Gambling is a pure distillation of capitalism. No wonder Labor is reluctant to act.

This article is an instalment in a new series, Punted, on the government’s failure to reform gambling advertising.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2022 around three-quarters of Australians had gambled in the previous 12 months and just under 40% gambled at least weekly. It’s a predominantly male habit: 80% of men compared to two-thirds of women had gambled in the previous year, more than twice as many men had engaged in sports gambling compared to women, and the number of men who gambled on animal racing was around 70% higher than women.