Gambling Services

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    Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

    OVERVIEW
    The collection of statistics for the gambling industry is planned to be undertaken three yearly (in 1994/95 and 2000/01 Gambling Industries form part of the Sport, Recreation and Gambling Survey). The collection is a survey of employing businesses in the Australian and New Zealand Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) Classes 5720-Pubs, Taverns and Bars, 5740-Clubs (Hospitality), 9321-Gambling Services, 9322-Casinos and 9329-Gambling Services nec. The unit for which statistics were reported was the management unit.

    PURPOSE
    In 1994-95, the gambling industries surveys were conducted in conjunction with sports industries surveys, because of the perceived view of some businesses being in both industries. The resultant user demand for gambling industies' data was far stronger than that for sports industries. The changing structure of the gambling industries in Australia has meant that users require more regular statistics. In particular, the introduction and consequent growth in consumer spending on gaming machines in all States except Western Australia, will show a different industry structure in 1997-98 compared to 1994-95. In 1994-95, gaming machines in pubs and clubs in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania was at an embryonic stage.

    During the development process meetings were held with National and State Associations for hotels and clubs, State Government Treasuries and Gaming Authorities. All these organisations expressed a strong interest in better understanding the structure of the industries in terms of employment and financial contribution. This demand is despite the availability of some data on Australian gambling turnover, compiled and released annually by the Tasmanian Gaming Commission.

    An important component to the ABS gambling industries surveys are data differentiating between pubs and clubs which have gambling facilities and those without gambling facilities. Such data is not available from other sources.

    SCOPE
    The collection included businesses classified to the Australian and New Zealand Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) Classes 5720-Pubs, Taverns and Bars, 5740-Clubs (Hospitality), 9321-Gambling Services, 9322-Casinos and 9329-Gambling Services nec.

    DATA DETAIL

    Conceptual framework
    The series of publications that are derived from this collection provide key financial statistics and some activity data for the gambling industry as defined by the above set of ANZSIC classes. The data items are consistent with the Economic Activity Survey (EAS) requirements.

    The statistics are also consistent with National Accounts requirements and enable the derivation of industry gross product.

    The Gambling Industries Survey, Australia, 1997-98 presents two statistical views, namely an industry view and an activity view.

    Industry view
    The gambling industry view contains estimates for businesses classified to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) group 932 Gambling Services.

    A separate stream of industry data is also produced for businesses classified to ANZSIC 5720 (Pubs, taverns and bars) and 5740 (Hospitality clubs)

    Activity View
    The gambling activity view contains estimates for all businesses in scope of the survey. That is, businesses classified to the Gambling Services ANZSICs as well as the hospitality clubs and pubs.

    Main outputs
    The collection includes:

    • an income breakdown of the various types of gambling
    • a detailed breakdown of employment data; full-time/part-time but particularly by occupation.
      gambling activity data on:
      • number of poker/gaming machines and the type of premises in which they operate,
      • club membership to produce sizing data on this basis,
      • extent of Internet usage for gambling.
    • State data

    Statistical output

    Commensurate with the objectives of the survey, 3 separate publications were produced.

    1. Gambling Industries. Showing estimates of gambling activity in Australia for 1997-98 and its changes since 1994-95. The publication shows income and expense profiles of businesses in the gambling services industry (ANZSIC Group 932).

    2. Clubs, Pubs, Taverns and Bars. Showing detailed structural data of the units classified to ANZSIC 5720 (Pubs, Taverns and Bars) and 5740 (Clubs - Hospitality) with particular data dissections for units with and without gambling facilities and comparative changes to 1994-95.

    3. Casinos. The casino survey is conducted annually and with only 14 units in-scope, the publication can be released earlier to indicate the changing size and structure of the casino industry in Australia.

    This same output structure occurred for the 1994-95 gambling industry survey.

    The three publications contain broadly the same core tables with some Class specific tables. The core tables include:
    • sources of income
    • items of expenditure
    • characteristics of employment
    • main occupation of persons employed
    • selected statistics by employment size groupings
    • selected performance ratios

    The industry specific tables include:

    Gambling industries
    • Net and gross takings from gambling by type of gambling and location
    • Number of poker/gaming machines by industry of location and by state
    • Selected performance ratios for the lotteries and casinos industries
    • Number of poker/gaming machines by industry of location and by state

    Casinos
    • Casino specific performance ratios

    Clubs, Pubs, Taverns and Bars
    • Historical data for key data items
    • All main tables cross classified by business with and without gambling facilities
    • Number of gaming/poker machines and coin-operated amusement machines by state
    • Key data items by type of club


    The tables contains data at the Australia level with one state table showing:
    • number of businesses
    • employment
    • wages and salaries
    • gross income

    Classifications
    ANZSIC
    The Gambling Industry Survey collects data classified according the Australian and New Zealand Industrial Classification (ANZSIC). Businesses were selected on the basis of their ANZSIC at the management unit level. Where businesses are also engaged in activities not classified to the gambling industries (e.g. sales of takeaway food), the data for those activities are included as in income for those businesses.

    Businesses whose primary source of income is from activities other than gambling (e.g. income from sales of food) or other than the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on and/or off the premises or other than being mainly engaged in the provision of hospitality to members, are excluded from this survey.

    Data is available at the ANZSIC class level.

    Business Size
    The publication contains one table of data cross classified by employment size groupings:

    Gambling industries
    0-4 persons
    5-19 persons
    20-49 persons
    50 or more persons

    Pubs, taverns and bars, and clubs (hospitality) industries
    0-19 persons
    20-99 persons
    100 or more persons

    Other concepts (summary)
    Net/gross takings from gambling
    Takings from gambling in the Gambling Industries, Australia publication, are shown on a net and gross basis. There are three data items that are shown as net figures only i.e. payouts (winnings paid to players) have been netted out:

    • takings from poker/gaming machines
    • takings from casino keno; and
    • takings from other casino gambling.

    Gross takings for these industries are not available. All other takings from gambling are shown on a gross and net basis.

    GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
    1. National & State/Territory\1.01 Australia
    1. National & State/Territory\1.02 All States & Territories

    Comments and/or Other Regions
    Not applicable

    COLLECTION FREQUENCY
    3 Yearly

    Frequency comments
    Conducted in 1994/95 and 2000/01 as part of Sport, Recreation and Gambling Survey.

    COLLECTION HISTORY
    The gambling ANZSIC classes have been surveyed as part of the SIS work program only once previously (i.e. in respect of the 1994-95 financial year as part of the Sport, Recreation and Gambling survey). The pubs, taverns and bars class and the clubs class were previously surveyed with respect to 1994-95, 1991-92, 1986-87, and 1979-80.

    DATA AVAILABILITY
    Yes

    Data availability comments
    Data available from publication: Gambling Industries, Australia (cat. no. 8684.0)


    DATE OF LAST UPDATE FOR THIS DOCUMENT
    06/03/2003 09:42 AM