Critics pay out on PM for ‘cowardly’ gambling reforms

Anthony Albanese insists his government’s anti-gambling reforms will make a “meaningful difference” to stop Australians becoming the world’s biggest gambling losers.

But independent MPs and harm reduction advocates described the long-awaited changes as uninspiring and beholden to the gambling lobby.

The government has chosen not to introduce a national gambling regulation, a key recommendation of the 2023 parliamentary inquiry into the harm of gambling.

That review, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, finally received an official response on Tuesday, 1,000 days after it was made public.

ACT Senator David Pocock led the condemnation of the government’s response, saying it failed to deliver on 31 recommendations and was “both cowardly and disrespectful”.

“They’re cowardly because they’re not willing to come forward in a day when journalists are under budget constraints… and they’re disrespectful because they won’t even respond to these 31 recommendations,” he said.

“Tragically, we have a prime minister who is completely taken over by vested interests when it comes to gambling, and we are not seeing any action from them.”

Australians lost more than $32 billion to legal gambling in 2023/24, a Queensland study found; This left Australians leading the world with an average loss of $1521 per adult per year.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies estimates that one in seven adults has been harmed by or is at risk of gambling.

To combat these problems, the government imposes a three-hour limit on gambling advertising on television and all advertising is banned during matches.

Radio advertising will be banned during school hours, as will all gambling advertising in stadiums, including cross-promotional content and playing sets.

Online advertising will be restricted to verified users over 18, while keno-like “pocket slot” apps will be banned and blocks will be placed on offshore gaming sites.

The government has committed to making match-fixing a new criminal offence, following similar laws created at the state level.

The Prime Minister told parliament that the changes, foreshadowed at a meeting at the National Press Club in April, struck the balance between allowing adults to gamble and protecting young people.

“They will make a meaningful difference” when the changes come into force from January, Mr Albanese said.

Others disagreed, with Hobart-based MP Andrew Wilkie calling the response “appalling” and WA independent Kate Chaney calling it “pathetic”.

“Partial bans don’t work, they just give away money,” he said.

Ms Chaney said this week the example of Ladbrokes and Neds had brought to light a failing regulatory environment.

One Australian Communications and Media Authority investigation It cited “more than 500 breaches of national self-exclusion rules” by parent company Entain.

The regulator found that Entain opened accounts for registered gamblers, allowed bets and did not close the accounts, and continued to send them messages and emails encouraging them to place bets.

“When people register to self-export, there should be no way for them to open new accounts for betting services licensed in Australia,” the authority’s Carolyn Lidgerwood said.

Entain acknowledged the mistake and said he needed to fix the mistakes, but Ms Chaney said the lack of fines or penalties showed the need for a “featured national gambling regulator”.

Wagering Australia, the responsible body that represents gambling companies, said more time was needed to implement the changes.

“These are major and costly reforms that require significant operational changes and betting, racing, sports, broadcasters and online platforms urgently need clarity ahead of the 1 January 2027 start date,” Chief Executive Kai Cantwell said.

Mr Cantwell said “over-regulation” risked Australians taking their gambling to “illegal offshore sites with no consumer protection, no safeguards and no contribution to Australian sport, racing or taxpayers”.

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