'Alarming': One In 3 Aussie Children Gambling

About one in three Aussie kids are chancing on their futures, losing more than $18 million to betting each year.


The current findings released by think tank the Australia Institute show 30 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds gamble, with the figure spiralling to practically half of 18 to 19-year-olds.


That's 600,000 teens betting each year.


Gambling reform supporters say it's the result of a purposeful effort by the gaming market to groom kids to gamble from an extremely young age.


"There is proof that the betting market targets kids as young as 14 years old through social media, advising them to download gambling advertisements, and the saturation of gambling advertisements around our significant football codes is also tempting children to bet," Alliance for Gambling Reform president Martin Thomas said.


"It is both alarming and awful to comprehend that the number of teens betting under the legal age would fill the MCG 6 times over."


The alliance is contacting all prospects in the upcoming federal election to commit to the suggestions made following the Murphy questions into online gambling, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.


The query's 2023 report found a "gush" of advertising and simulated gaming through video games was grooming kids to bet and encouraging riskier behaviour.


It suggested an overall phase-out of all gambling marketing over 3 years.


Despite the review being unanimously backed across parliament with no remarks, Labor has actually dragged its feet on gambling reform in spite of increasing pressure to prohibit wagering advertisements.


Australians already rack up the world's highest gaming losses, positioning $244.3 billion in bets every year.


Rates of betting have increased considering that 2019 and average yearly losses rose from nearly $2000 per individual to about $2500, according to the Australian Institute report.


The nation's overall gaming losses at $31.5 billion competitors the entire Northern Territory economy and is greater than the $21 billion lost to betting in all of Las Vegas, the report added.