How Sports Betting Came to Be in Australia

The history of sports betting in Australia is quite extensive, given its two centuries of existence within the country. However, it was not until the second half of the 20th century that it manifested and transformed into what it is today, and Australian bookmarkers online now give gamblers the opportunity to place their bets anytime and anywhere.

But before we get to what’s happening today, let’s first take a look at the history of gambling in Australia. Gambling began at around 1809, with the first race meet organized in New South Wales. This was the main form of gambling in the country, as it lasted well over 50 years after its debut, and the first Melbourne Cup run was held in Victoria in 1861.

At the turn of the 20th century, lotteries were introduced by the Australian government, giving people more alternatives to gambling besides racing. But with the coming of the Second World War, gambling in Australia was temporarily restricted, but this only lasted for three years. Poker machines were then introduced in 1955, and the first casino was finally opened in Tasmania in 1972.

In the 1970’s, casino gambling began to reign supreme as a gambling form, as new gaming machines were slowly being introduced into the market. Instant lotteries soon popped up, first in South Australia, then in New South Wales and again reintroduced in Tasmania.

Sports betting finally gained a huge following in Australia in 1994, where it was introduced all over the country almost simultaneously. Yes, the 90’s was a great time for sports betting, and its popularity only grew with the advent of new technology –which ultimately paved the way for online sports betting today.

So now that you know about how sports betting came to be in Australia, why don’t you try it out for yourself? It’s really fun once you get into it.