The peak body for Australian doctors has urged politicians and social media companies to restrict “shocking” content of influencers allegedly glamourising poker machines on social media. Source: The Guardian.
The warning comes after a report commissioned by the Victorian Government found the social cost of gambling in the state had doubled – from $7 billion in 2014-15 to $14 billion in 2022-23 – despite fewer people gambling.
The report suggested those at higher risk of gambling harm were spending more money. The figures include tangible costs, like bankruptcy, but also indirect costs, including emotional and psychological harm, such as depression.
The videos uploaded to Instagram show influencers inserting hundreds of dollars into poker machines and telling viewers they will continue to do so until a certain amount of people follow them.
Other accounts collate videos of people winning on poker machines – including turning $5 into $164,000, without documenting their losses.
Several posts seen by Guardian Australia can be accessed by children and teenagers, and do not contain responsible gambling messages. These messages are required when gambling companies promote their products through broadcast ads, social media and podcasts.
The new trend has worried public health campaigners who fear the content may be introducing a younger generation to poker machines and undermining messages designed to limit gambling-related harm.
Danielle McMullen, president of the Australian Medical Association, said the videos were “shocking”.
“They are clearly targeted at young people and seek to glamorise what is a dangerous habit and not one we would encourage people to take part in,” Dr McMullen said.
“These videos show that our regulations around gambling just aren’t keeping up with the 21st century. They are essentially ads for gambling and our governments need to take a long hard look about how we get on top of this content.”
Instagram’s owner, Meta, said it had strict rules for the promotion of gambling and that it would “remove any content that does not comply with our standards as soon as we become aware” of it.
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Australian doctors call for clampdown on social media influencers allegedly glamorising poker machines (The Guardian)
