Australia’s gambling losses have surged from $25.6bn annually pre-Covid to $32bn in 2022-23, according to new data from the Queensland government.
The data, released on Tuesday, revealed Australians are now losing $1,555 per capita, up from $1,395 in 2021-22.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform has seized on the worsening losses to call for full implementation of the 31 recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry into gambling advertisements.
That inquiry, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, recommended a total ban on gambling ads, a ban on inducements, a levy on gambling companies and a new national regulator.
The Albanese government has instead proposed a partial ad ban. That would entail ads banned online, in children’s…
