New data suggests over 430,000 underaged gamblers in Australia

There have been renewed calls for the Australian government to revamp its gambling policies after recent data revealed more than 430,000 children are likely to be online gamblers. This figures comes from a report released by the Alliance for Gambling Reform, an advocacy group working to minimize gambling harm.

According to the report, which features data extrapolated from new research by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), about 14,400 Australians under 16 years are already problematic gamblers, with 38,400 classed as at-risk gamblers. Carol Bennett, CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, also noted in the report that Australians bet 20% more per capita than any country in the world.

She added: “International research reveals that as the number of gamblers increases, so does the number of gamblers experiencing the most harm, and based on Australia’s rate of gambling it is likely that up to 70,000 people in Australia are experiencing significant harm.”

READ: ACMA blocks nine more illegal offshore gambling sites

Some people have come to attribute the high rate of gambling to a lack of regulation in the industry, especially when it comes to advertising. Reverend Tim Costello, while speaking at a parliamentary inquiry, highlighted how the lack of federal restrictions on gambling advertising will have a long-term effect.

“There is very little difference between those using deceptive marketing to promote vaping products to children than those grooming our kids to gamble online,” Costello said, urging lawmakers to take decisive action and start seeing it as a public health issue.

He added that it is not that Australians have an unusual appetite for gambling more than every other country of the world, rather they suffer from a lack of regulation. He noted that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is not doing enough in overseeing gambling advertisements in the country.

Meanwhile, major gambling companies in Australia — namely Ladbrokes and Sportsbet — have come out to defend their advertising spending. Both bookmakers point out the responsible gambling tools it promotes and its other efforts at minimizing gambling harm. Sportsbet, in a letter to the parliamentary inquiry, noted there is “significant community interest” in its ads, while Entain, owner of Ladbrokes, expressed its support for the ban of gambling ads on TV during child-friendly hours.

Both online bookmakers have called for sustainable solutions towards reducing the exposure of children to gambling ads while maintaining their legal rights to advertise.

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