Welcome to our
SEPTEMBER
NEWSLETTER
Check out all our latest updates
09/2023
Carol Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
Message from the CEO
There is usually a lull in Canberra over the winter break from parliament, but for those of us working towards gambling reform, this has been a very busy period. The Federal Parliament is now focusing on gambling reform, especially in the wake of the federal inquiry into online gambling and its impact on those experiencing gambling harm. Change is on the way.
Tim and I had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese to discuss the reforms and the Alliance’s views on the government’s response to the inquiry report. We have also met with the Leader of the Federal Opposition, Peter Dutton; Office of the Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland; Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth; federal crossbench MPs and Greens Senator Janet Rice to discuss the way forward on online gambling.
While online gambling is the main issue in Federal Parliament, maintaining relationships with key state politicians and decision-making bodies to advocate for important reforms for land-based gambling is still a priority. We are actively involved in consultations with numerous calls for submissions on key reforms from a cashless card in the ACT to responsible codes of conduct and poker machine reforms in Victoria.
The good news is that we finally saw the long-awaited launch of BetStop, the national self-exclusion register! We are hopeful that this will provide much needed reprieve for those wanting to remove themselves from betting sites and the constant bombardment of advertising and marketing from the gambling industry. Having signed up myself, I can say it seemed a straightforward process and it seems to work given I cannot open new accounts, but of course the Alliance would like to hear from anyone who has any problems with the system. Ironing out any gremlins will be important to ensuring it works for those who most need it to.
There has been continued private members bills to parliaments on key gambling reform from bans on credit to advertising to bans on political donations – it’s a time of unprecedented representation in parliaments around the country on gambling reform.
Excitement about what all this activity means does come with some caveats – we still see continued record losses around the country from poker machines. And we know that online gambling is catching up at a rapid pace.
We now need to capture this moment and ensure that the words match the actions and result in real reductions in gambling harm.
Join us to end gambling harm by making a regular donation of just $10 a month to support our End Gambling Ads Campaign
Alliance meets
Prime Minister Albanese
Carol Bennett, Rev Tim Costello and the Hon Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, at Parliament House, ACT
Our CEO, Carol Bennett and Chief Advocate, Rev Tim Costello, had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese in August.
It was a meaningful discussion, looking at the impact of online gambling harm and important reform measures we hope to see in the government’s response to the national inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.
It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet with several independents, crossbenchers, as well as the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton to discuss the need for leadership and a strong response to the national inquiry.
Excellent meetings on Monday 8 August between Alliance CEO Carol Bennett and Chief Advocate Tim Costello and Rebekah Sharkie MP, Kate Chaney MP, Zoe Daniel MP, and Sen David Pocock at Parliament House, Canberra. Great to see such support for gambling reform from our independents!
Lara Alexander MP (Independent Member for Bass); John Tucker MP (Independent Member for Lyons), together with Chief Advocate, Rev Tim Costello and CEO, Carol Bennett.
Alliance meets with Tasmanian MPs to discuss Gambling Reforms
Carol and Tim travelled to Tasmania to meet with Tasmanian MPs Lara Alexander and John Tucker to support mandatory pre-commitment and carded gambling in Tasmania.
The scheme comes into place in late 2024 and has bipartisan commitment. It represents the gold standard for addressing gambling harm, money laundering and crime as recommended by the NSW Crime Commission, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and various reviews and experts.
When implemented, it will be an Australian first, setting the scene for other jurisdictions to follow.
We thank the Tasmanian independents for their commitment to reducing gambling harm in Tasmania.
It’s time to bring home important gambling reforms!
There is a rolling landscape of gambling reforms being considered across our country thanks largely to your support along with thousands of other Australians who have backed the Alliance to make positive change for our families and communities.
As the only national organisation working to prevent and reduce gambling harm, we need your help to capture the opportunities that are emerging now and ensure we harness the momentum to achieve the changes our communities so desperately need.
We are making great in roads across the country including our first ever meeting with the Prime Minister, as well as the Leader of the Federal Opposition, Minister for Communications, Minister for Social Services, crossbench MPs and Greens and key state politicians to advocate for important reform.
Will you donate to the Alliance today so we can keep pushing for meaningful reform?
We are seeking your donations to enable us to continue pushing for evidence-based reforms to gambling in Australia. Every dollar we receive helps us reduce gambling harm.
As always, thank you for supporting our work to make Australia a safer and fairer nation.
If you wish to make a donation via bank transfer
Alliance For Gambling Reform Inc
Bank Australia
BSB: 313-140
Account Number: 12137211
Massive fines and new regulation from VGCCC
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has been busy safeguarding the public from gambling harm.
Victoria’s largest poker machine operator, ALH has been fined $550,000 for gambling harm breaches in Victoria, after a sting operation across a number of venues.
Following an anonymous tip off, it was found that a number of ALH venues did not have the required YourPlay mandatory pre-commitment technology operating on a number of their poker machines.
The maximum fine for these offences is $1.3 million.
You can find out more about the failures to minimise harm here.
Online gambling operator BlueBet has the possibility of massive fines from the VGCCC who are charging the operator with 43 charges relating to alleged unlawful gambling advertising.
If BlueBet is found guilty of all the charges, it faces a maximum fine of up to $954,187.20. You can read more here.
The Alliance was also thrilled to see the VGCCC taking strong steps to ban betting on minors in sport events. This legislation came about due to “betting on minors [being] contrary to the public interest and poses potential integrity and gambling related harm concerns”. You can find out more here.
The VGCCC has also moved to closely monitor betting on the Brownlow medal; with strict provisions and integrity oversights now in place.
3 Billion
Gambling losses throughout Australia
A snapshot of key figures in Queensland and Victoria present grim findings.
People in Queensland lost a record $301 million through poker machines alone in July 2023.
Queenslanders lost approximately $750 per poker machine user - ringing alarm bells for both advocates and academics.
Sadly, Queensland isn’t alone, with local government area data for Victoria showing staggering EGM losses. For the first time,
annual losses reached over $3 billion, demonstrating that hoped for reductions in poker machine use after COVID disruptions have not materialised.
Brimbank is a local government area with some of the state’s highest losses with of over $14.9 million being lost through poker machines in July alone.
Rural areas, such as the Rural City of Mildura also had significant losses, with over $3.4 million for the month.
These figures underscore the urgent need for real reform to reduce gambling harm from poker machines.
Save the date!
Keep an eye on your inbox for your formal invitation to our special Gambling Harm Awareness week event for our wonderful supporters. We’d love to see you there!
Policy and Submissions
ACT MLA Marisa Paterson MLA launched ‘Keep Molonglo Pokie-Free’' in the Canberra community on Tuesday 2 May 2023 - an Australian first! The Alliance for Gambling Reform welcomes Marisa's leadership in making our new local suburbs pokies free.
The Alliance has been kept busy working on a number of submissions.
In the ACT, we have provided a response to the inquiry into cashless gambling and stressed the need for an identity linked system with mandatory pre-commitment that is binding and has reasonable default limits.
Read our submission, Inquiry into Cashless Gaming - ACT Legislative Assembly, or You can read more in our Chief Advocate’s op-ed here.
In other ACT news, Marisa Paterson MLA has introduced legislation to keep the developing area of Molonglo Valley and undeveloped areas of the ACT poker machine free. This follows strong community support following the ‘Keep Molonglo Pokie-Free' campaign.
In Victoria, the state has two community consultations open, the first a review of the Responsible Gambling codes of conduct covering six, different gambling operators; wagering and betting, bookmaking, bingo, keno, commercial raffles and public lotteries.
The consultation on poker machine reforms covers carded play, mandatory pre-commitment, venue closure times, load up limits for machines, spin rates, play periods, data collection, cashless gaming, identity verification and self-exclusion.
We encourage you to get involved in this community consultation and share your thoughts or concerns through the Victorian engagement portal using the links above and the Alliance will be using the opportunity to share our views on ways gambling harm can be reduced in Victoria through strong and progressive reforms.
As these submissions and others are made public, the Alliance will share them on our social media pages, website and in our next newsletter.
And in NT, a decision from the NT government to approve a doubling of the number of gaming machines (from 10 to 20) at Todd Tavern and Gap View Hotel is being contested by No Pokies Mparntwe who are represented by Maurice Blackburn.
The group have challenged the expansion on the grounds that poker machines cause immense harm in Alice Springs, especially to the indigenous population who are disproportionately impacted.
The Alliance wish them well in their bid to overturn this decision!
Councils
and
Supporters
Katherine Copsey MLC, speaking at Parliament House Victoria on gambling advocacy and reform.
It was great to see so many council officers at the Municipal Association of Victoria Local Government Gambling Alcohol and Other Drugs Issue Forum where we took councils through a snapshot of all the recent gambling reforms.
The Victorian Government is undertaking community consultation in September regarding the EGM reforms announced, as well as asking for community feedback on responsible gambling codes of conduct.
Leadership Council officers have been invited to join the Alliance in early September for workshops to gain their insight and generate discussion to inform submissions to the consultations.
AGR staff had the opportunity to stop and reflect with other gambling reform advocates and stakeholders on the impacts of our advocacy. Thanks to Katherine Copsey MLC, Member for Southern Metropolitan and Victorian Greens Spokesperson for Gambling Harm Reduction for inviting us along to Parliament House to chat with other stakeholders, acknowledge the wins that decades of committed work has produced and look to our upcoming challenges.
Gambling Harm Awareness Week
As we hurtle towards October, councils are starting to plan activities for Gambling Harm Awareness Week. We encourage you to start thinking about how to mark this week in your community if you haven’t already, and please reach out for ideas or other support if you need it. Also don’t forget to let us know if you have an event planned, we’d love to help promote it!
Frankton City Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Talk. Share. Support - A community conversation about online gambling harm.
These neighbouring southeast Melbourne councils have partnered to run a gambling harm awareness week event that brings the community together to discuss gambling harm. The event on October 12 in Mt Eliza includes our own Chief Advocate, Tim Costello, Federal MP for Dunkley and Chair of the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, Peta Murphy as well as people with lived experience of gambling harm and local sporting clubs for conversations aimed to improve community understanding about online gambling harm.
Bookings: https://communityconversation_onlinegamblingharm.eventbrite.com.au
Hume City Council Gambling Harm Symposium
The Gambling Harm Symposium on October 2 in Craigieburn is a must-attend gathering for anyone interested in understanding and tackling the challenges associated with gambling.
Speakers include;
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Dr Charles Livingstone – Associate Professor Monash University
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Dr Lauren Gurrieri – Associate Professor RMIT University
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Rev. Tim Costello - Chief Advocate, Alliance for Gambling Reform
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Fran Thorn – Chair, Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission
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Three Sides of the Coin – Lived experience storytellers performing their stories of gambling harm
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Cameron McLeod – CEO, The Huddle
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Stephanie Convery – Inequality Reporter, The Guardian Australia
This event is invite only. For more information and to express interest in attending, please contact Jamad Ahmed, Social Policy & Planning Officer at JamadA@hume.vic.gov.au.
City of Monash campaign
Monash has launched an eye-catching campaign based around its Public Health Approach to Gambling Harm Policy that prevents the promotion of gambling products or venues by groups using its buildings or receiving Council funding. The “You’re reading this ad” campaign will be displayed across Council buildings such as community centres, sporting pavilions and libraries as well as promoted via social media, demonstrating the power of advertising in influencing public health outcomes and the need to claim public spaces for uses that support wellbeing and stronger communities, not for gambling advertising or promotion.
Application in the City of Wyndham
Hotel 520 in Tarneit has applied for an additional 12 EGMs which is expected to be heard by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission in November. Neighbouring councils as well as the general public can make a submission regarding the application. Information on the application and how to submit can be found here.
Share your
Voice
We invite you to share your personal experiences of gambling harm in Australia. Whether you've faced this challenge yourself or witnessed the struggles of someone close to you, your story has the power to inspire change and improve awareness.
We know that all communities are impacted by gambling, but the true impact is often hidden. Real stories from real people who’ve experienced gambling harm are a powerful vehicle for influencing social change. Your lived experience offers valuable insight into the consequences of gambling for our whole community. Your story will help us to advocate for change that benefits everyone.
You can remain anonymous if you prefer. Nothing will be shared or published without your consent.
Please write your story to us via Facebook or email us at info@agr.org.au
Media Releases
Call to delay government response to gambling ad ban
22 August 2023
Gambling-ad-free Matilda coverage ‘a revelation’ - World Cup shows why banning gambling ads is vital
16 August 2023
Victoria’s record $3b in annual poker machines losses underscores urgency of reform
28 July 2023
Opinion Pieces
Does Australia still lack the political courage to end gambling ads?
The Canberra Times
Tim Costello, Chief Advocate, Alliance for Gambling Reform
23 Apr 2025
Despite being past the halfway mark of the election campaign - neither the PM or the Opposition leader has shown any appetite for banning gambling ads and reducing gambling harm.
This is despite the fact that polls now show that 76 per cent of Australians want a gambling ad ban. This is a stunning result, so the campaigning silence on this by the major parties is equally stunning.
Time to tell our leaders we want gambling reform
Tim Costello, Chief Advocate, Alliance for Gambling Reform
1 Apr 2025
I have campaigned over decades for gambling reform.
It started way, way back when I was in law and I met a lovely, elderly woman who shockingly was facing jail for stealing to feed her gambling habit.
The easy, popular measure that could cut households costs missing from the budget
The Canberra Times
Martin Thomas, CEO for the Alliance for Gambling Reform
27 Mar 2025
Yet there is a major cost-of-living initiative that is low cost, non-inflationary and would tackle an issue that is a bigger drain on the household budget than power bills.
But it is not in the budget and most likely it won't be in the opposition's budget reply speech either.
In The News
NSW Poker Machine Crisis: 'Virtually No Oversight' as Harm Soars
AAP
15 June 2025
A damning report has exposed NSW's failure to protect communities from gambling harm. The state’s 87,749 poker machines raked in $8.4 billion last year—yet just two high-risk venues had their licences reviewed since 2019.
Martin Thomas, CEO of The Alliance, said: "NSW already has more poker machines than any other jurisdiction, more than almost any other part of the world, so it is appalling that the numbers of machines is still increasing despite the rhetoric about reducing the number of machines."
While venues profit, western Sydney communities are losing entire salaries to poker machines.
Headline: 85% of Aussies Want Gambling Ads Banned — Time for Action
Rob Cameron's Front Page
13 June 2025
“The latest research is showing that 85% want some form of restrictions on gambling advertising… even those who vent tell us they're so sick of the amount of ads.” – Martin Thomas, CEO of The Alliance
Despite this, the federal government remains silent. We're calling for a total ban on gambling ads—just like we did with tobacco. Too many are losing homes, lives, and futures. It's time to end this harm.
🎧 Listen to Alliance CEO Martin Thomas discuss this issue at length with Rob Cameron on Front Page.
Blue Light Fuels Risky Gambling
Daily Telegraph
14 June 2025
Bright blue lights in casinos, pokie venues, and gambling websites might be driving riskier behaviour. Flinders University research reveals blue-enriched lighting dulls our sensitivity to losses, making it easier to gamble away money. “Under bright, blue-heavy light… the $100 loss didn’t appear to feel as bad,” said lead author Dr Alicia Lander. This lighting, common in gambling environments, could be quietly shaping gambling harm.
It’s time to rethink how these venues manipulate people through design. Support real reform.
The Plan to Ban Gambling Ads Exists — So Why Won’t the Government Act?
The National Account
7 June 2025
Most Australians want gambling ads gone — and the Murphy Report lays out a 31-step plan to do just that. But two years on, the government still hasn’t responded. Why? According to The Alliance’s Chief Advocate Tim Costello: “It’s not the public that’s the problem here. It’s the vested interests.” Powerful players like the AFL, NRL, and big broadcasters are profiting — while children are exposed and harmed.
It's time to prioritise health over profit. The public is ready. The plan is ready. The delay must end.
Unfettered gambling advertising means young Australians are losing big
The New Daily
6 June 2025
More than 900,000 teens gambled last year, thanks in part to over a million gambling ads on free-to-air TV. Online gambling now dominates, yet none of the 31 reforms from the landmark Murphy review—including a total ad ban—have been adopted. Even worse? MPs took $245,000 in sports freebies while stalling action.
“Australians do not like being flooded by messages and inducements to gamble online and worry about the effect this is having on children and young people.” – Murphy review
We Are Hiring:
Project Officer
Do you want to be part of the movement to reduce the impact of gambling harm in Australia?
We need a dynamic people-orientated person with good management skills to run some of our most important projects.
The role includes managing key Alliance projects, including facilitating the voices of lived experience program, running public events, supporting our work with local councils and other partners.
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