A new report in The Economist evaluating the world’s betting markets found that Australians lost the most from gambling in 2016 per capita—$990 per resident adult—but as far as total gambling losses, the U.S. leads the world, with casinos winning a total of $117 billion in 2016.
“Despite Australia’s profitability, the high level of existing gambling penetration and relatively small population of 23 million make it a relatively mature market without much room for expansion,” said The Economist—but as far as the U.S., “the untapped potential is enormous: Americans wagered $150 billion illegally on sports alone last year, by one estimate.”
The challenge to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the American Gaming Association is leading an effort to have the law, which bans full sports betting in every state except Nevada, repealed. The latest reports on the world market are likely to aid in that effort.
Australia’s per-capita betting losses of $990 last year were double the average loss in other Western countries, and 40 percent higher than the runner-up, Singapore, according to the Economist report.
Gamblers from China, including the special administrative region (SAR) of Macau, meanwhile, reportedly lost $62.4 billion on gambling in 2016. Japan reportedly comes in at third at $24.1 billion for biggest loss by country.
