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Welcome to our
AUGUST NEWSLETTER
Check out all our latest updates
13/082022
Carol Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
News from our CEO
It’s been a busy time here at the Alliance with more public attention focussed on gambling and its harms than ever before. A huge thank you to you for your continued support!
The Alliance would like to share a few of the things we’ve been up to. Here’s a quick whip around of what’s been happening. As always, we appreciate your feedback and insights and if you would like to support our work you can do so here
Out and About
On Tuesday, June 14, we hosted a successful fundraising event, “An evening with Tim Costello”. The evening focused on what we can do to stamp out sports gambling ads, and shared powerful stories of the lived experience of gambling harm.
We also attended the National Australian Local Government Association conference in Canberra, working with many of our Leadership Councils to denounce gambling harm and work towards offering alternative late-night options.
The event was attended by Carol Bennett (CEO), Kasuni Mendis (Councils Gambling Harm Support Officer) and Board member Susan Rennie.
In other local government news, we are working closely with Kingston City Council, in an effort to close a planning loophole enabling close proximity of gambling venues and supermarkets.
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Alliance staff with representatives from Kingston City Council at the ALGA conference
Campaign Updates
We’ve been keeping abreast of the Royal Commissions into Crown and Star Casinos.
We’ve welcomed the Australian Communications and Media’s (ACMA’s) actions towards a National Self Exclusion Register and Hawthorn Football Club’s divestment form Poker machines.
We’ve supported the Victorian Gaming Minister’s new Gambling harm minimisation measures,
We supported the Mparntwe/Alice Springs community in its campaign to stop new poker machines in their community with a petition and call for submissions.
We eagerly await the results of the NSW government’s White Paper on gambling harm minimisation
Latest Blogs
Read our latest blogs
Voices for Gambling Reform -
"A journey from harm to empowerment"
In June, Anna Bardsley, Paul Fung and Carolyn Crawford presented A journey from harm to empowerment at the 2022 NZ International Gambling Conference.
They spoke about their work within Voices for Gambling Reform, a key program of AGR that supports and empowers people impacted by gambling harm to be powerful advocates for change.
Too often “consumers” are engaged in ways that are shallow and disrespectful of their knowledge and expertise, instead of being given meaningful decision-making power and being included in organisational power structures.
The workshop invited participants to do better in this area.
Submissions
This month, we provided submissions to the NSW Crime Commission clubs and pubs inquiry into money laundering, input to the Vic Department of Justice for the Royal Commission legislation and the ACT government on lower bets and credit limits inquiry.
We are currently working on two major casino inquiry submissions in both Queensland and South Australia. We will engage our Voices for Gambling Reform group to bring lived experience to the fore.
Our
Social Media
Here are some of our most popoular stories on social media.
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Footy’s Back - And So Are the Gambling Ads
11 March 2026
As the AFL and NRL seasons kick off, Australians are once again facing a flood of gambling advertising across TV, social media and stadiums. 📺📱🏟️
The Alliance CEO Martin Thomas warns the saturation is harming young people and normalising gambling for kids.
“I think we are being slowly cooked alive by gambling ads,” Martin Thomas told the Community Advocate.
Research shows hundreds of thousands of teenagers are already gambling each year, with online platforms targeting young audiences and making it harder to walk away.
Australians overwhelmingly support stronger restrictions. It’s time for action.
“We are literally saturated. Sadly, gambling companies now even own our kids."
26 February 2026
"Eighty per cent of kids know the odds, jingles, and logos of sports betting companies and can identify them. In fact, 900,000 under-18s gambled last year - nearly one in three. More kids were betting on sport than played soccer and basketball combined.”
On RN Breakfast, The Alliance’s Chief Advocate Tim Costello laid bare the scale of gambling harm in Australia.
This is not accidental. It’s the result of relentless promotion and political inaction.
We need urgent reform to protect children and reduce gambling harm.
Support The Alliance’s fight for change. Tell your MP what you think:
Building Healthier Sporting Clubs - Tackling Gambling Harm Head On
20 February 2026
Community sport should be about teamwork, health and belonging - not gambling harm.
On 23 February 2026 in West Footscray, Reverend Tim Costello AO and Alliance Voices Advocate Mark Kempster will join the Building Healthier Sporting Clubs Forum to share practical tools to prevent gambling and alcohol harm in local clubs.
From recognising what gambling harm looks like, to exploring healthier sponsorship and funding options, this forum empowers clubs to protect their players, families and communities.
Keep VicHealth Independent and Strong for a Healthier Future #SaveVicHealth
4 March 2026
VicHealth has improved lives across Victoria for 40 years through independent, community-led health promotion. Plans to absorb it into the Department of Health risk weakening prevention, innovation and local impact.
Prevention reduces harm, saves lives and eases pressure on our health system. Now is the time to strengthen independent public health - not dismantle it.
Strong prevention systems are also critical to tackling gambling harm and other preventable health risks.
Fast Codes, Fast Losses - Online Gambling Under Fire
16 February 2026
Australians lose nearly $30 billion a year to gambling - with billions flowing through online live gambling. Now, class actions against Sportsbet and Entain allege that "fast code" in-play gambling may breach the Interactive Gambling Act.
Alliance Voices Advocate Mark Kempster warns: "It's much harder to try and control yourself when you're watching something and you have the adrenaline of a live game in front of you or a live event in front of you to bet on." Watch it on #ABCIVIEW (Monday 16/2/2026).
You can also see all the latest media featuring the Alliance for Gamlbing Reform via our website.
You can also view our latest Media Releases.
Independent Reviews into casinos operating in Queensland and South Australia are now underway. AGR has worked to achieve input to NSW, WA and Victorian Inquiries to date.
Your financial support will enable us to provide timely and high quality advice and advocacy, informed by expert evidence-based harm reduction policy recommendations and the input of people with lived-experience of gambling harm.
Alliance for Gambling Reform is proud to partner with Gathered Here to offer you the opportunity to write your Will for free (plus free & unlimited updates of your Will for life).
If you don't have a legal will, you can get a free, simple online will through Gathered Here.
Bequests can also be made to the Alliance for Gambling Reform to continue our vital work.