The government has finally filed its formal response to the gambling inquiry chaired by the late MP Peta Murphy. But their response has drawn sharp criticism from advocates, who say it was dropped the day of the federal Budget - and that it doesn't go far enough.
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TRANSCRIPT
In 2025, a man gave an interview to SBS Arabic on the harm gambling had brought to his life.
"I couldn't. I didn't stop because when I see in my pocket, maybe $10, $20, $30, I go to play. I go to play and I lose it and I come back very upset. Many, many times. Many times. Always, always when I go to club, when I come back, I said, oh, this is the last time I am going because I don't want to lose my money straight away. I go, next time when I have more money. Sorry this is a problem.. this is my problem."
He is not alone.
A population gambling and health study in Victoria from 2023 suggested around one percent of the population - or roughly 200,000 people - had serious gambling issues.
In the 2024 New South Wales gambling survey, one in five respondents - 21 percent - experienced harm, either through their own behaviour or someone else's.
Martin Thomas is the Chief Executive of the Alliance for Gambling Reform.
"There are bankruptcies. There are business collapses. Marriage breakup. Even the Prime Minister's own taskforce on domestic violence suggested a full ban on gambling ads because it was fuelling or adding to domestic violence."
The issue of problem gambling was championed by the late Labor M-P Peta Murphy, which led her to eventually chair an inquiry into the issue.
This is her, speaking in 2023.
"Our report is called You Win Some, You Lose More. We felt that it was also an apt description of the evidence we received over this inquiry which has been going since September of last year. Australians unfortunately are world record holders when it comes to gambling. We bet more than any other country in the world. We lose $25 billion per year on gambling in Australia."
More than three years after that report was completed, and the federal government has finally tabled its own formal response.
In it, Anthony Albanese has confirmed his government intends to table laws to limit gambling ads across various forms of media, including on online platforms unless users have been verified to be over the age of 18.
He's previously announced those changes at a National Press Club address in April, arguing it will limit children's exposure to harmful messaging.
"We are getting the balance right. Letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure that our children don't see betting ads everywhere they look, because we don't want kids growing up thinking that footy and gambling are inextricably linked."
The federal budget itself has also identified specific measures.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says $39 million has been set aside over the next four years to improve the availability and reach of financial counselling services, while $28.7 million dollars will be spent on BetStop, in part to strengthen data matching systems.
The government plans to spend $22.4 million to develop a national online awareness campaign to encourage people affected by gambling harms to seek support.
But advocates are far from satisfied.
Independent Senator David Pocock argues the measures don't go far enough - and that their formal release on the day of the federal budget was curious timing.
"Cowardly because they are not willing to actually just front up on a day when journalists aren't literally in budget lock-up. To most Australians, that means they have no phones on them; they are locked up for the whole day with the budget papers. They are not able to report on things. That's the day the government has decided to say to Australians, we had 31 recommendations to say gambling is a public health issue. This is how you address it."
Responsible Wagering Australia, the organisation representing gambling companies, is hopeful the legislative process will give them a chance to consult with government on the changes, due to take effect in January.
Chief executive Kai Cantwell has said the $6 billion industry considers the changes a kick in the guts.
Mr Cantwell argues that overregulation could encourage Australians to take their gambling to illegal offshore sites with no consumer protections, no safeguards, and no contribution to Australia.
Martin Thomas however says there are already clearly significant weaknesses in online restrictions, and the enforcement of the rules we currently have.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority investigation, for example, showed more than 500 breaches of national self-exclusion rules by parent company Entain.
"There's no ban on inducements. So currently when you are gambling, even if you want to stop, you'll be sent thousands of dollars in free bets and they will do everything they can to keep you betting. Particularly if you are losing; they will do everything they can to keep you losing. And there is no national regulator - which we sorely sorely need in Australia, because at the moment most of these big foreign-owned agencies are effectively regulated by the Northern Territory, which doesn't take it seriously and has really become a very poor de facto national regulator."
