Most money lost by a nation to gambling per capita

According to figures published in May 2017 by international gambling organization H2 Gambling Capital, the nation to lose the most money on average, per adult, to gambling is Australia. During 2016, the average Australian, aged 17 or over, lost US$1,052. Singapore was second, losing an average of $674, and Ireland was third, with $501.

"Australia was the first country to deregulate gambling," reported The Economist, "and it shows." Approximately 70% of Australians are believed to participate in some form of gambling – particular in the ubiquitous electronic poker machines or "pokies" – and the country's total annual gambling losses are estimated at somewhere in the region of US$18–19 billion.