Audience members, attendees, customers, guests, "the public." Slightly derogatory term invented by the Brits. No clear idea of origin, although one theory suggests it's potentially rooted in cockney rhyming slang (punters + munters (colloquial term for ugly people) = punters). The public of Shakespearean England were known for their dirt and ugliness.
Wikipedia Defines it as
The most common use of punter is probably the slang or colloquial use in both British and Australian English meaning a paying guest or customer. More specialized usages include: in Britain (primarily in London and Essex), a punter may be the patron of a brothel; in Britain and Australia, a punter may be a gambler, particularly an amateur betting on horse racing or a player in the game of Baccarat, or a beginner skier or snowboarder, especially one with particularly bad style. In all these senses there may be an implication that the punter is going to pay more than he needs to.
In Hindi, punter also means a dude, as in "Punter hai re ekdum", meaning "He is a cool dude".
Wikipedia Defines it as
The most common use of punter is probably the slang or colloquial use in both British and Australian English meaning a paying guest or customer. More specialized usages include: in Britain (primarily in London and Essex), a punter may be the patron of a brothel; in Britain and Australia, a punter may be a gambler, particularly an amateur betting on horse racing or a player in the game of Baccarat, or a beginner skier or snowboarder, especially one with particularly bad style. In all these senses there may be an implication that the punter is going to pay more than he needs to.
In Hindi, punter also means a dude, as in "Punter hai re ekdum", meaning "He is a cool dude".