Aussie Bill Would Force Online Gamblers to Confront Losses

Posted on: March 3, 2025, 03:50h. 

Last updated on: March 3, 2025, 04:37h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Proposed bill would require online gambling platforms to display running tally of player losses over time.
  • Real-time counter would be visible on screen at all times.
  • Lawmaker hopes proposal could save lives

Australians lose more money gambling per capita than any other nation, so would an on-screen counter that showed their total losses in real time make a difference?

Rebekha Sharkie, online gambling, losses, Australia, problem gambling
Independent MP Rebekha Sharkie, above, believes that a live loss tally would be impactful while costing the government very little to police. Australians are the biggest gamblers per capita in the world, and the government is under pressure to do something about it. (Image: SBS News)

That’s the proposal in a new bill from Rebekha Sharkie MP (Indep.-Mayo) which would require online gambling platforms to display a tally of what players are currently losing and what they’ve lost over time. The information would be present at all times while they’re playing.

Supporters say the idea is that a running count will make losses seem more real to players. And while it may not be a complete solution to Australia’s gambling problem, it could drive significant behavior change.

$25B in Losses

Australians lose more than A$25 billion (US$15.6 billion) a year on legal forms of gambling, according to government estimates. That averages out at around A$21,000 (US$13,000) per person. Almost 80% of the population gamble, 38% at least once per week

“This would cost the government very, very little to police, but this would stop lives being lost,” Sharkie said at a recent news conference. “Right now, young people across Australia are losing thousands of dollars … and they can’t see a way out, and this would help them to see exactly how much they’re losing.”

The idea was submitted in 2023 to a parliamentary committee examining gambling reform by a member of the public, Jake Minear, a businessman from Western Australia.

Minear’s thinking is that you wouldn’t have an online bank account that didn’t show you your balance, so why should an online sportsbook keep you guessing about your net losses?

The bill would require gambling platforms to display losses (and wins) at all times for the most recent calendar month, the most recent calendar year, and from the moment the bill becomes law to the present time.

Minear had wanted the clock to go right back to the point when the customer first began betting on a website, but this would require the bill to work retrospectively, which would be impractical and legally complex.

Government Backs Down

The federal government is under pressure to act on gambling after backing out of a proposed blanket ban on advertising, one of dozens of reforms recommended by the 2023 parliamentary committee.

Instead of the planned full shutdown of gambling ads on TV, radio, newspapers, and the internet, the Labor government opted for a restriction of ads online and on television surrounding children’s programming and sporting events.

The government has been accused of pandering to gambling and media interests at the expense of public health.