'Alarming': One In Three Aussie Children Gambling

About one in 3 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 nearly 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 attempt by the gambling market to groom children to gamble from a really young age.


"There is evidence that the gaming market targets kids as young as 14 years of ages through social networks, urging them to download betting ads, and the saturation of gambling advertisements around our significant football codes is likewise tempting kids to bet," Alliance for Gambling Reform chief executive Martin Thomas said.


"It is both alarming and tragic to understand that the number of teenagers betting under the legal age would fill the MCG 6 times over."


The alliance is getting in touch with all prospects in the upcoming federal election to commit to the suggestions made following the Murphy query into online betting, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.


The query's 2023 report discovered a "torrent" of marketing and simulated gaming through video games was grooming children to wager and motivating riskier behaviour.


It advised a total phase-out of all over 3 years.


Despite the evaluation being all backed throughout parliament with no dissenting remarks, Labor has actually dragged its feet on gambling reform despite increasing pressure to ban wagering advertisements.


Australians already acquire the world's highest gambling losses, putting $244.3 billion in bets every year.


Rates of betting have actually increased since 2019 and typical yearly losses increased from almost $2000 per person to about $2500, according to the Australian Institute report.


The country's total betting losses at $31.5 billion competitors the whole Northern Territory economy and is higher than the $21 billion lost to betting in all of Las Vegas, the report included.