Australia on Track to Enforce Real-Time Loss Displays

Australia’s Parliament is weighing a new law that could force online gambling companies to confront their customers with the true scale of their losses every time they place a bet.

On Monday, February 10, Rebekha Sharkie MP introduced the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Know Your Losses Activity Statement) Bill 2025, a measure that would compel gambling operators to display users’ net losses in real-time through a permanent banner on betting apps and websites. The display, which cannot be hidden or minimised, would show each user’s net position for the current month, the calendar year, and their total historical balance since first opening an account.

The proposal comes as Australia retains its unwelcome title as the world leader in gambling losses per capita. According to figures from the Queensland Treasury cited in the bill’s explanatory memorandum, Australians lost $32 billion on gambling in the 2022–23 financial year alone.

Sharkie told local reporters the measure could have life-saving effects with minimal cost to taxpayers. “This would cost the government very, very little to police, but this would stop lives being lost,” Sharkie said. “Right now, young people across Australia are losing thousands of dollars … and they can’t see a way out. This would help them see exactly how much they’re losing.”

Under the proposed rules, betting platforms would be required to keep the loss information visible at all times in at least 10-point font throughout the user’s gambling session. Operators that fail to comply could face heavy penalties: up to 500 penalty units per day for criminal breaches and 750 penalty units for civil offences — fines that would increase fivefold for corporations.

The legislation includes a six-month window for the industry to update its systems before enforcement kicks in. While Australian gambling companies are already required to provide customers with monthly activity statements, critics argue that these are often buried in account menus and are easily overlooked. The new measure would remove that choice altogether.

The push for tougher consumer protections comes amid mounting pressure on Australia’s gambling sector. The landmark 2022 Murphy Report recommended sweeping reforms, including a blanket ban on gambling advertising — a move the current Albanese Government has so far refused to consider before the federal election in May 2025, drawing criticism from advocates for stronger gambling harm reduction.

If passed, Sharkie’s bill could make Australia’s betting ecosystem one of the most transparent in the world, at least for those willing to look at the numbers.