Scratchies Still More Popular than Pokies
Aussies spend average of $100 on lotto tickets each year.Playing the lottery remains the most popular form of entertainment among Australians. This was shown in a recent report by Roy Morgan, entitled Gambling Currency Report. Numbers show that 10.6 million Australian adults gambled in the 12 months leading up to June 2024, and these included 44.8% (8.6 million) who purchased lottery ticket or scratchies.
While pokies, sports betting, keno and casino table games are popular among Australians, playing the lottery is still the preferred form of gambling for local players.
The Roy Morgan report came after a single source survey was conducted by the group, targeting 50,000 Australians in the 12 months. The survey also included in-depth interviews with people who had gambled in the past three months.
Breakdown of Lottery Buying Habits
In the 12 month period covered by the Roy Morgan survey, 7.7 million Australians purchased lottery tickets, including Monday/Wednesday/Saturday Lotto tickets, Powerball, Oz Lotto or other tickets. These numbers showed a slight decline from the 7.9 million recorded three years ago.
The total numbers were impacted by a drop in the number of Australians buying the Monday/Wednesday/Saturday Lotto tickets, while fewer people were also buying Powerball tickets.
On the other hand, lottery fans are buying more Oz Lotto tickets compared to three years ago, while the category Other Lottery tickets (incorporating Lotto Strike, Pools, Keno, Supper 66 and Cash 3) also showed a growth in numbers.
The number of Australians who buy scratchies also dropped slightly (0.2 million) to 3 million people in the 12 month period.
Hopes of Hitting Lottery Jackpot
Naturally, the key attraction of buying lotto tickets is the desire to win the giant weekly jackpots that are up for grabs.
According to the CEO of Roy Morgan, Michele Levine: "Clearly one of the biggest drivers on lottery tickets is the prospect of huge jackpots of up to $100 million or more as seen recently for both OzLotto and Powerball."
"The prospect of a life-changing lotto win is massively enhanced and attracts Australians in droves in search of a lucky ticket," she said. "And judging by the analysis it is Australians over 5 years of age who seem to think they might be luckier than their younger peers!"