8th November, 2005
Australians spent an average of $17 a week on gambling, according to research from Commsec.

Drawing on unpublished data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the research found that Australians spent a total of $17.4 billion on gambling over the past year - a figure which equates to around 3.5 per cent of total household consumption.

In inflation-adjusted terms spending on gambling rose by 5.5 per cent over the past year, a figure well ahead of the 3.3 per cent growth in total household consumption.

“Even taking into account the surge in petrol prices in the September quarter, the average Australian probably still spent more on gambling than filling up the car at the petrol pump,” the research says.

More broadly, the data shows that what are typically ‘essential’ items within a person’s budget are now taking up a smaller share of total spending with food, clothing, transport and housing taking up slightly more than 45 per cent of total spending, a figure which marks a record low.

In contrast to that is the finding that spending on luxuries such as gambling, cafes and restaurants and consumer electronics has risen to 17.5 per cent of total household spending, up from 14.5 per cent a decade ago.

- DAVID ADAMS