Let’s bench the bet, just for a month: pokies, horses, footy, the Lott.
As a trial, let’s file what we fritter away and see how much money is saved.
It will be tough, with footy finals and broadcast ads shouting at us in every ad break to punt and play.
Because boy, do we like to do both.
We Aussies laugh off criticism of gambling.
We say it is cultural, that Australians have always had a predilection for a bet.
But frocking up and throwing money on a horse that you know nothing about, or going to dinner at a club and finding yourself throwing money down the throat of a machine that flashes and beeps is money for nothing – akin to throwing it in the bin.
A little zing of dopamine is delivered perhaps, but that is one costly little buzz.
The house always wins and we are world-class losers – losing more than any other nation, with critics blaming the lack of regulation.
The losses are growing year on year.
The Queensland Government Statistician’s Office data revealed this month Australians lost $32 billion in 2022/23: $23 billion from gaming (mostly poker machines, but casinos and lotteries too) and a further $9 billion from wagering – betting on sport and racing.
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The problem is, so much depends on parting people from their pennies.
Community groups receive donations raised by people’s losses through club funds.
There are the pretty maidens all in a row at the races that fund a whole industry.
TV stations and sporting codes currently depend on gambling ads to survive.
The latest numbers show Australians are now throwing more than $1500 per capita away on gambling.
Half a million Australians have asked their banks to temporarily ban them from having a punt.
It is no longer a naughty guilty pleasure: our gambling losses are causing social harm, but to turn the tide is something we are going to have to do ourselves.
Our economy is so dependent on it that the federal government has warned against a total ban because such a thing would cause media companies and community groups to fold.
While it takes baby steps, let’s sample walking away and keeping more dollars in our pockets.
Let’s decide not to be losers anymore.
Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
