Industry influence? No chance at Independent Gambling Research Conference

By Mary Bolling

A CQUniversity conference has shifted the conversation about gambling habits and harms by not accepting sponsorship from the gambling industry. 

The University hosted its first-ever Independent Gambling Research Conference across 23-24 February. The event also required submissions to demonstrate no funding ties to gambling companies or organisations. 

The unique opportunity attracted researchers, policymakers, anti-gambling lobby groups, community and service providers and people with lived experience of gambling addiction from across Australia and internationally. 

Experts highlight harms

CQUniversity’s Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory (EGRL) is the nation’s largest team of gambling-focused researchers and convened the Melbourne event. 

Featuring 30 presentations and a panel session, CQU researchers shared a wide range of insights, across topics including:

• Reduced betting and reduced gambling harms when sports betting participants opt out of direct marketing messages
• Gambling marketing to young people via phone apps
• How affiliate marketing companies recruit new gambling customers in the UK, and incentives for these third parties to encourage ongoing gambling losses
• Gambling risk for people accessing alcohol and other drug services
• Tracking gambling harms across demographic data from gambling prevalence studies
• Tree-based modelling to understand gambling harms in key cohorts
• Effects of gambling harm on health.

CQU presenters included Head of EGRL Professor Matthew Rockloff, Professor Nerilee Hing, Professor Matthew Browne, Professor Alex Russell, Dr En Li, Dr Catherine Tulloch and PhD candidates Georgia Dellosa and Duminda Kottahachchi.

Less punters, more losses

Australia is the world’s global capital for per-capita gambling losses, with $1,527 lost per adult in 2022-23 – the highest figure since 2001.

Prof Russell was lead convenor of the conference and said that’s despite prevalence studies showing less Australians are gambling overall.

“There has been a steady decline in participants, with the really notable exception of sports betting; that tells us those who are betting, are betting more frequently, with larger amounts,” he explained. 

Several conference sessions highlighted lack of Federal Government response to the 2023 Murphy Report, from the inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm, chaired by late Labor MP Peta Murphy.

According to CQUniversity research, around 15 to 20 per cent of all adult Australians experience harm from gambling, whether it’s their own gambling or gambling by someone else. 

This harm can include financial distress, relationship breakdowns and mental and physical health impacts.

Success first of many

Assoc Prof Russell said the purpose of the conference was warmly received: ensuring a platform for gambling research, without any perceived industry influence. 

“Our independence ensures the focus is on empirical findings and reasoned argument, and the Independent Gambling Research Conference is determined to be a forum where an objective truth about gambling impacts, however difficult to discover, is the end goal.” 

The conference will return 2027.

To explore CQU’s gambling research, visit the EGRL website.