Who bets on sports or races?

The NSW Gambling Survey 2019 found that one in 20 adults in NSW bet on sports and one in 10 bet on races. Young people are more likely to bet on sports, while race betting is most popular with people aged 45-54. Men are much more likely to bet then women - 11% of sports bettors are men, compared to 2% of women.1

Understanding sports and race betting

Office of Responsible Gambling

Betting on sports and racing has increased in popularity over the past five years.

Can betting lead to gambling problems?

Race and sports betting are riskier than other gambling activities like buying lottery tickets or scratchies. Studies in 2015 found that 41% of all regular race bettors2 and 41% of all regular sports bettors3 experienced one or more gambling related problems.

Having a gambling problem related to sports betting is associated with gambling more frequently, spending more on sports betting and taking up betting opportunities like in-play live action betting.4

Young men, who are single, educated and employed full time are more at risk of experiencing harm from sports betting.4

One in 20 adults in NSW bet on sports.1

Office of Responsible Gambling | Understanding sports and race betting Page 2

Is online betting increasing?

While most forms of gambling in NSW are declining, online betting is increasing, with more people placing their sports and race bets online. As shown in the graph below, online betting has been increasing over the past 13 years, despite the decline in other forms of gambling.1

100%

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

20112006 2019

11%

37%

5%13%

35%

70%Sports betting online

Race betting online

Although fewer people are betting, more people are placing their bets online.

As you can see below, rugby league is the most popular sport to bet on.1

58%Rugby League

35%Soccer

21%AFL

16%Cricket

14%Basketball

In 2017-18, $177.69 million was spent on sports betting, which represents a 60% increase over five years.5

Office of Responsible Gambling | Understanding sports and race betting Page 3

How do I stay in control while betting?

Sports betting can be a bit of fun for many people, but for some people it can get out of hand. There are ways to stay in control when betting:

• Setting a limit on how much you spend. If using an app or website you can set a deposit limit, to limit the amount of money you can place in your account and a bet limit, which limits how much you can spend on each bet.

• Avoiding temptation to bet more than planned, by turning off notifications and unsubscribing from marketing texts and emails.

• Leaving the competition on the field – by not competing with others or increasing bets when your mates do.

• Avoiding bet regret by not betting when drinking.

• Only using operators licenced in Australia. Using overseas illegal websites comes with additional risks, like not being able to get your money if you win.

• Not chasing losses – chances are that the more you bet, the more you will lose.

• See your betting as entertainment, not a way to make money.

How do you know if betting is becoming a problem?

Here’s what to look out for if you or someone you know is a regular bettor:

• Betting more frequently.6, 7

• Betting on an increasing number of sports, with bigger and bigger bets.7

• Having multiple betting accounts.7

• Betting on more overseas or international competitions than Australian events.8

• Betting while drinking alcohol or using drugs.6,7

• Participating in multiple forms of gambling.8

?

Office of Responsible Gambling | Understanding sports and race betting Page 4

References

1 Central Queensland University, Engine, 2019, NSW Gambling Survey 2019, Commissioned by the New South Wales Responsible Gambling Fund, Sydney. Available at: https://www.responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au/research2/nsw-gambling-survey-2019, accessed 7 August 2020.

2 Armstrong A., Carroll M., 2017, Race betting in Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies, available at: https://aifs.gov.au/agrc/publications/race-betting-australia, accessed 20 August 2020.

3 Armstrong A., Carroll M., 2017, Sports betting in Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies, available at: https://aifs.gov.au/agrc/publications/sports-betting-australia, accessed 20 August 2020.

4 Hing N., Russell A. M. T., Vitartas P., Lamont M., 2016, Demographics, Behavioural and Normative Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Amongst Sports Bettors, Journal of Gambling Studies, 32, 625-641, available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10899-015-9571-9, accessed 14 August 2020.

5 Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, 2019, Queensland Treasury, Australian Gambling Statistics, 35th edition. Available at: https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/issues/2646/australian-gambling-statistics-35th-edn-1992-93-2017-18.pdf, accessed 10 August 2020.

6 Hing N., Russell A. M., Browne M., 2017, Risk Factors for Gambling Problems on Online Electronic Gaming Machines, Race Betting and Sports Betting, Frontiers in Psychology, 8(779), available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00779/full, accessed 3 August 2020.

7 Russell A. M. T., Hing N., Browne M., 2019, Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Specifically Associated with Sports Betting, Journal of Gambling Studies, 35, 1211-1228.

8 Rodda S., 2020, A Rapid Review and Research Gap Analysis: A 2020 update, Commissioned by the New South Wales Responsible Gambling Fund, Sydney.

If you are worried either you or someone you know might have a gambling problem you can call NSW Gambling Help on 1800 858 858, for free and confidential help and advice 24/7.

More information is available at: www.gamblinghelp.nsw.gov.au.

There are also other more general signs that gambling might be a problem.

For example:

• Gambling with money needed for rent or bills.

• Feeling stressed or guilty about gambling.

• Borrowing money from friends and family.

• Being secretive about gambling.

• Chasing losses.

• Withdrawing from family and friends.