Two years ago this week, the late Labor MP Peta Murphy tabled a landmark parliamentary report — You Win Some, You Lose More — calling for a phased ban on gambling advertising.

It was a bold, evidence-based proposal to protect Australians — especially children and young people — from the saturation of betting promotions that normalise harmful behaviour. It had rare bipartisan support from all members of the Parliamentary Committee into Social Policy and Legal Affairs.

Two years on, the Albanese Government has failed to respond to these recommendations in any formal manner. Sadly, this is because a dense thicket of lobbying and political donations, shielded by loopholes and opacity, is holding reform hostage.

Australians are, per capita, the world’s biggest gambling losers. We lose more than $25 billion annually. That figure has been disputed with me in recent weeks — people simply can’t believe the extent of our losses — in fact, some data suggests that a more accurate figure could be more than $30 billion annually. But for me, the most disturbing aspect of these losses is the increasing degree to which they come from young people. Young Australians are being deliberately targeted by online gambling companies, and they are, increasingly, paying the price.

By the time a child turns 13, an estimated 72 million data points have been collected about them online. Gambling companies use this information to serve up ads that are not just persuasive – they’re predatory. They appear during sports highlights, gaming streams and even innocuous YouTube searches. The message is clear: gambling is fun, easy and part of growing up.

A 2024 study by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education found that most teenagers aged 14-17 were exposed to at least one gambling ad per day online – in some cases, one per hour. This is not an accident. The ads are algorithmically tailored, data-driven, and designed to exploit the vulnerabilities of young people who are still developing impulse control and financial literacy.

The ads work. The Australia Institute recently reported that one in three 12-17-year-olds in Australia gamble and 46% of 18-19-year-olds. The Australian Gambling Research Centre has found that young people aged 18-34 are the most at risk of gambling harm: among regular online bettors in this age group, 82% meet criteria for at-risk gambling. Many report feelings of shame, financial stress, and regret, but few seek help. The harm is real, and it’s growing.

And yet the federal government has failed to act. The Murphy Report’s recommendations remain shelved. Former communications minister Michelle Rowland — who had received campaign donations from Sportsbet in 2022 — did not formally respond to the report in the last parliamentary term. The new Communications and Sports Minister, Anika Wells, hasn’t yet spoken publicly on the issue.

Meanwhile, the gambling industry’s lobbying machine hums along. At the federal level, gambling-related entities declared donations of more than $50 million between 2010 and 2020. In the states and territories, an additional $18 million was donated during that same period, mostly to the ALP and its associated entities. This is a significant underestimation of the financial influence of the industry. A recent exposé in The Conversation revealed how gambling companies “double donate” – firstly directly to political parties, then again through industry associations like Clubs Australia and Responsible Wagering Australia. Of 126 associations identified, only 59.5% disclosed their members. Just 13.8% of relationships were fully transparent. This is a deliberate strategy to obscure industry influence on political parties.

Gambling industry associations give companies multiple access points to government while shielding their identities. It’s influence laundering, and it’s working. Despite overwhelming public support for a ban on gambling ads — especially those targeting children — reform is stalled.

The industry’s arguments are familiar: bans will drive gamblers to offshore sites; advertising isn’t aimed at kids; they’re already “the most regulated” sector. The evidence tells a different story. Children can name more betting brands than native animals. Teenagers are installing gambling apps on their phones. And young adults are losing their saving and their wages.

This is a public health issue, a social issue and a moral issue. While families struggle with the cost of living, gambling companies are harvesting data from children and turning it into profit. Our government, compromised by donations and lobbying, is letting them.

The Murphy Report offers a roadmap. What we need now is the political courage to follow it. We must ban advertising of online gambling across all platforms, mandate real-time donation disclosures, better regulate lobbying activities and close the revolving door between politics and the gambling industry.

Young Australians deserve to grow up without being groomed by an industry that profits from their addiction, and they deserve a government that puts their well-being ahead of corporate interests.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.