Online Gambling is the Most Popular Down Under

It should be no shocker that Australians - just like Americans, Brits, the Chinese (basically, the entire world over) - like to get their "gamble" on. The pastime certainly is regulated Down Under and is widely available to anyone who is of legal age and not deemed an at-risk bettor. While matters pertaining to online gambling are a little more sticky (one need only look over Australias's recent internet filtering debacle), the fact of the matter is that Australian's love to gamble online.

A recent report conducted at the hands of two professors from the University of Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada) actually goes so far to say that Australians and their New Zealand neighbors like to gamble online more than anyone else in the world. Having surveyed over 20,000 adults from 105 countries, the study concludes that Australian online gamblers spend a higher monthly average toward gaming activities at the online casino.

Based on reports of those surveyed, it was the survey sample of Aussies who portion more of their monthly budget toward online wagering than citizens of other countries. According to the Telegraph, this amounted to AU$435 (or US$300) gambled on average each month by online bettors down under. On another note, these figures are something the land-based casinos can mull over, for this amount was five times higher than what gets wagered on the poker machines.

The study does not accurately say anything about the "nature" or mentality of Australians, per say. If anything, it goes to show that online gambling regulation accounts for more online gambling. Go figure, right? Indeed, under the Australian Interactive Gambling Act 2001, online gambling is a legally regulated activity in Australia and New Zealand, as opposed to the U.S. and China, where it is ineffectively banned. Internet betting is also regulated in the UK, where average betting figures were in line with normal expectations.