CANBERRA - Sports betting in Australia has surged, particularly among younger men, raising concerns over gambling harm, according to a study by the University of Melbourne.

Between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of men betting on sports jumped nearly 58 percent, with rates among men aged 18-44 increasing over 60 percent, showed the new data from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia Survey, which was funded by the Australian government and managed by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

In 2015, 5.9 percent of Australian men engaged in sports betting; by 2022, that number had risen to 9.3 percent, the survey said, adding among those who gamble, nearly a quarter now bet on sports, up from 14 percent in 2015.

READ MORE: Pandemic sends Australia's gambling problem online

Over the same period, self-reported monthly spending on sports betting increased from 85.95 Australian dollars to almost 110 Australian dollars, it said.

The rise in betting is linked to aggressive online advertising and the accessibility of betting apps, making gambling easier for younger audiences. In contrast, participation among older Australians remains significantly lower, with only 2.7 percent of those aged 65 and over betting on sports in 2022, compared to 14.9 percent of people aged 25-34.

The study highlighted a rise in gambling-related harm. Alarmingly, nearly one in five men aged 18-34 reported experiencing some level of gambling harm, said Ferdi Botha from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

High-risk gambling doesn't just impact the individual, it also affects the health and well-being of other people in the household, Botha said, adding self-reported gambling data tends to be underreported, meaning the real numbers are likely even higher.

READ MORE: South Australia to explore social media ban for children

The study stressed the importance of banning sports betting advertising to limit its exposure, especially among younger Australians.