Between the 1970s and 1990s, the number of casinos in Australia increased, which helped the Australian economy. This is because the casino industry is one of the highly taxed sectors as well as a popular tourist destination in Australia. The casino industry can increase employment when it requires additional infrastructure and public services. Casinos have a positive economic contribution as they attract large numbers of tourists who travel to Australia for the purpose of gambling. On the other hand, casinos have a negative social impact as studies have shown that the casino industry can cause a number of problems such as health and family problems. Australia has limited the number of casinos to be developed as studies have shown that as gambling becomes convenient, there will be an increase in incidence rates of problem and compulsive gambling. According to the National Opinion Research Center, $5 billion a year would be spent on problem and compulsive gamblers. Accordingly, this essay will use various articles, reports and websites to critically analyze the positive economic contributions and negative social and economic impacts resulting from the presence of the casino industry in Australia. Casinos are seen as a potential tourist destination in Australia. . Tourists are willing to travel to other destinations to gamble as gambling is seen as novel entertainment compared to other entertainment such as cinema and sports (Novak & Allsop 2009). Statistics over the period 2006-2008 showed an increase in tourists traveling to Australia for the purpose of gambling. An increase in tourists traveling to Australia would benefit the Australian economy as it will generate more revenue. According to…half of the paper…the scope of gambling increased because people viewed gambling as entertainment for novelists compared to other entertainment. The increase in tourists to Australia has helped the economy due to the revenue generated by tourists. However, casinos have a negative social and economic impact in Australia. Compulsive gamblers and those affected by compulsive gamblers would suffer similar severe consequences from the casino industry. The increase in the number of casinos is the cause of gambling problems as it has made it more convenient for people to gamble. Casinos can cause significant depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and other problems. The social costs for problem gamblers amounted to approximately $48-150 million. Therefore, casinos can be considered to have a positive or negative impact in Australia.