Join the national effort to demand an end to gambling advertising

The Australian Federal Parliament is now considering a range of gambling reforms, including a total ban on gambling advertising. As you know, gambling is causing devastating financial losses and social harms across the country as outlined in the campaign by Alliance for Gambling Reform, led by Tim Costello. Please join us in contacting your MP through the Alliance portal to support a full ban on gambling advertising to protect all Australians - young people in particular - from gambling harm.

The Alliance believes we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to prevent gambling harm and to protect our children from being targeted by the gambling industry online and through advertising and sponsorship that is currently embedded in our sports organisations and competitions. It has been more than a year since the Federal Government received recommendations from their online gambling inquiry. We now need voters support to turn these recommendations into real action to reduce gambling harm.

Recent findings from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, published in the journal Addiction, highlight a disturbing trend in New South Wales: as gambling profits increase, so does crime. This research paints a stark picture of the broader societal costs associated with gambling, urging immediate action.

Key Findings:

• A 10% increase in gambling expenditure correlates with significant spikes in various crimes:

• 7.4% increase in assaults

• 10.5% increase in break-ins and thefts from homes

• 10.3% increase in break-ins and thefts from businesses

• 11% increase in motor vehicle thefts

• 8.2% increase in stealing from motor vehicles

• 7.4% increase in fraud.

Renowned criminologist Don Weatherburn, the study's lead author, emphasises the widespread impact, stating that the entire community "suffers from Australia’s love affair with gambling." Now is the time to make your voice heard.

By writing or calling to your MP to support a ban on gambling advertising, you can join the national call for stronger regulations to help prevent the damaging impact of gambling. Together, we can protect our communities from the escalating dangers of gambling-related crime.

The Alliance portal makes reaching out to your elected official to express support for a total gambling ad ban quick and easy.

Read more on this topic here.