The Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) today backed all recommendations made by Victorian Coroner Paul Lawrie following the inquest into the death of 22-year-old Kyle Hudson, and called on the Australian Government to act on the recommendation on betting inducements with urgency.
The Coroner found that online gambling was the main and direct cause of Kyle Hudson’s death. Kyle Hudson, a young man from Werribee with no history of mental illness or drug and alcohol problems, opened a Sportsbet account on his 18th birthday. In the four years that followed he wagered $895,733 with online wagering service providers.
AGR Chief Advocate Tim Costello said: “Our thoughts are with Kyle’s family and everyone who loved him, and the best thing the Australian Government can do for them is act. The Government has been handed a roadmap by the Coroner with a young man’s name on it as a mandate for urgent action.”
The Victorian Coroner has recommended that the Australian Government introduce special protections for young people holding an account with an online betting company, including prohibitions on bonus offers and inducements (Recommendation 6).
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 will restrict the direct marketing of inducements to customers identified as ‘at risk’ of gambling harm. While the Act comes into effect on 1 January 2027, AGR understands that the Act’s restrictions on inducements will be outlined in a separate legislative instrument with the content and timeline set by Communications Minister Anika Wells.
AGR CEO Sunita Bose encouraged the Minister to examine Kyle Hudson’s case and the Victorian Coroner’s recommendations closely as the legislative instrument is developed.
“The devastating case of Kyle Hudson is exactly the kind of evidence that should inform the development of the forthcoming legislative instrument on betting inducements. The inducements instrument needs a clear timeline, as we don’t know how many other young people are in a situation like Kyle’s right now.”
“The Coroner found that Kyle was a problem gambler and was critical of Sportsbet’s submissions that there was no indication he had been one. The inquest raised serious questions about how well the betting industry identifies customers who are at risk, when a young man can wager almost $900,000 across several betting companies,” Ms Bose said.
“That’s why the definition of ‘at risk’ in the legislative instrument on inducements is so crucial – it must be informed by independent evidence, not left to the judgement of betting companies that profit from vulnerability.”
The Coroner also recommended the Australian Government establish a national online gambling regulator (Recommendation 5) and prohibit all gambling advertising (Recommendation 9), echoing key recommendations in the Murphy Report.
Tim Costello is available for interview. For media enquiries, please contact Tim Costello on 0411 633 446. For other media enquiries, contact [email protected] or phone 07 2115 0820. See here for a gambling language guide for journalists.
Note to editors re the Ministerial instruments on inducements: The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 (No. 72, 2026) gives the Minister for Communications several powers to be exercised by instrument without a statutory deadline.
Schedule 5 of the Act provides that the Minister may, by notifiable instrument, specify the day on which key inducement provisions begin. These include the prohibition on sending direct marketing of inducements to ‘designated customers’ and the requirement that wagering providers monitor customers for gambling harm.
Designated customers include people who have recently deregistered from BetStop (within 90 days), customers whose accounts have been open for 14 days or less, and customers a provider has identified as at risk in accordance with s 62ZSA. Section 62ZSA sets out indicators of risk, such as escalating wagering expenditure, wagering at unusual hours and failed deposits, and allows the Minister to determine further indicators by legislative instrument.
What counts as an inducement: s 62ZM(3) allows the Minister, by legislative instrument, to determine that a specified thing is taken to be an inducement. Under s 62ZM(4), the Minister may exclude something if they consider it is in the public interest. Under s 62ZM(5), the ACMA may advise the Minister on either.
If this release raises concerns for you, support is available. Lifeline: 13 11 14. Gambling Help: 1800 858 858.
About us:
The Alliance for Gambling Reform is a national advocacy organisation working to reduce gambling harm in Australia. We partner with other organisations and with local councils to reduce the alarming level of gambling harm in Australia, we work to change the laws and rules governing the gambling industry. We do not seek to ban gambling. Rather we seek to influence government to minimise the harmful behaviours of the gambling industry and to give voice to those who are impacted by gambling harm.
Contact details:
Tim Costello is available for interview. For media enquiries, please contact Tim Costello on 0411 633 446. For other media enquiries, contact [email protected] or phone 07 2115 0820. See here for a gambling language guide for journalists.