More young men than ever are gambling, but not to win

Australians spend an eye-watering $30 billion each year on gambling. We are, comfortably, the world's most profligate punters.

It is a challenging figure to quantify, but observing the front bar of your local pub can help to understand who, and where, that 10-figure sum comes from.

As the AFL and NRL finals played out, venues across the country were packed to the brim, most in attendance in varying stages of desperation for their team to score.

While all were focused on the game, most kept one eye on their phones, hoping one or more legs on a bet had come off.

While winning money would seem like the obvious goal, it is increasingly no longer the only one.

Win or lose, having a bet on is increasingly part of the social life of thousands of men across the country.

The ABC visited a pub in Bunbury, WA's largest regional city, during the recent finals series, where almost every table of men had a bet on.

Roy, who was having a casual Thursday night drink with his friend, had two multi-bets on, despite not supporting either team.

Across the room, sitting together at a small table, eyes darting between the 90-inch screen on the wall and the smaller one in their hands, Adam and Dylan spoke about how gambling applications on their phones had impacted their habits.

Dylan said inducements from his application of choice, Sportsbet, were frequent.

"Sportsbet loves me … I don't get any messages aside from them," he said.

Tanika said that while she did not bet, it was something that surrounded her.

"A lot of my friends gamble … my brother and my dad do it as well,” she said

"I think it's just like one of those things, like the social, the footy club, everyone's doing it."