I'm writing to ask you to support a full ban on gambling advertising.
Australia has the highest gambling losses per person in the world at around $31.5 billion a year. Gambling ads are now everywhere, and the evidence is clear that they work: three in four young people see gambling as a normal part of sport. I don't want my community, and especially our kids, growing up thinking gambling and sport are inseparable.
In 2023, the late Peta Murphy MP led a cross-party committee that reached consensus on the way forward. After hearing from health experts, regulators and affected families, they unanimously recommended phasing out gambling advertising in full, alongside more than 30 other reforms. That work has been sitting on the table for years.
The government's response falls well short of what the Murphy Report called for. Partial restrictions don't work. Previous attempts to limit when gambling ads can be shown simply shifted advertising into other timeslots, with no meaningful reduction in overall exposure. The government's proposed 8.30 pm watershed is no exception. Research shows that 83% of children aged 11 to 16 continue watching sport after 8.30 pm, meaning they would still be exposed to gambling advertising during the games they watch. Anything less than a full ban leaves loopholes the industry will exploit.
I'm asking you to:
Push for legislation that implements the Murphy Report's recommendations in full, including a complete ban on gambling advertising.
Support a Senate committee inquiry so any legislation gets proper scrutiny.
Stand firm against industry lobbying to weaken the reforms.
I'd appreciate knowing where you stand on this. I look forward to your response.
Australians lose more to gambling than any other country.
A full ban on gambling ads.
Australians lose around $31.5 billion a year to the gambling industry - the highest losses per person of any country in the world. Gambling ads are everywhere: on our screens, our phones, our social feeds. And they work. Three in four young people now see gambling as a normal part of following sport. That normalisation is doing real damage to our communities, and it's hitting children and young people hardest.
In 2023, the late Peta Murphy MP did something rare in Parliament - her investigation into gambling ads reached consensus. After hearing from health experts, regulators and families affected by gambling harm, they unanimously called for a full ban on gambling advertising, phased in over three years, alongside more than 30 other reforms. The evidence was clear then. It's even clearer now. What's missing is the political will to act on it.
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The comparison that says it all
Australians lose more to gambling than anyone on earth.
Australia
$0
Lost per adult, every year - the highest gambling losses of any country in the world.
Around $31.5 billion a year, all up
The next-highest country
$1,284
We're not near the top of this list. We're at the top of it.
Australia loses more than double New Zealand
* Losses per adult, 2022-23. Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office 2024, Australian Gambling Statistics.
Lost to gambling in Australia since you opened this page
$0
Based on $31.5 billion in losses a year - around $1,000 every second
The numbers don't lie.
75%
of young people now see gambling as a normal part of following sport
“It’s just everywhere!” Children and parents discuss the marketing of sports wagering in Australia.
70%
of parents are concerned about the impacts of gambling on the health of their children
Pitt, H., McCarthy, S., Hume, E., Arnot, G. and Thomas, S., 2024. Australian parents’ perceptions of the risks posed by harmful products to the health of children.
2.9 million
wagering advertisements shown on commercial television between 2017 and 2024, with most concentrated around sports and family programming
Government analysis of Nielsen Ad Intel data. Wagering Advertising Reform, Impact Analysis, April 2026.
83.7%
of 11-16-year-olds say that they continue to watch sport after 8.30 pm, where unlimited gambling ads can still be shown
Young people’s recall and perceptions of gambling advertising and intentions to gamble on sport, Journal of Behavioral Addictions
Promise vs delivery
What the Murphy Report recommended. And what the government delivered.
In 2023, a cross-party committee handed down 31 recommendations to end the harm caused by gambling advertising. Here's how the government's long-awaited response measures up.
Recommended
The Murphy Report
A full ban on all gambling advertising, phased in over three years
A national gambling regulator
A ban on inducements like "free bets"
31 recommendations - agreed across party lines
Delivered
The government's response
A ban on gambling ads on jerseys and in stadiums
No celebrities or athletes in gambling ads
Unlimited ads after 8:30pm during live sport
No full ban - and no ban on inducements
For a game that kicks off at 7:55pm, that means gambling ads through roughly half the match - beamed into living rooms where children are watching.
Whose side are they on?
The community vs the gambling lobby.
Once again, vested interests have won out over community wellbeing. The gambling lobby is already working to water down even this weak package. We can't let them. The more of us who speak up, the harder it is for the government to keep listening to them instead of us.
Post this on socials: Australia has the highest gambling losses in the world, and gambling ads are everywhere. The Murphy Report called for a full ban. The government fell short. It's time for a full ban on gambling ads - email your MP.
