00:00Ella McIntosh may seem like a regular university student, but behind her medical books, she
00:08struggles with the impact of gambling.
00:10I was shocked that it had got to that point.
00:12I don't think I had cognitively realised how bad it had become.
00:17What started as a way to decompress after a long day studying, became a $20,000 debt.
00:23She didn't know where to turn for help.
00:26We don't really talk about women gambling, so I felt really ashamed of it because I felt
00:31like I was really abnormal and there was something wrong with me.
00:34Ella's story is not that rare, according to data from the Australian Institute of Family
00:39Studies.
00:40It found 55% of women aged 18 to 34 who gambled were classified as being at risk of gambling
00:47harm.
00:48And researchers have found gambling participation rates for women are about the same as men,
00:53with one in two women gambling at least once a year.
00:57Gambling is becoming a more normal and regular part of younger women's lives than we've seen
01:02in previous generations, which is really concerning.
01:06Researchers say sports betting companies are targeting women at rates never seen before.
01:10We've started to see these novelty bets that are focused on markets that women might be
01:13interested in, for example about how many Grammy awards Taylor Swift will win.
01:18It's been almost two years since a major report into gambling harm was handed down, making
01:2231 recommendations to overhaul the industry, including a ban on online gambling advertising
01:28within three years.
01:29The federal government says it's still working through the report's recommendations, but
01:33gambling reform advocates say it's not happening fast enough.
01:37Kate Seselja struggled with gambling harm for more than a decade.
01:41She's dedicated her life to reform.
01:43There is no excuse for not taking action to protect Australia's wellbeing.
01:49She says more preventative support would make a difference.
01:53If I understood when I was 18 what I know now, there's no way that I would have experienced
02:01the harm that I did for as long as I did.
02:04We need to step up and we need to make that change.
02:06A change advocates hope will come sooner rather than later.
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