Although gambling is illegal in some places, most countries allow their citizens to gamble in casinos or sportsbooks, whether online or land-based. But in some countries, gambling is one of the most popular leisure activities and part of national identity.
In this article, we are going to reflect on the top five countries that simply adore gambling and tell you something about each of them.
United Kingdom
Gambling in the UK is almost a tradition. The British love wagering on their favourite sports such as football, tennis, and horse racing, but they also love games of chance. According to the UKGC, punters lose over £15 billion on different types of gambling games every year.
As is the case in most modern countries, the largest amount of revenue in the UK comes from online casinos and the most popular games include bingo and video slots. Great Britain alone has around 9,000 legal betting shops and over 100,000 employees in the gambling industry.
Ireland
The Irish and the British have many similarities, but what these two nations have in common more than anything else is their passion for gambling.
Although Ireland has only around 5 million residents, the players from this small island country spend around £2 billion a year while gambling, meaning that the average person annually loses around £500 in casinos and bookies. The gambling laws of Ireland are very strict. However, since the regulations are outdated, most of them can not be enforced on players.
Because of this, Irish players are free to explore almost limitless possibilities of playing their favourite online casino games. A lot of them are even problem gamblers, which has forced the country to start enacting new laws and regulations.
Finland
It might sound a bit crazy, but the legal age for gambling in Finland used to be 15 until recently. That limit was raised to 18 in 2011, but that had little effect on the spendings of Finish punters.
Namely, some sources claim that over 40% of the population in Finland enjoys gambling at least once a week, while there is also a high number of those who visit gambling sites and land-based betting shops every day. An average gambler in Finland loses around £500 every year.
The citizens of Finland have an abundance of options when it comes to gambling, from the national lottery to offshore casino sites. You would find that most online casino platforms accept players from Finland, knowing how much they love to gamble.
Australia
Australia is one of the top gambling countries in the southern hemisphere. Aussies love betting on sports and their favourite games of chance include video slots or “pokies” as they call them. Not only are pokies seen in casinos, but they are also often placed in local pubs and restaurants. It is believed there are more than 100,000 of them across the country.
In South Wales alone, gamblers lose around £1000 annually, and these losses are steadily increasing every year.
Singapore
Gambling is still in its infancy in the city-state of Singapore. The first casinos were opened just a decade ago but Singapore quickly rose to become one of the largest gambling nations in the world during the last ten years.
The country is filled with luxurious casino resorts that draw the attention of many rich foreign visitors who love spending money on casino games. To protect the residents from the dangers of gambling, the government of Singapore imposed a high entrance fee for all locals who wish to enter gambling houses.