Australians Love the Lottery & Scratchies New Study Finds
Market research giant Roy Morgan has released its latest findings into Australians’ gambling habits. It turns out that the lottery is the most popular gambling category for Aussies.
The ‘Gambling Currency Report’ by Roy Morgan surveyed over 50 000 Australians through in-depth personal interviews. They also interviewed 14 000 Australians who had gambled in the last three months.
Lottery is the Most Popular Type of Gambling
Research findings show that of the 10.6 million Australians aged 18 years and older gambled in the past 12 months up to June 2018. Those who bought lotto and scratchie tickets ranged in a figure near 8.6 million.
While gambling has been on the decline over the past 15 years in Australia, lottery and scratchie tickets rank the highest. “Narrowing the focus to a more recent timeframe shows that over the last three years lottery and scratchie tickets have held their own,” the press release on the report said.
Looking at all the various types of lottery tickets available, Roy Morgan found that purchases have decreased over the same period. Around 7.7 million Australians bought lotto tickets including the Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday lotto, Powerball, Oz Lotto or other lotto tickets. In this period three years ago, the figure was at 7.9 million.
Ticket Sales Rise and Fall
The drop is due to a decline in Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday Lotto ticket sales. These saw a 600 000 decrease in sales. There’s also a decrease of 200 000 in Powerball ticket sales. Scratchies aren’t flying off the shelves as much as they used to – sales are down by 200 000.
However, more Australian are buying OzLotto tickets – sales are up by 400 000. Sales of other lottery tickets like Lotto Strike, Pools, Keno, Super 66, and Cash 3 are up by 100 000.
The Older You Are the More You Play the Lotto
The likelihood of an Australian buying a scratchie or lottery ticket increases with age, the Roy Morgan study found. Over half of Australians aged between 50 and 65 years and older buy lottery tickets or scratchies over an average of three months. Conversely, only 12.6% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 27.2% of 25 to 34-year-old Australians play scratchies and the lottery.