Research summary: Gambling in Australia During COVID 19

The global COVID-19 pandemic and related government restrictions led to changes in the availability of gambling in Australia, with land-based gambling venues temporarily closed and major national and international sporting codes suspended.

To understand how people adjusted to these changes in gambling availability our Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) surveyed over 2,000 people who gamble from across Australia during June–July 2020, and spoke with key experts who work in gambling research, regulation, policy and treatment.

We wanted to learn more about the types of products people gambled on before and during COVID-19 (e.g. sports, racing, pokies), and how people’s gambling participation, alcohol consumption and health and wellbeing were affected.

Findings from the study will assist to inform the development and implementation of policy and practice responses to forbid and reduce gambling-related harms in Australia.

Find out more: