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Russians have always been considered very gambling and risky people. This is confirmed by the well-known proverb: “What Russian doesn’t like a fast ride?” However, as it turned out in large-scale studies and surveys, in the world ranking of the most reckless gamblers, our countrymen are not leaders. So what nations have turned out to be the most gamblers in the world?
Gambling industry experts regularly conduct research on the topic of gambling in different countries. They are interested in both economic and social aspects related to gambling. The study of online casinos and virtual gambling has recently become particularly relevant. Recently British sociologists have summarized the scattered data on players from around the world and called the most gambling nations of the planet.
So, the leaders of the ranking were quite unexpectedly not wealthy Europeans and Americans, not “hot” residents of Latin America. The most gamblers – Australians! It turns out that on the Green Continent is very popular state lotteries and slot machines, only in South Wales (one of the six states of the state) has more than 100 thousand slot machines.
Gambling in Australia is not prohibited by law, the position of the authorities is that the problems in this area is better to solve not prohibitions, and strict control of gambling establishments. As a result, there are several dozen casinos on the territory of the state, where locals and tourists can play for money. Recently, Internet casinos have become increasingly popular among the population, because playing gambling online is convenient and comfortable. The average Australian spends about $1,300 a year on the game.
The inhabitants of Singapore have not gone far from Australians. Experts estimate that the average citizen of this small state spends $ 1.17 thousand dollars a year on gambling. Moreover, the popularity of gambling here is growing rapidly. Legalize gambling, casinos and betting offices, the local authorities have decided just a few years ago, since then the budget receives an annual decent income from the gambling industry. Only in 2011 they exceeded $6 billion! There are several fixed casinos and floating gambling establishments in Singapore – no wonder that the country has become one of the favorite destinations for tourists wishing to combine recreation and gambling.
Ireland is at the bottom of the three leading countries. Here the expenses per citizen for gambling are about 590 dollars a year, only according to official data gamblers are recognized more than 2% of the population. And this despite the fact that formally both casinos and slot machines are banned in the country. Irish people have found a convenient way – to play gambling online. The country’s authorities for more than a year have been discussing bills to regulate this area, but so far the rules adopted in the middle of the last century are still in force. They apply only to lotteries and slot machines. The rest of the games for money remain virtually uncontrolled, which the players take advantage of.
Canadians are very gamblers, their average spending on gambling is about 570 dollars a year. Much of this money goes to online casino games; almost 75% of Canadians prefer to play online gambling and lotteries. By the way, lottery tickets are one of the most popular birthday or Christmas gifts here.
Among Europeans the most gamblers were Finns, who annually spend on online gambling, lotteries and casinos at an average of 550 dollars a year. Almost half of Finnish citizens consider gambling for money the best pastime, while about 40% say they prefer gambling to any other activity. Slot machines, roulette, poker and other games for money are not forbidden in Finland, but strictly controlled by the state. The state company Raha-automaattiyhdistys (RAY) has an exclusive right to install slot machines and organize gambling. By the way, it has recently started building a new casino near the border with Russia. It is assumed that not only locals but also a large number of Russian tourists will play there.
In addition to these leaders, the top ten most gambling countries are Italy (an average of 517 dollars a year for gambling), China (a little over $ 500), Norway (about 448 dollars), Greece (425 dollars) and Spain (not more than 415 dollars a year). Russians on the list of the world’s most gambling nations are not included yet. However, our country is characterized by global trends in gambling. The most popular games are lotteries and sports betting. More and more fans of gambling prefer to play online, here they choose poker, instant lotteries, and in online casinos the most popular are slot machines.
