Australasian Gaming Council report.
According to A Database on Australia’s Gambling Industry 2008/09 by the Australasian Gaming Council, gambling expenditure in Australia in 2005/06 amounted to just under $17.6 billion. Expenditure on gaming machines totalled nearly $10.4 billion and accounted for 59.1% of all expenditure on gambling forms. Wagering accounted for 13.2% of gambling expenditure ($2.3 billion), while expenditure on lotteries and pools ($1.7 billion) accounted for 9.6% of spending. With expenditure of $2.9 billion, casinos accounted for 16.7% of all gambling spending in Australia.
According to the report, gambling venues in Australia are not only popular destinations for local residents; they also attract a plethora of interstate and international tourists, with the inflow of visitors having a positive economic impact on the local economy.
In 2006/07, Australian casinos attracted 4.2 million interstate visitors, a decrease of 24% compared with the average number of interstate visitors over the past three reporting periods, and the lowest reported number in the past ten years.
In 2006/07, there were 2.1 million international visitors to Australian casinos, a decrease of 16% compared with 2005/06 in which 2.5 million international visitors were reported.
In the year ending June 2006, the top four countries for the number of visitors to Australian casinos were: New Zealand (174,947) followed by Japan (113,694); the United Kingdom (109,838); and China (99,895). There was a significant increase in the number of tourists from Korea (up 32%), Taiwan (up 27%) and other Asia (up 24%). In contrast, there were fewer visits to casinos reported by tourists from countries including Malaysia (down 31%), Thailand (down 28%), Hong Kong (down 26%) and Singapore (down 15%).
Australian Casino Association
According to the Australian Casino Association (ACA) Australia’s casinos make a major economic contribution to the Australian community. The annual economic impact of the Australian casino industry is equivalent to the economic impact of holding four and a half Commonwealth Games in Australia each year. Overall, the casino industry directly and indirectly contributed $7.5 billion in GDP to the Australian economy in 2005/06. Casinos generated $9.4 billion in industry sales, and provided $2.5 billion in salaries and wages to Australian households by creating more than 46,000 full- and part-time jobs.
The overall total casino revenue totalled $3.61 billion in 2005/06, an increase of 4.8% from the previous year. Gaming revenue remains the largest contributor to overall revenue at an estimated $3.6 billion.
Tagged in: Australia, Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific
