Australians wager more money per person on gambling than any other country; could a visible counter displaying their total losses in real time have an impact?
This is the suggestion in a recent bill from Rebekha Sharkie MP (Indep.-Mayo) that would mandate online gambling sites to show a record of what players are presently losing and their cumulative losses over time. The information would always be available while they are playing.
Advocates claim that maintaining a running total will make losses feel more tangible to participants. Although it might not fully resolve Australia’s gambling issue, it could lead to meaningful changes in behavior.
$25 billion in losses
According to government estimates, Australians lose over A$25 billion (US$15.6 billion) annually through legal forms of gambling. This equates to about A$21,000 (US$13,000) for each individual. Nearly 80% of the populace engages in gambling, with 38% doing so at least weekly.
“This would cost the government very, very little to police, but this would stop lives being lost,” Sharkie said at a recent news conference. “Right now, young people across Australia are losing thousands of dollars … and they can’t see a way out, and this would help them to see exactly how much they’re losing.”
The concept was presented in 2023 to a parliamentary committee evaluating gambling reform by a public member, Jake Minear, a businessman hailing from Western Australia.
Minear believes that just as you wouldn't have an online bank account that fails to display your balance, an online sportsbook shouldn't leave you uncertain about your net losses.
The legislation would mandate that gambling platforms continuously show losses (and gains) for the past calendar month, the previous calendar year, and from the time the bill is enacted to the current moment.
Minear wished for the clock to revert to when the customer first started placing bets on a website, but this would necessitate the bill functioning retrospectively, which would be unfeasible and legally complicated.
Government Relents
The federal government faces pressure to respond regarding gambling after withdrawing from a suggested overall ban on advertising, one of many changes advised by the 2023 parliamentary committee.
Rather than implementing a complete ban on gambling advertisements across TV, radio, newspapers, and the internet, the Labor government chose to limit ads online and on television related to children’s content and sports events.
The government faces accusations of catering to gambling and media interests while sacrificing public health.