For years, diehard Richmond football fans have known Shaun McDonough as Tiger Shaun.<\/p>\n
On game day he paints his face, puts on a wig and dresses up in a tiger suit before heading to the ground with his wife Tania to barrack for his team.<\/p>\n
Shaun’s love of the game has never diminished, but he’s watched on in horror in recent years as gambling advertising and sponsorships have come to dominate football \u2014 and become a constant reminder of the addiction he has struggled with.<\/p>\n
“The betting industry in Australia is out of control, especially the online gambling industry,” he says.<\/p>\n
Over a three-year period, the former auto-assembly worker lost about $200,000 with an estimated 50 online bookmakers \u2014 wiping out over half of his superannuation and what was left of a WorkCover payout from a shop floor injury.<\/p>\n
“You suddenly go from being comfortable in life to having nothing,” he says.<\/p>\n
“My daughter would help me out with the bills because I had no money.”<\/p>\n
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Shaun and his wife Tania are staunch Tigers fans. (Four Corners: Mayeta Clark)<\/p>\n
Shaun wants the Albanese government to act on the parliamentary inquiry chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy<\/a>, that made 31 recommendations, including setting up a national regulator and banning inducements and gambling advertising.<\/p>\n The Richmond fan used to bet mainly on the horses, and says the online bookmakers kept him gambling when he was at his lowest through inducements such as deposit matches.<\/p>\n “Bonus bets and inducements are there to keep you in the game. It’s as simple as that. The more they offer you, the more time you spend gambling,” he says.<\/p>\n If you or anyone you know needs help:Lifeline <\/a>on 13 11 14Gambling Help Online<\/a> on 1800 858 858Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 22 46 36<\/p>\n “Advertising harms the younger generation. It’s the younger generation that we have to look after right now. I want to protect my grandchildren.<\/p>\n “The gambling advertising needs to go, and it needs to go now.”<\/p>\n Shaun also wants the prime minister to understand the impact a gambling addiction has on individuals and those around them when they’re chasing their losses.<\/p>\n “It eats at you inside. It just eats you away,” he says.<\/p>\n Shaun McDonough lost about $200,000 over a three-year period. (Four Corners: Ryan Sheridan)<\/p>\n “All we think about 24\/7 is gambling. Where can we get our next win? How can we get our losses back? So, we just go on and on and on.<\/p>\n “There are people out there that have been doing this for 30 years. I only had a short period of three or four years, but a lot of damage was done.”<\/p>\n The 54-year-old says he wasn’t asked for proof of income by the betting agencies until it was too late.<\/p>\n “They were seeing that I’m gambling from the first race in the morning \u2026 and then the last race, probably somewhere around 11 at night, and they’d see all these transactions.<\/p>\n “They simply just ignored it,” he says.<\/p>\n The late Peta Murphy chaired the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling. (ABC News)<\/p>\n Shaun signed up to BetStop on day one<\/p>\n When the prime minister is challenged on his government’s lack of action on the Murphy review’s recommendations, he likes to point to the introduction of BetStop \u2014 the national self-exclusion register for online betting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shaun couldn’t wait until BetStop was introduced.<\/p>\n He signed up at 9:30am on the day it was launched in August 2023.<\/p>\n Close to 50,000 Australians have registered with BetStop and it’s helped many addicted gamblers.<\/p>\n The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), which administers BetStop, says about 77 per cent of those surveyed say they have experienced a better overall quality of life since registering.<\/p>\n Betting companies have millions in stolen funds<\/a><\/p>\n Nick and Aimee Mazza’s hard-earned cash was gambled away by a man they thought was investing it. Bookmakers encouraged him to keep betting.<\/p>\n The scheme is meant to block self-excluded gamblers from betting and prevent the online wagering companies from contacting them with messages that advertise, promote or offer online gambling services.<\/p>\n However, Shaun says despite being permanently self-excluded since the start of BetStop, he has been contacted by at least 10 separate betting agencies in the past two years.<\/p>\n “BetStop works \u2014 if the gambling sites make it work,” he says.<\/p>\n The last time he was contacted by a betting agency was on the morning of one of his favourite days of the year: AFL Grand Final day.<\/p>\n Shaun received an email from Queensland-based online bookmaker BetGold that acknowledged he was registered with BetStop but suggested if he wished to be a customer of BetGold again he would “be required to open a new account”.<\/p>\n Shaun says this should not be happening, and it’s distressing to recovering gambling addicts like himself.<\/p>\n “It looks like nobody’s doing anything to stop this, even though I’ve told them to make it stop,” he says.<\/p>\n “It basically destroyed my whole day, and it certainly destroyed the days after that as well. I’ve had to return to counselling due to these emails,” he said.<\/p>\n BetGold declined to comment.<\/p>\n The ACMA is now assessing whether this communication is a breach of the rules and says it has urgently sought information from wagering companies to determine how and why the messages were sent.<\/p>\n Do you know more?Contact Steve Cannane using ProtonMail on stevecannane@protonmail.com<\/a>If you require more secure communication, please choose an option on the confidential tips page.<\/a><\/p>\n No system is 100 per cent secure, but ProtonMail can be used to protect your identity by using end-to-end encryption. Please read the terms and conditions to work out the best method of communication for you.<\/p>\n In a statement, a spokesperson for the ACMA said:<\/p>\n “The ACMA understands how upsetting it would be for anyone to receive messages from a gambling provider after they have actively taken steps to stop online gambling.<\/p>\n “We take this matter seriously and are actively looking into it. We have also contacted the complainant to offer him support and assistance.”<\/p>\n A statutory review of BetStop is currently underway, examining whether the regulatory framework for the program is fit for purpose.<\/p>\n It is due to report to government by February 2026.<\/p>\n Consumer advocate and gambling regulation expert Lauren Levin. (Four Corners: Mayeta Clark)<\/p>\n Consumer advocate Lauren Levin says betting agencies in Australia are not held to high enough standards.<\/p>\n “Good European regulators require companies to demonstrate that their systems work and they are compliant, before they are given gambling licences,” she says.<\/p>\n “For example, in France, every year the gambling companies have to demonstrate compliance to the regulator before they can continue to do business.”<\/p>\n Ms Levin says that Australia hands out too many long-term online bookmaker’s licences, describing it as a “perfect recipe for regulatory failure”.<\/p>\n “In Australia, the companies are typically given 20-year licences by government and are not required to show that they have systems that work properly,” she says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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