It's time to stop pitching ads for online gambling (23 July 2024)
Article summary: Australia's gambling losses reach a staggering $25bn annually, with the highest per capita online gambling spend globally. Most Australians now gamble online, exacerbating issues like broken families, child hunger, and homelessness. St Vincent de Paul Society volunteers witness these impacts firsthand, noting a 40% rise in calls for assistance in Tasmania over the past year due to the cost-of-living crisis.
A 2022 report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies found 68% of regular online gamblers at risk of harm, especially those aged 18-34. The Alliance for Gambling Reform has called for government action on its report, "You win some, you lose more: Online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm," which highlights the severe consequences of online gambling. Despite receiving 161 submissions and conducting extensive hearings, the federal government and opposition have yet to respond, likely due to industry pressure.
Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie criticises the normalisation of gambling through pervasive advertising, especially targeting children. Research shows two-in-three children can name a sports betting company. Wilkie, along with other MPs including Kate Chaney, calls for action on the report’s 31 recommendations, central to which is a national strategy for reducing online gambling harm and ending gambling advertisements during sports events.
The report emphasises the unique dangers of online gambling, linking it to psychological, health, relationship, legal, and financial harm, and notes its role as a risk factor for suicide. MPs like Rebekha Sharkie argue the issue lies with the harmful product, not the individuals, framing it as a public health issue.
Kate Chaney, along with other independent MPs, supports the Alliance's stance against the harmful effects of online gambling and advocates for an end to its widespread advertising, which normalises gambling culture and endangers vulnerable populations.
