A third of Australian bets found to be placed by problem gamblers amid warning of ‘predatory’ industry (25 June 2024)
Article summary: The number of Australians betting on sport has doubled in the past five years, with a third of all betting expenditure attributed to problem gamblers, as revealed by new Roy Morgan polling. The survey of 16,000 Australians found that 15.5% had bet on sports in the 12 months leading up to March, with problem gamblers comprising nearly 20% of some sports betting companies' customer bases.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform released these findings to mark the first anniversary of a parliamentary report advocating for an online gambling ad ban. The group's interim chief executive, Martin Thomas, highlighted the predatory nature of the online gambling industry, which he said was targeting a new generation. He pointed out that over a million gambling ads had bombarded Australian screens last year, normalising betting and grooming young people to gamble.
Using the problem gambling severity index, Roy Morgan classified respondents into categories from no problem to problem gambling. The polling suggested that one in ten Australian sports bettors, approximately 337,000 people, are problem gamblers, contributing to 34% of total betting value. An additional 17% of bettors were classified as moderate risk.
Australians lose over $25 billion annually to gambling, the highest per capita in the world. A parliamentary committee led by the late Peta Murphy recommended banning online gambling ads across all media within three years. However, despite political leaders acknowledging the issue, no formal response has been issued to the report.
Kate Chaney, the independent MP for Curtin and a member of the Murphy inquiry, criticised the government for its inaction, stating that they have "sat on this report for 12 months." Chaney urged the government to display courage and confront the gambling companies, media, and sporting codes. Her sentiment was echoed by independent senator David Pocock and Labor MP Susan Templeman, both of whom stressed the need for the government to respond to the inquiry's findings and recommendations.
