Australians Lost Over $104 Billion to Gambling in Three Years, Australia Institute Estimates
Australians lost more than $104 billion to gambling between 1 July 2023 and 1 July 2026, according to new research from The Australia Institute released on 22 July 2026. The estimate covers the three years since the federal parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, chaired by Peta Murphy MP, delivered its final report. It works out to an average of about $666 million a week. The figures were released with the Alliance for Gambling Reform about four weeks before Parliament passed the federal government’s gambling advertising legislation.
What the figures show
The research is published through a new online tracker, the National Gambling Toll, which counts estimated losses from 1 July 2023. Key numbers:
- $104 billion+ lost from 1 July 2023 to 1 July 2026.
- $666 million lost per week on average over that period.
- $36.0 billion lost in the 12 months to March 2026.
- 75% increase in gambling losses since 2020.
The tracker is based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) quarterly National Accounts series for net losses from gambling. It averages losses per second across the 11 quarters from July 2023 to March 2026 and projects that rate forward to give a running total. The $104 billion figure is the Institute’s estimate built on ABS data, not an official government statistic, and it includes all forms of gambling: poker machines in pubs and clubs, casinos, lotteries, racing and sports wagering, and other products.
The release also cited data showing that more than one-third of Australian adults gambled online in 2024, compared with 8% in 2017, and new polling in which 79% of respondents supported a total ban on gambling advertising.
Reaction
Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Rev. Tim Costello described the losses as “a national tragedy” and called the government’s response too timid. Australia Institute research manager Dr Morgan Harrington questioned how different the figures could have been if a full advertising ban had been introduced immediately after the inquiry.
The government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 passed Parliament on 19 August 2026. It caps and restricts wagering advertising rather than banning it outright, and adds limits on inducements, a ban on online keno and new powers against illegal offshore operators.
What it means for Australian players
Aggregate figures of this size are hard to relate to a single household budget, but they describe a simple point: across the population, gambling returns less than is staked, and the total gap has grown by 75% since 2020. Every product has a built-in margin, from the return-to-player setting on a poker machine to the bookmaker’s margin on a sports market.
For individuals, the practical response is to set limits before playing rather than during a session. Our guides to budgeting for gambling and setting deposit and time limits explain how to do this with licensed operators. If gambling is already causing problems, the signs of problem gambling and the national self-exclusion register BetStop are starting points, and free counselling is available through the services on our help services page.
For longer-run official data on spending by state and product, see our summary of Australian gambling statistics.
Background
The House of Representatives inquiry report, You Win Some, You Lose More, was released in June 2023 with 31 recommendations, including a comprehensive ban on online gambling advertising phased in over three years. The government’s 2026 package adopts some of those recommendations, such as limits on ads around live sport and a ban on notable people in gambling ads from 1 January 2027, but not the full ban. Critics, including the Alliance for Gambling Reform, argue the inquiry’s central recommendation has not been implemented.
The Australia Institute estimates more than $104 billion between 1 July 2023 and 1 July 2026, an average of about $666 million a week. This is an estimate based on ABS National Accounts data.
$36.0 billion in the 12 months to March 2026, according to the Australia Institute’s National Gambling Toll tracker, which uses ABS net gambling loss data.
No. It is an estimate by The Australia Institute that projects ABS quarterly data forward. Official ABS data is published quarterly with a delay.
Sources
- Alliance for Gambling Reform: Over $104 billion lost to gambling since Murphy Review (22 July 2026)
- The Australia Institute: National Gambling Toll tracker
- The Australia Institute: Over $104 billion lost to gambling since Murphy Review
- The Australia Institute: Australia’s National Gambling Toll (report)
Header photo: 07 Las Vegas OYO Hotel and Casino, formerly known as Hooters Casino Las Vegas – slot games casino floor by Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo portfolio, licensed CC BY 3.0.