Gambling harm

There is strong and growing recognition within the community that gambling is increasingly embedded in society – particularly in Australian sporting culture – and is causing deep harm to individuals, families and communities. In particular, there are growing concerns about the prevalence of gambling including in young people; the accessibility of gambling through online platforms; as well as the link between gambling-like content in video games and experiencing gambling harms in real life.

Our gambling harm research theme aims to reduce gambling harms through evidence, awareness and reform. This theme explores the drivers and impacts of gambling harm with a focus on consumer protection and policy reform. We work with governments, service providers and the community to understand gambling behaviours, evaluate harm minimisation strategies and inform policies, programs and regulation.

Key research areas

Under the gambling harm theme, we explore harm to individuals and their families, including:

• Impacts of gambling on families and affected others, including how gambling-related stress and financial hardship disrupt family functioning, relationships and wellbeing. We research the effects of gambling harm including family breakdown, domestic violence and intergenerational trauma.
• Consumer protection and reduction harm measures, including evaluating the effectiveness of harm minimisation tools and consumer protection strategies designed to reduce gambling-related harm. Our work informs evidenced-based regulations to ensure that gambling service providers adhere to a duty of care and empower individuals to make informed choices.
• Community views on gambling policy settings, including community perspectives on gambling advertising, accessibility and government oversight. We investigate how Australians perceive the role of industry and government in preventing harm, and how these views vary across regions, demographics and lived experience.