1000 Days of Silence: Is Betting on Effective Government Action a Bad Bet?
After three years of silence on gambling reform, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the government would be implementing some of the recommendations outlined in the You Win Some You Lose More report. More commonly referred to as The Murphy Report.
Per capita Australia loses the most amount of money globally to gambling, with an estimated $32 billion lost annually. Placing Australia’s losses above that of major gambling hubs such as Las Vegas. Following the government’s latest announcement people are sceptical on how effective these new reforms will be. After all at every opportunity the government has deflected, citing difficulties of regulating reforms in this sector. While simultaneously receiving millions of dollars in donations from key gambling lobbies, even while consideration for reform was underway.
So it has many asking, will these reforms go far enough? Or is wishing for effective government action simply a bad bet?
The Impact of Inaction
Martin Thomas, CEO for Alliance for Gambling Reform said Australia’s gambling is nothing short of an “epidemic.” He paints a very stark picture saying, “the price of gambling costs more than power bills, per Australian household.” He calls on the government to fully implement the recommendations outlined in The Murphy Report, as it is a “comprehensive blueprint.”
He is gravely concerned with the rise of people under 18 who are gambling, and with the Australia Institute finding that 1 in 3 Australian teens have participated in some form of gambling these worries are not unfounded.
“This [online advertising] is breeding and grooming a whole new generation of gamblers.”
Anthony Napier is a young Australian who lives in rural New South Wales. He struggled with a gambling addiction between the age of 15 to 22. Growing up rural he says there were very few options for locals when it came to entertainment, and gambling was used as a form of socialisation.
“You’re either going to the river to fish, or you go to the pub to go gambling, and most people end up doing both.”
He said his first introduction to the gambling world was when he was 15 and a relative took him inside a poker room and asked him to “tap” on the machine for good luck. This resulted in an instant win of $50. It was these early wins that Anthony said kept him coming back.
“Even when I was in the deep end and I was losing money, I still felt like I could win because I had won before you know.”
Although gaming machines such as pokies are still the most popular form of gambling across Australia - with the exception being Western Australia and Tasmania, online wagering is continuing to steadily rise across every state and territory.
Australians lose billions of dollars to gambling across a wide range of formats, with New South Wales consistently losing the most over the last five years.
The Murphy Report found irrespective format, whether it is placing sports bets with friends or going out to the pokies, a lie is being sold to the Australian public. Marketing by gambling companies sells engagement with their product as a way to connect with each other. Martin says the rapid disclaimer at the end of engaging commercials does not adequately divulge the harms that gambling is causing to many Australians.
Dr Vincent Mancini is a Senior Research Fellow at the Kids Research Institute Australia and the University of Western Australia. His research focuses on how masculinity intersects with child development. With a specific focus on how sports gamblings and its associated technologies are part of the commercial determinants of health for young men.
When speaking about sports gambling he echoes the sentiments of both Anthony and the Murphy Report, identifying the social issues raised when gambling “provides” a feeling of connection or bonding over sports fandom.
“Gambling has become a way for fathers and sons, siblings or even friends to bond with each other and form a social network. It’s almost seen as a way to demonstrate that you actually love the sport.”
A Hidden Agenda?
Political donations and lobbying are popular ways for different industries to influence the decisions made at a political level, and gambling is no exception. Through the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) Transparency Register it was found that annually the three major gambling companies (Sportsbet, Tabcorp and The Lottery Corporation) consistently donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the major parties. However, what has some concerned is the subsequent rise of donations alongside rising gambling losses.
As Australia’s gambling losses rise, so do the subsequent rise in political donations from these same gambling companies.
It is the concurrent rise that worries high school Politics and English teacher Luke. He is concerned at the massive power these corporations wield when it comes to influencing the political decisions made. He is worried that there will not be real action taken by the government because of the bipartisan donations.
“It just feels like they’re doing enough to seem like they’re acting on those concerns, but doing enough also to make sure that the lobbyists and the betting agencies, these companies are, you know, that they’re not, you know, basically going to say, well, we’re not going to, you know, donate to you anymore.”
Genuine Government Action, Or a Bad Bet?
While many are apprehensive about how effective government action will be, the money tells a very different story. The Labor Party is taking these reforms seriously, and this is evidenced by a resulting hefty cut in donations.
When comparing the amount of money the gambling industry donated in 2022 and 2025 there is a clear downturn in donations across all political parties, but there has been no party affected more than the Australian Labor Party. With their donation levels equating to that of the 2020 levels.
While the Liberal party had suffered a small downturn in donations compared to 2022, donations to the Labor party have plummeted to below 2020 levels, with gambling industry donations to the Liberal Party higher than they are to Labor for the first time since 2021. The only political party to see a gradual plateau in donations rather than downturn is the National party.
Downturn in gambling donations is even more obvious when viewed through the lens of state politics. Gambling donations uniformly peaked in 2023, with every state and territory (except ACT) receiving political donations. In the years following, donations reduced with some jurisdictions receiving no donations at all.
As shown in the graphic below, gambling companies show preference for political donations, with Tabcorp consistently leading political donations in all states, with the exception of Tasmania who is favoured by The Lottery Corporation
When it comes to the party breakdown by state there is not really a clear pattern in donations as companies tend to favour both parties relatively equally. However in election years the opposition does tend to be favoured for the most part.
At a Federal level, Tabcorp continues to donate heavily, but as been trumped by Sportsbet since they began donating in 2020. Sportsbets motivation to influence political decision making is evidenced following the flow of money, with the majority of their political donations always contributed to the party in power. Conversely, Tabcorp and The Lottery Corporation have consistently favoured Labor from 2019-2025.
The symbiotic relationship between political parties and the gambling industry appears opaque, but following the money reveals a pattern of genuine change in response to government reform. Despite this, questions remain about whether reforms being made are significant enough to counter the harm proliferated by gambling marketing and the resulting losses to the Australian Public. The current government is making steps towards action and change, but concerns remain. Full implementation of The Murphy Report recommendations are required to reduce the harm of an industry that has become culturally entrenched in Australia. Perhaps we should place a bet either way.
