“Kyle did not simply decide, out of nowhere, to open his first betting account on his 18th birthday.” - Coroner Paul Lawrie

Kyle Hudson wagered $895,733 with gambling companies over four years. In 2021, at just 22, he took his own life. A Victorian coroner has found online gambling was the main and direct cause of his death, and called Sportsbet’s argument that Kyle didn’t have a gambling problem “chilling”. The coroner has urged the federal government to consider banning all gambling ads on mainstream and social media.

Our thoughts are with Kyle’s family.

If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

After more than a decade experiencing gambling harm, Brandon reached a point where he knew something had to change.

“Recovery gave me my life back, and running became a huge part of rebuilding it.”

In February 2027, Brandon will take on the Osaka Marathon, raising funds for The Alliance for Gambling Reform to help reduce gambling harm, raise awareness and show others who are struggling that recovery is possible.

The Alliance welcomes the ACT’s Gaming Machine Amendment Bill 2026, which bans ATM and EFTPOS cash withdrawals at venues with poker machines and cuts machine numbers over time.

“The ACT reforms are the new national benchmark,” said Alliance Chief Advocate Rev. Tim Costello.

Mandatory loss limits and enforceable breaks in play would make it even stronger.

Victorians lost a record $3.318 billion on poker machines in 2025-26, up 5.5 per cent on the previous year. Brimbank had the highest council loss in the state at $185.35 million, while Hume hit its highest loss on record for the second year running.

The Alliance has joined Brimbank, Hume and Monash councils in calling on every party contesting the state election to commit to two urgent reforms: mandatory carded play with binding preset loss limits, and closing venues between midnight and 10am.

“These changes could make a real difference for the many families affected by gambling harm,” said Hume mayor Carly Moore.

Australians spend $30 billion a year on gambling, and young men are being drawn in like never before.

ABC News reports that for many young men, gambling has become a ticket into their social circles, fuelled by apps and constant inducements. Online gambling has now overtaken venue-based gambling for the first time in Australian history.

“The gambling industry has built sports gambling participation into the expression of manhood,” says Dr Vincent Mancini of The Kids Research Institute.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) today backed all recommendations made by Victorian Coroner Paul Lawrie following the inquest into the death of 22-year-old Kyle Hudson, and called on the Australian Government to act on the recommendation on betting inducements with urgency.

The Coroner found that online gambling was the main and direct cause of Kyle Hudson’s death. Kyle Hudson, a young man from Werribee with no history of mental illness or drug and alcohol problems, opened a Sportsbet account on his 18th birthday. In the four years that followed he wagered $895,733 with online wagering service providers.

AGR Chief Advocate Tim Costello said: “Our thoughts are with Kyle’s family and everyone who loved him, and the best thing the Australian Government can do for them is act. The Government has been handed a roadmap by the Coroner with a young man’s name on it as a mandate for urgent action.”

Recently at Wesley Mission’s Gambling Reform in NSW event, lived experience advocate Nelson gave a powerful address on what it’s like to grow up as a kid in a family impacted by gambling harm.

His message cut straight to the heart of it: “The house always wins, the home always loses”

Behind every gambling loss is a family carrying the cost, and too often it’s children who feel it most. Nelson’s courage in sharing his story is a reminder of why reform can’t wait.

Share this post and stand with The Alliance in calling for real gambling reform in NSW.

Recently The Alliance joined Wesley Mission’s Gambling Reform in NSW event, convened by Reverend Stu Cameron.

Rev Stu was clear about where responsibility for gambling harm lies: “We don’t have a problem with problem gamblers in this state, we have a problem industry”

For too long, the blame has been placed on individuals while the gambling industry profits from harm. It’s time for the NSW Government to hold the industry to account and put people before poker machine profits.

Share this post and join The Alliance in calling for real gambling reform in NSW.

Tasmania had the chance to lead the nation on poker machine reform. Instead, the state government abandoned its promised card-based play system - a move The Alliance’s Chief Advocate Tim Costello told a parliamentary inquiry was an “extraordinary gift” to the industry.

“We really thought Tasmania was poised to lead Australia finally in breaking the shackles of the power of the industry,” he said.

Alliance Voices Advocate Mark Kempster says the government’s chosen alternative won’t protect people: “Facial recognition is just a joke.”

New ANU research has found risky parental gambling is linked to poorer physical health, mental health and school engagement among children across Australia. Financial hardship made these impacts even worse, along with strain on parenting and parent-child relationships.

“Children have largely been invisible in the way we think about gambling harm,” says Associate Professor Aino Suomi, Director of the ANU Centre for Gambling Research.

Gambling harm doesn’t stop with the person who gambles - it reaches the whole family. Children deserve to be recognised as affected in their own right.