As we finalised this podcast over the last few weeks, its content has resonated with the rising anger about inaction in gambling reform, especially that as a nation we are, per capita, the world's largest gamblers. At the same time as every encouragement to bet - in gambling advertising across TV and electronic media - is blamed by coroners, and families alike, for the societal damage it does through addiction, financial loss and worst of all suicide.

Here are just a few causes of that public anger:

The full page ads across the Australian press this Saturday titled "Do Better - Time's Up: BAN GAMBLING ADS - ESTABLISH A NATIONAL REGULATOR", funded by seventeen Members and Senators of the Federal Parliament. See here.

The shameful stalling of the response to Peta Murphy's Federal Government Gambling Review recommendations after 1000 days of silence, released during the 2026 Budget Lock-Up a couple of weeks ago.

And the pitiful refrain from the NSW government about why they have to delay the reduction of cash limits for pokies - time, after time, after time.

Our sincere thanks go to many, and especially Andrew Wilkie MP and the Rev. Tim Costello, whose support and advice has made this podcast possible.

Our podcast explains how Australia went from a nation of modest happy go lucky punters to where we are now. How did we get here? Why have the many Inquiries and commissions been so apparently incapable of effecting change?

The subject of effective gambling regulation hides buried among a litany of small seemingly inconsequential events that, put together, expose the weakness of regulators, and casino managements, and the spinelessness of state and federal governments unable to break free of their own addictions to gambling revenue. Worst still, this is at great cost to the addicted punters on the one hand whilst failing to deter organised crime's reliance on gambling as a means to launder dirty money. We hope you are engaged by our story.

Created and Scripted by Paul Harris and Mike Sprange, narrated by Rosemary Butcher, June Chiu, Mike Sprange, and Nick Lee.

We acknowledge the use of Wild Grapes Rag (1910) - Clarence Jones from Classicals.de as our opening and closing music