As Australia’s internet access remained at 99 percent at June 2025, 38 percent of adults took part in online gambling in the six months to June 2025, new data from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) shows.
The findings are published in the regulator’s ‘How we use the internet’ report, part of its Communications and media in Australia series. While the study broadly tracks national connectivity and online behaviour, it includes detailed insights into digital gambling participation alongside device usage and internet access trends.
Lotteries remained the most common online gambling activity. Among those who gambled online, 80 percent played lottery products, a proportion that has remained steady since 2019.
The data also highlights clear differences across demographics. Men were more likely than women to engage in sports betting, at 21 percent compared with 12 percent. The same gap appeared in racing, where 21 percent of men participated compared with 14 percent of women.
Location also influenced participation patterns. Australians living in regional areas were more likely than those in metropolitan areas to participate in betting on racing (21 percent compared with 14 percent).
The gambling participation figures sit within a broader picture of widespread digital access. As of June 2025, 99 percent of Australian adults had internet access at home, including through 4G or 5G networks. In the six months to June 2025, 99.7 percent used at least one device to access the internet, a level that has remained steady since 2020.
Additionally, 93 percent had a fixed or wireless home internet connection, with 80 percent connected via the National Broadband Network (NBN).
These figures point to a digital environment where access to online services, including wagering platforms, is almost universal.
Mobile phones remain the dominant access point to the internet. In 2025, 97 percent of adults used a mobile phone to go online, up from 95 percent in 2024. Among those using mobile phones for internet access, 91 percent did so multiple times a day.
Mobile adoption has also increased among older Australians. Usage among those aged 75 and over reached 88 percent in 2025, compared with 18 percent in 2017.
Internet access is no longer limited to a single device. Australians used an average of 4.1 different types of devices to go online in 2025, up from 3.7 in 2024. Forty percent reported using five or more devices, compared with 30 percent the previous year.
Smart TVs were used by 64 percent of adults, up from 61 percent in 2024, while laptop use remained steady at 73 percent.
Internet usage volumes also increased. In the three months to 31 December 2024, Australians downloaded 14.4 million terabytes of data across retail broadband and mobile services, up 4 percent from 13.8 million terabytes in the same quarter a year earlier.
Eighty percent of total data was downloaded via NBN services, while 16 percent was delivered through mobile networks. Downloads using mobile services rose by 15 percent compared with the June 2024 quarter, reaching 2.3 million terabytes.
Beyond gambling, the report shows that several online activities returned to levels last seen in 2023. Accessing news and information online increased to 94 percent, up from 91 percent in 2024. The use of apps to access government services rose to 75 percent, up from 71 percent. Video conferencing or calling also increased to 58 percent, up from 54 percent.
Overall internet usage remained stable, but certain digital activities showed renewed growth.
While the ACMA research does not examine gambling revenues or harm indicators, it confirms that 38 percent of Australian adults engaged in online gambling within a population where internet access stands at 99 percent and mobile internet use at 97 percent.
The findings are based on an ACMA-commissioned nationally representative tracking survey examining consumer take-up, views and attitudes toward communications and media services. Together, the data outlines a digital environment in which online gambling participation remains stable and internet access is almost universal.
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