Australia has the highest gambling losses in the world. This report argues Australia should ban gambling ads and introduce loss limits on pokies and online betting to stop the industry causing more harm. This report recommends a multi-pronged strategy to prevent harm, including:

• Banning all gambling advertising and inducements.
• Cutting the number of pokies in each state over time.
• Introducing a mandatory pre-commitment system for online gambling, with daily, monthly, and annual limits on losses.
• Introducing mandatory pre-commitment for pokies in every state and territory, again with daily, monthly, and annual limits on losses.

Loss limits would act as a ‘seatbelt’ on the most dangerous types of gambling: people would have to choose how much they are willing to lose before they start playing the pokies or gambling online.

It would stop people suffering catastrophic losses – because no one should lose their house, or their life, on the pokies.

The gambling industry and its allies will push back against these reforms by stoking community fears about the loss of clubs, jobs, sport, and fun. But this report shows that their trumped-up claims don’t withstand scrutiny.

Federal and state governments should take on the vested interests and work together in the interests of all Australians to make gambling a safer, better bet.