Category Archives: Gambling

Gambling companies gifted hospitality to 19 Australian politicians for major sports events

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Alliance for Gambling Reform labels gifts an ‘undemocratic opportunity for lobbying’ but MPs defend hospitality as within rules and properly disclosed

Gambling reform campaigners have accused wagering companies of “showering” federal politicians with hospitality as the government considers advertising restrictions, with new data showing betting groups have given numerous free tickets to MPs.

New analysis from the Alliance for Gambling Reform, informed by a new database collecting all federal politicians’ updates to their parliamentary register of interests, shows at least 19 have accepted hospitality from wagering companies to attend major events including the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open, AFL matches and cricket games.

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Calls for regulation of gambling ads in football as number of promotions soars

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Premier League fans exposed to almost 30,000 messages in one weekend despite restrictions, research finds

Ministers have been urged to intervene to stop football clubs from setting their own rules on curbing gambling advertising, after research showed Premier League fans were bombarded with nearly 30,000 gambling messages on a single weekend.

Clubs in the top flight have so far avoided compulsory restrictions on gambling sponsorship, instead addressing public concern through voluntary measures such as a ban on front-of-shirt logos, starting in 2026.

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Gambling lobby pushes Labor to consider age verification to block minors from betting

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Meanwhile anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello fears Albanese government will ‘squib’ on broad reform

Opponents of a gambling ad ban are pushing the federal government to instead consider using age verification to block minors from sports betting content.

Earlier this month the government announced plans to ban young children from accessing social media using age verification technology.

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Gambling firm appears to trivialise Lebanon pager blasts in social media post

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London-listed Evoke, which owns William Hill, apologises for post on Israeli Facebook page linking to job ads

The gambling company that owns the William Hill, 888 and Mr Green brands has apologised after one of its social media accounts appeared to make light of the pager explosions in Lebanon that killed 12 people and injured thousands.

The explosions on Tuesday were followed by walkie-talkies exploding on Wednesday, killing another 20 people.

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Labor push for vote on help-to-buy bill delayed in Senate – as it happened

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White House marks three years since signing of Aukus agreement

Happy three-year anniversary of the signing of Aukus, to those who observe.

Three years ago, President Biden and our Australian and United Kingdom partners committed to Aukus, an enhanced security partnership that promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.

As this partnership has grown, it has strengthened the security of our allies in the region as well as our own security here at home. Over the past three years, our countries have made significant strides in supporting Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability.

That is bad news for Australian solar homes.

To create space for inflexible nuclear power plants ramming energy into the grid, millions of household solar systems will be the first casualty.

Solar power is already being switched off in South Australia when it makes so much free power available that it exceeds electricity demand.

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Sky Betting & Gaming reprimanded for unlawfully sharing users’ personal data

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ICO says online gambling company passed customers’ information to advertising technology companies

The online gambling company Sky Betting & Gaming has been reprimanded by the data regulator for unlawfully sharing customers’ information with advertising companies that could then target those users with personalised marketing.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it had investigated Bonne Terre Ltd, trading as Sky Betting & Gaming, after a complaint by the campaign group Clean Up Gambling.

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Calls grow for total ban on gambling ads as Australia’s annual losses surge to $32bn

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Exclusive: On a per capita basis, ACT residents posted the heaviest gambling losses and Western Australia the least, according to new data

Australia’s gambling losses have surged from $25.6bn annually pre-Covid to $32bn in 2022-23, according to new data from the Queensland government.

The data, released on Tuesday, revealed Australians are now losing $1,555 per capita, up from $1,395 in 2021-22.

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National RSL head backs call to stop veterans charity name being used on pokies venues

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Exclusive: Concerns venues ‘don’t share values’ as debate continues over whether poker machines belong in RSL clubs at all

The national head of the Returned and Services League of Australia has backed a push to stop licensed clubs from using the RSL letters in their names amid internal division over whether poker machines should be phased out of the venues altogether.

The RSL president, Greg Melick, said the veterans’ charity was concerned its name was being used by “organisations that don’t share our values” and that licensed clubs should have to ask for permission before using it.

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Key gambling harm advocate ‘saddened’ by Albanese’s statements on betting ads

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Tim Costello says the prime minister has ‘mindlessly’ followed gambling industry’s attempts to present him as a prohibitionist

Tim Costello has rejected Anthony Albanese’s suggestion he wants gambling banned and accused the prime minister of “mindlessly” repeating industry attack lines to justify a partial gambling ad ban.

On Thursday Costello, the chief advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, said he was “very disappointed” at Albanese. Costello insisted in 30 years of advocacy he has “never been a prohibitionist”.

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NSW’s cashless gaming trial has just 32 participants as one in two venues drop out

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Gaming minister insists trial providing ‘a really good picture’, despite low takeup

More than $8bn is funnelled into NSW’s 85,000 poker machines each year, casting doubt on the insight to be gained from a cashless gaming trial involving 32 participants.

The tiny number of players involved in the state’s signature gaming pilot was revealed on Friday, along with news that one in every two venues have tapped out since March.

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Albanese to propose ‘substantial funding uplift’ for family violence services at national cabinet

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PM says plan to end family domestic and sexual violence in a generation will require an ‘all-hands-on-deck approach’ but funding questions remain

Anthony Albanese will propose a “substantial package” at national cabinet to fund frontline services for those fleeing family and domestic violence, including accommodation and legal help.

The package responds to recommendations of the rapid review of prevention approaches, which called for a “significant funding uplift” in certain frontline areas.

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Anti-gambling ads to ‘swarm’ key Labor seats during footy finals season

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Exclusive: Alliance for Gambling Reform to ramp up pressure on Albanese government to impose a full gambling ad ban

Three key Labor seats won at the last election will be targeted by a “swarm” campaign of anti-gambling ads during footy finals season.

The ads, organised by the Alliance for Gambling Reform, will run in the Parramatta, Bennelong and Gilmore electorates in an attempt to pressure the government into a full gambling ad ban.

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Call for action to address gambling harm as report finds Australians lose average of $1,600 a year

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Grattan Institute says losses in Australia are double those in the US, and poker machines are more common in Australian suburbs than ATMs

Australians lose almost twice as much from gambling as people in the US, and poker machines – the biggest single source of losses – are more common in the nation’s suburbs than public toilets, ATMs and post boxes, a new report has found.

The Grattan Institute report – A better bet: How Australia should prevent gambling harm – concludes that to limit the damage from gambling, the government needs to not only ban gambling ads but introduce a mandatory pre-commitment loss limit for online gambling and poker machines.

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US gambling sector’s ‘relentless’ social media posts breached own rules, study claims

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Exclusive: University of Bristol academics say gambling industry code ‘not being followed’ after analysis of social media posts by leading firms

As gambling companies target social media users, the four leading online brands appear to be routinely breaching the industry’s self-imposed marketing regulations, according to a new study.

Over one week this summer, academics at the University of Bristol found that BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel published more than a thousand posts – 75% of their non-sponsored content on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok – that did not include problem gambling support messages or a helpline number.

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Gambling reform advocates dismayed as Albanese government defers action on national regulator

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Tim Costello says ‘I never thought I would see in my lifetime John Howard to the left of Anthony Albanese on an issue’

Gambling reform advocates have blasted the Albanese government for ruling out a national gambling regulator and pushing ahead with a partial TV ad ban only.

The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, said on Sunday that the recommendation for a national regulator “would involve states and territories handing over their powers to the commonwealth”, confirming that “at this point, that is not in the discussions”.

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Dangerous play: how online gaming purchases led an Australian youth into a secret gambling addiction

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Matthew’s* father had no idea his son was even gambling, let alone deep in debt, until he got a terrifying phone call

Vincent* didn’t know his 20-year-old son Matthew* was gambling until he took a phone call from him as he stood on a cliff’s edge after racking up thousands of dollars of debt.

Matthew was crying and revealed a gambling problem which had begun years earlier with online gaming, causing increasing debt. Matthew had opened up to another family member earlier that evening, who made him feel more ashamed, calling him an idiot.

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Bridget Archer and Fatima Payman sign letter pushing for total ban on gambling ads as independent MPs urge free vote

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More than 20 parliamentarians – including Jacqui Lambie and Lidia Thorpe – sign letter calling for blanket ban

Some 21 parliamentarians including Liberal MP Bridget Archer and former Labor senator Fatima Payman have joined a push for the government to ban all gambling ads, as independent MPs push for a free vote on a total ban.

The first letter is signed by a group of Greens, the teal MPs and other lower house independents, senators Jacqui Lambie, David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe. It calls for a “blanket ban on advertisements for online gambling”.

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Gambling levy proposed to help wean Australian media companies off betting ad addiction

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Australia Institute says 2% levy on gambling companies’ revenue would compensate for the loss of $240m in advertising spend

A 2% levy on gambling companies’ revenue would help compensate for the $240m in advertising income that media companies would lose if the Albanese government adopted a total ban.

That is the conclusion of the progressive thinktank the Australia Institute, which will lobby along with the Greens for the levy as part of a broader push for a total ad ban, as recommended by the bipartisan Murphy inquiry, instead of Labor’s proposal for caps during general TV programming.

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Australia politics live: Michael Sukkar ejected from question time as Coalition and Greens attack Labor over housing

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Pocock: no evidence that gambling companies are good faith actors

There is the possibility that the Coalition will support Labor’s capped advertising plan (as it exists at the moment – the legislation has not been presented and is yet to go through cabinet) which would mean the crossbench and the Greens would not have any negotiating power (Labor and the Coalition in the senate is enough votes).

I’ll be supporting what the Murphy review recommended, which was a full ban phased in over three years.

That has the broad support of the parliament, and is what I’m hearing from people I represent here in the ACT [is] they are sick and tired of seeing gambling ads every time they try and watch something with their kids …

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Free-to-air TV in ‘diabolical trouble’ and needs gambling ads to stay afloat, Bill Shorten says

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Labor minister tells ABC’s Q+A that he is ‘not convinced that complete prohibition works’

Free-to-air TV broadcasters are in “diabolical trouble” and many need gambling ad revenue to stay afloat, Bill Shorten has said while arguing against a total prohibition of gambling advertising on television.

On Monday evening, the government services minister laid bare the rationale for Labor proposing to cap gambling ads during general TV broadcasting, a position short of a total ban that has angered health advocates, the cross-bench and its own backbench MPs.

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