Labor’s millions in gambling donations revealed amid last-ditch push for reform

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The Labor Party collected more than $4 million in gambling donations in five years, including $1.5 million around the last election, as it dithered on reform before backing down from a full crackdown on betting advertising.

The party’s left faction will on Wednesday consider whether they should make a last-ditch effort to push Prime Minister Anthony Albanese into a tougher position on reducing gambling harm at this week’s national conference, which will decide the next three years of Labor policy.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.AAP

Later the same day, hospitality and pokies giant the Endeavour Group will sponsor a Labor fundraiser on the sidelines of the main event in Adelaide. The hospitality conglomerate is one of five pokies operators – on top of wagering companies, hotels and clubs – that donated to the party between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

Gambling reform has divided Labor at federal level and in NSW as party leadership rubs up against demands from both party members and society in general for tougher rules that reduce financial losses and harm to families.

But party insiders expect debate will be muted at this week’s conference after the Albanese government introduced a bill in June to limit television ads in daytime, require online platforms to offer their users an “opt out” of gambling ads and phase out advertising for stadiums and jerseys.

While Labor has been criticised from both the left and right of politics for its legislation – the late MP Peta Murphy had recommended a total advertising blackout in 2023 – many MPs have nonetheless viewed the package as a positive step forward. Other members say that, by introducing the watered-down package to parliament, the government stopped the issue from blowing up at the party’s conference.

Still, the Left faction will discuss an 11th-hour attempt to strengthen the party’s position in its national platform. The draft document, which guides the cabinet on policy, already contains a segment on gambling harm and the need for regulation.

“Labor has introduced the strongest ever action to protect Australians from gambling harm,” it says.

“Labor will continue to work closely with people experiencing harm from gambling, their advocates, and affected stakeholders ... We recognise the impact that inducements can have on vulnerable people, and we will strengthen measures to minimise that harm.”

One option being considered is an amendment that pushes for stronger regulation of the new regime, such as by giving the regulator more teeth and resources. Murphy had recommended a dedicated national gambling regulator, but the government will instead defer to the existing communications authority.

While this is negotiated among rank-and-file members in backrooms, gambling sector representatives will attend the national conference, including a series of “speed-dating” sessions, dinners and drinks events that will yield the party millions in donations.

Prominent gambling reform advocate Tim Costello said it was telling that industry lobbyists would be at the Labor event during a time of subdued debate.

“Their power and grip on the party through donations seems to be untouchable,” he said.

“Labor has a gambling problem, whether it’s [NSW Premier Chris] Minns over pokies, or Albanese refusing to implement the Murphy report.”

At the NSW Labor conference this month – a smaller event than the national forum – senior Labor figures gave a blistering assessment of the party’s record on pokies and accused the state leadership of bowing to pressure from lobby groups. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and Unions NSW’s Mark Morey succeeded in pushing NSW Labor to adopt a strict anti-poker machine crackdown that acted on the concerns of rank-and-file members.

But the national Labor conference has become an increasingly stage-managed affair as the federal parliamentary party prioritises unity, as this masthead reported, and dissent over the issue within the federal caucus has also been muted despite many MPs’ private concerns.

“It surprises me that the Liberal backbench is more courageous than the Labor backbench,” Costello said, referencing a recent push among some Coalition MPs who want to take the issue up to the government.

“They [Labor MPs] don’t speak up. This is the party that prided itself on debate over ideas. Nothing is going to happen at conference – it’s been nailed down.”

Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells have a rule that stops them meeting one-on-one with sports betting executives to avoid the perception they are being swayed, although in practice it means this task is discharged to staffers.

While NSW Labor committed to a ban on accepting political donations from clubs with gaming machines ahead of the March 2023 state election, federal Labor has no such restrictions.

This means the drinks event on Wednesday night sponsored by Endeavour Group does not break federal Labor rules.

According to a combined analysis of Labor and donor disclosures on the Australian Electoral Commission, Endeavour is one of five pokies venue operators that have collectively donated at least $400,000 to the party between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

Another $1.4 million, at least, in that period has come from companies with interests in wagering, lotteries and online betting – such as Sportsbet, Tabcorp, the Lottery Corporation and the founder of online casino Stake.com, Ed Craven.

And $2.3 million, at least, flowed to Labor from industry peak bodies including the Australian Hotels Association, ClubsNSW and Responsible Wagering Australia.

The Coalition, in the same five-year period, reported about $2.6 million in donations, including about $800,000 in donations from wagering and lottery companies, $960,000 from interests linked to pokies and $830,000 from industry peak bodies.

The donors themselves reported higher figures in Coalition donations than the parties themselves, including more than $2 million from industry peak bodies.

There are discrepancies in the AEC data because the political parties and donors make their own disclosures and operate under slightly different rules regarding memberships, fundraising dinners or tickets to party events. Some may also choose to disclose sums that fall below the compulsory threshold.

According to the parties’ own disclosures, Labor collected $4.4 million from gambling-related entities between 2020-21 and 2024-25, while the Coalition took in $2.6 million.

According to the donors’ records, this lifts to about $5 million for Labor and $4.5 million for the Coalition.

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Natassia Chrysanthos is Federal Political Correspondent. She has previously reported on immigration, health, social issues and the NDIS from Parliament House in Canberra.Connect via X or email.

Paul Sakkal is Chief Political Correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and won a Walkley award and the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect via X or email.