Name: Report: Australians losing billions to illegal gambling sites
Uploaded: 2025-12-06T20:25:57.355Z
Duration: 3 min 25 s
Description: A landmark report from Responsible Wagering Australia has revealed the illegal offshore gambling market has more than doubled since 2019, with punters now losing $3.9 billion a year to unregulated sites. Industry leaders are now calling for a national crackdown to safeguard consumers and protect funding for community sport.

A landmark report from Responsible Wagering Australia has revealed the illegal offshore gambling market has more than doubled since 2019, with punters now losing $3.9 billion a year to unregulated sites. Industry leaders are now calling for a national crackdown to safeguard consumers and protect funding for community sport.

Canberra

A landmark report has found that Australians are losing almost $4 billion annually to illegal offshore gambling sites, which now account for one in every three bets placed. These sites, often associated with organized crime, use aggressive promotions and the identities of well-known sports stars to lure in customers, including children and vulnerable individuals.

The report highlights that nearly half of Australians cannot distinguish between illegal and licensed sites, and that over-regulation of the legal industry could push more consumers to the black market. Recommendations include a national blacklist, stronger powers for regulators, and collaboration between government and industry to better protect consumers and the local sports sector.

Report: Australians losing billions to illegal gambling sites

They promise better odds and bigger bonuses but illegal offshore gambling sites are costing Australians almost four billion dollars a year. They're lured in and trapped with generous promotions that aren't able to be offered here in Australia. According to a landmark report these sites many of which also offer online casinos and live in play betting currently not allowed under Australian law account for one in every three bets placed by Aussie punters. Almost half of Australians cannot distinguish between an illegal offshore site and a licensed and regulated site. Kai Cadwell is CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia. Every bet with an illegal offshore provider does not have the same protections that Australian sites have. They're often run by organized crime and criminal cartels so these are not safe providers. Particularly concerning they're also targeting children and vulnerable Australians. Some of these offshore operators are using fairly sinister tactics to target people who want to stop betting. 50% of people using the illegal offshore providers are registered with BetStop. The kind of technology that our providers would use to assist problem gamblers and stop problem gambling before it starts is being used to target vulnerable punters. The identities of some of our most famous sports stars being used to lure players in too. We've seen Alyssa Healy, Elise Perry and many others with their profiles used to promote these illegal offshore sites. With the introduction of AI who knows what's around the corner. Steve Gillis is one of Australia's most respected player managers. He says illegal operators are becoming increasingly brazen. We've had an instance where we've been approached to have a sports star promote an agency for which he would be paid but the company is not sanctioned within Australia. So they are actually targeting them through the front door. It's proof that these companies are determined to continue in their quest to get a big slice of the market. Now more than ever action is needed to protect people and to safeguard the industry. As calls grow on regulators internationally to crack down on the black market responsible wagering Australia says governments here need to be wary of the effects of over regulating the legal gambling industry. Regulation that doesn't improve consumer protections can actually drive Australian consumers to the illegal offshore market. What do you want to see from government? Things like a national blacklisting platform and giving the e-safety commissioner greater powers to shut down illegal offshore sites quickly ensuring the banks can block payments and recommendations where government and industry can work together. With the offshore market more than doubling in the last five years and with predictions government's community sports and racing will lose two billion dollars in revenue over the next five it's hoped this report will make punters more wary of the risks of signing up to these sites. These providers offer no consumer protection for Australian punters no flow through into Australian sports and racing and they're often targeting children and vulnerable people. you

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