This article is an instalment in a new series, Punted, on the government’s failure to reform gambling advertising.
Major party politicians have accepted at least 299 gifts, including tickets to sporting events and shows, from the gambling industry in the past five years, an analysis of Parliament’s interests registers reveals. Crikey and the transparency project Open Politics have collected all the declarations of those gifts on a special web page where anyone can have a look for themselves.
Forty-eight current federal politicians have declared gambling largesse since the May 2019 election. That’s 21% of all federal politicians.
MPs, senators and their families have enjoyed free entry and hospitality to AFL and NRL grand finals, the Melbourne Cup (in some cases, in the Birdcage, no less), NRL State of Origin, Ashes tests, Rugby Union internationals, and high-priced musicals such as Hamilton and Billy Elliott. Nearly one in three current Coalition MPs and senators, and one in five from Labor, have accepted gifts from the gambling industry.
MPs have also scored dinners, lunches, Christmas hampers, and lots of free booze, though we suspect the interests registers don’t reveal the full story since gifts and hospitality below $300 do not need to be disclosed. Go figure.
Twelve politicians have declared they or their families own or owned shares in gambling companies. Counted together with those who have declared gifts, this means more than a quarter of Parliament has an interest in gambling.
The dozen politicians that declared shares included five from the Coalition, six from Labor, and one independent, Sophie Scamps. She declared shares in the Waratah Hotel Group, whose holdings include gaming licences, and later sold the shares so they were from the register.
Australia’s largest gaming company Tabcorp is the big wheel in trying to influence politicians, dishing out 119 tickets and hospitality over five years.
Pokies operators, otherwise known as pubs and clubs, and their lobby groups are responsible for just over half of all freebies for pollies and their families.
These include Endeavour Group, which owns over 12,500 one-armed bandits, the Australian Hotels Association, Clubs NSW, and a whole host of AFL, NRL, and horse racing clubs.
The biggest recipient is Coalition shadow minister Dan Tehan, who’s trousered 31 sports tickets from Tabcorp and Richmond Football Club combined — plus a $70 bottle of shiraz from Endeavour.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, who is responsible for regulating online gambling and gambling commercials and is reportedly hard at work developing a new advertising code, has accepted 27 tickets and hospitality from Tabcorp and The Star combined over the past five years, with her and her family receiving tickets to the races, dinners, and tickets to Hamilton. She has not declared a gift from the gambling industry since November 2022.
In 2023, when Rowland was criticised in Parliament by Clark MP Andrew Wilkie and other independents for reportedly accepting donations from Sportsbet on the eve of the 2022 election, she said she had always complied with disclosure rules.
“I have and will continue to comply with the disclosure requirements of the [Australian Electoral Commission], the register of members interests’ and the ministerial code of conduct. The rules for disclosures must be complied with by every member of this place,” Rowland said.
She added she had a “strong” record and was “committed to” reducing gambling harm.
Clarification: an earlier version of this article said Sophie Scamps deleted her shares from the register. The article now makes clear Scamps sold her shares and that is why they were then deleted from the register.
Anyone affected by problem gambling can get immediate assistance by calling the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 for free, professional and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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