If Albanese is serious about ‘progressive patriotism’ he could start by prioritising the livelihoods of Australians over the profits of gambling companies.
Mon 24 Nov 2025 06.00
Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
According to the Financial Review, the Albanese Government is considering using their planned ban on social media for under-16s as an excuse to drop already watered-down reforms to online gambling advertising.
This is fundamentally misguided. While people under 16 years old might not see social media ads for gambling – assuming the social media ban works at all – they will still see ads on other platforms, such as television.
This will also totally miss the key demographic of adult teenagers, as shown by Australia Institute research. Gambling rates skyrocket when children reach young adulthood: almost half of 18 to 19-year-old Australians gamble (46%). To make matters worse, gambling participation tends to remain stable or increase from ages 19 to 24, indicating that young adults establish persistent gambling behaviours rather than just exploring curiosity about gambling.
Australia has a gambling (industry) problem
Australians are the biggest losers in the world when it comes to gambling. Last year, Australians’ net losses from gambling (losses minus any winnings) were $34.8 billion. That’s more than households spent on electricity and gas ($29.5 billion) and alcohol ($26.8 billion). The gambling industry destroys lives year after year, and they are actively trying to target new demographics such as women.
Bipartisan recommendations ignored
In 2023 a Parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, known as the Murphy report, unanimously endorsed 31 recommendations. This included a phased-in ban on advertising online gambling. The Albanese Government has so far failed to implement these recommendations.
Reports suggested the Government was instead considering a partial ban, such as removing gambling ads from social media and stopping ads from airing within an hour of sporting matches. But this latest news seems to mean dropping even these more modest proposals.
Bolder reforms are highly popular
Australia Institute polling has indicated widespread support for initiatives recommended in the Murphy report.
Four in five Australians support banning gambling ads on social media and online (81%). Similar numbers support even stronger measures, notably three in four Australians (76%) support a total ban on gambling ads, phased in over three years.
Bravery is needed to tackle the gambling industry
The gambling industry destroys lives every year. Reforms to reduce its harms are highly popular with the public, and the Murphy report showed they can receive cross-parliamentary support. While the gambling industry is powerful, laundering its reputation through support for charities and sports codes, governments in the past have tackled similarly powerful industries such as tobacco.
If Albanese is serious about ‘progressive patriotism’ he could start by prioritising the livelihoods of Australians over the profits of gambling companies.
In the final days of October, the Federal Government quietly inserted a last-minute amendment into an unrelated bill. It has been trying to rush through a change that would allow police and the Home Affairs Minister to cancel someone’s Centrelink payment if they are suspected of a serious crime.
