NEWSLETTERS

This year marks 10 years since the creation of the Alliance for Gambling Reform.

Back then a group of concerned individuals and organisations acted because of concerns about the harm poker machines were doing in Victoria.

Today, the Alliance has a focus on federal, state and territory gambling policy covering online gambling, poker machines and the operations of casinos across Australia.

The Olympics are here again and as a nation we celebrate the efforts of our athletes as well as those from across the globe.

Unfortunately the Olympics are also a reminder that whenever we watch sport, we are forced to suffer virtually endless gambling adverts.

While there are some modest restrictions of gambling advertising during live play, there are still enough loopholes to allow a tsunami of ads across our screens. Indeed, more than one million gambling ads have been played on Australian free-to-air television and radio in just a one year period.

The past week was a reminder of just how bizarre the narrative around gambling and its role in Australian culture can be when it comes to what, and even whether, gambling harm is experienced let alone the solutions to address it. The calling into question of extensive evidence and recommendations put forward by numerous inquiries and reviews from Royal Commissions and organisations such as the NSW Crime Commission was surreal.

Ed's lowest point came when he found himself stealing from clients of the business he ran. He was sinking deeper into the cycle of gambling harm in a desperate attempt to recover lost money. This harm amounted to a total loss of nearly $1.8 million and ended in his imprisonment.

We continue to witness changes across Australia that seek to limit gambling harm in our community.

These changes, such as the Federal Government move this month to ban the use of credit cards for gambling, are a tribute to you raising your voice against gambling harm and also your support of the Alliance for Gamlbing Reform.

Yet the actions by governments across the nation are still far short of where it must be. They also fail to reflect the white-hot anger that people across our communities have towards the bombardment of gambling adverts across our screens.

It is now eight months on from when Peta Murphy delivered her multiparty inquiry report into online gambling and we are still awaiting a response from the Federal government to the 31 unanimous recommendations. We remain hopeful that Peta’s parliamentary committee together with a large contingent of gambling reformers will be heard, with a full and comprehensive ban on gambling advertising among many other important reforms that have been neglected and are long overdue.

As we continue to fight for significant gambling reform, including a full ban on all gambling advertising and inducements, we have decided to take a very different approach to our monthly newsletter this time around.

Instead of giving you a summary of all that has happened, I’m encouraging you to listen to Kate’s interview. It is a powerful and sobering reminder of all we are fighting for.

As I am getting ready to depart as CEO of the Alliance, I am pleased to say that there are some very positive signs for the future.  In my time in the role, I have seen a huge shift in the public conversation and political reaction to gambling reform at both national and state level (local government already understands the impact that gambling exacts in their communities).