ACT reports record number of gambling harm incidents in 2025-26
The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission recorded a 53.5 per cent increase in incidents.
Australia.- The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission recorded 72,647 gambling harm incidents during the 2025-26 financial year. The figure, which averages at 199 incidents per day, was published during the ACT Budget Estimates and represents a 53.5 per cent increase from the 47,337 incidents reported in 2024-25.
The total follows an existing trend, as the 2024-25 figure represented a 50 per cent rise compared with the previous financial year. According to the Commission, incidents were mainly linked to money-seeking behaviour, including multiple cash withdrawals at venues licensed to operate poker machines.
Independent ACT MLA Thomas Emerson has called on the government to accelerate gambling reforms. He urged authorities to consider measures such as mandatory gaming room closures and restrictions on political donations from the gambling industry.
