside to this increase is that none of that money will go to help Australia. As you may already know, online gambling is not regulated in Australia. As such, casinos operating in Australia cannot operate online casinos.
Australian online casinos are run offshore by various companies, most of which are completely licensed and regulated. You can find a list of some of the best Australian online casinos on our homepage.
Australian Government Missing Out Due to Antiquated Laws
The sad takeaway from recent trends is that online casinos nor the Australian government will be able to benefit from those gambling online due to COVID-19. Legal online casinos in other countries are enjoying tremendous spikes in traffic due to the pandemic. This is allowing them to make what could result in record profits for some.
This also provides additional tax revenues for local and national governments. Regulated online casinos must pay taxes and those taxes go to fund everything from roads to schools. Unfortunately, the Australian government has decided to stay in the technological dark ages regarding online gambling.
Their choice to continue a ban on online gambling has serious holes that come apparent during a crisis such as this. Online gambling can provide additional jobs, wages, and tax revenues for the government. All of that is sorely needed during this time. Sadly, their ban does nothing but make things complicated during a time where simplicity is a necessity.