Australians spend an eye-watering $30 billion each year on gambling. We are, comfortably, the world’s most profligate punters.
It is a challenging figure to quantify, but observing the front bar of your local pub can help to understand who, and where, that 10-figure sum comes from.
As the AFL and NRL finals played out, venues across the country were packed to the brim, most in attendance in varying stages of desperation for their team to score.
While all were focused on the game, most kept one eye on their phones, hoping one or more legs on a bet had come off.
While winning money would seem like the obvious goal, it is increasingly no longer the only one.
Win or lose, having a bet on is increasingly part of the social life of thousands of…