It’s getting easier to become a problem gambler in Australia

Watch any major sporting competition – live or on TV – and at some point, you’ll probably be encouraged to have a punt by one of a number of sports betting businesses.

Whether betting on the result of a footy match or horse race, choosing the winning team in a basketball game, or picking the greyhound who’ll cross the line first, sports betting apps are transforming where, when and how often Australians – especially young men – gamble.

Data from the latest annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey shows that between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of men participating in sports betting increased by 66 per cent (up from 5.6 per cent in 2015 to 9.3 per cent in 2022).

Overall, while 3.3 per cent of Australians took part in some form of sports betting in 2015, in 2022...