Queensland gaming revenue rises in March

Gross revenue reached AU$307.18m (US$192.69m).

Australia.- DWS Hospitality Specialists has reported that gaming revenue in Queensland in March was up 8.3 per cent year-on-year to AU$307.18m (US$192.69m). Clubs’ market share was 43.2 per cent and hotels’ share was 56.8 per cent.

Hotels’ metered wins increased by 10.74 per cent to AU$175.3m (US$111m), with average daily revenue of AU$327 (US$207.9.). Clubs metered wins rose by 5.27 per cent to AU$131.9m (US$83.5m), with average daily revenue of AU$224 (US$142).

The majority of local government areas saw an increase in year-on-year terms. Townsville had the highest at 22.4 per cent, followed by Rockhampton (22.4 per cent) and Gladstone (16.1 per cent). In terms of average daily revenue, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and Brisbane were the highest performers.

Australian politicians reportedly received US$147,000 in match tickets from sports leagues

An investigation by Reuters has claimed that between mid-2023 and early 2025, Australian politicians accepted about AU$245,000 (US$147,000) in match tickets from the country’s most popular sporting leagues as part of lobbying efforts against proposed legislation to ban online gambling ads.

Reuters says that Prime minister Anthony Albanese received tickets valued at around AU$29,000 (US$18,500), mostly to grand finals and games played by his NRL team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Opposition leader Peter Dutton accepted tickets worth an estimated AU$21,000 (US$13,600).

Albanese had pledged to address gambling-related ads following a 2023 inquiry that recommended a ban across all media. However, there has been no progress on the matter since it was removed from the legislative agenda in 2024.

The gifts are said to be part of a campaign by the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) to lobby politicians with messaging against an ad ban. They invited politicians to events and seated them close to sports body officials, mostly from the NRL and AFL, who were briefed on how to discuss the impact of a ban.