According to news outlet the Sydney Morning Herald, Australians’ online gambling has increased 67 per cent during COVID-19.

The figures by analytics consultancy AlphaBeta and credit firm Illion, based on transactions of 250,000 Australian consumers, show the online gambling industry as one of the biggest winners of the shutdown, alongside services such as food delivery, up 63%, and online retail and subscription services, up 61%.

Gambling expert Dr Charles Livingstone says the rise could be down to new gamblers trying their luck online, or regular betters being forced to use online accounts.

“If that’s maintained throughout the year, or the next six months, we can look at expenditure around $2 billion additional in online gambling,” he said.

“Psychosocial stress is a key critical factor leading to a gambling habit and a gambling addiction.

“It’s difficult to imagine a slightly more stressful situation than we’ve got at the moment for many people.”