The peak body for Australian doctors has urged politicians and social media companies to restrict “shocking” content of influencers allegedly glamorising poker machines on social media, in what it called an incredibly new phenomenon.
The warning comes after a report commissioned by the Victorian government found the social cost of gambling in the state had doubled – from $7bn in 2014-15 to $14bn in 2022-23 – despite fewer people gambling.
The report suggested those at higher risk of gambling harm were spending more money. The figures include tangible costs, like bankruptcy, but also indirect costs, including emotional and psychological harm, such as depression.
The videos uploaded to Instagram show influencers inserting hundreds of dollars into poker machines and telling viewers they will continue to do so until a certain amount of people follow them.
Other accounts collate videos of people winning on poker machines – including turning $5 into $164,000, without documenting their losses.
Several posts seen by Guardian Australia can be accessed by children and teenagers, and do not contain responsible gambling messages. These messages are required when gambling companies promote their products through broadcast ads, social media and podcasts.
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The new trend has worried public health campaigners who fear the content may be introducing a younger generation to poker machines and undermining messages designed to limit gambling-related harm.
Dr Danielle McMullen, the president of the Australian Medical Association, said the videos were “shocking”.
“They are clearly targeted at young people and seek to glamorise what is a dangerous habit and not one we would encourage people to take part in,” McMullen said.
“These videos show that our regulations around gambling just aren’t keeping up with the 21st century. They are essentially ads for gambling and our governments need to take a long hard look about how we get on top of this content.”
Instagram’s owner, Meta, said it had strict rules for the promotion of gambling and that it would “remove any content that does not comply with our standards as soon as we become aware” of it.
“Both the advertiser and creator must obtain written permission to promote real money gambling and must comply with all applicable Australian laws and regulations,” a Meta spokesperson said.
But it is not clear whether these accounts are defined as advertising, despite allegedly promoting gambling, as they do not appear to have been published in partnership with any gambling company or venue. Many of the posts seen by Guardian Australia have been online for several weeks.
Dr Mark Johnson, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, who has researched social media influencers and gambling, said the emergence of influencers focused on poker machines was an “incredibly new phenomenon”.
“We’re seeing people who have already built significant followings shifting into gambling content in recent years, while we’ve also seen people starting off with this kind of content and trying to reach the status of an influencer,” Johnson said.
“This is then a wholly contemporary thing, and there’s almost no research on it.”
On Monday, Guardian Australia revealed Instagram influencers were inadvertently promoting an offshore gambling company that is banned from targeting Australians consumers.
Videos posted by multiple influencers referenced the name of the company, included links to its international website, and shared financial inducements for people to create accounts.
This practice has infuriated the Australian media regulator, which has threatened influencers with fines of up to $59,400 for “promoting or publicising illegal online gambling services”.
The Meta spokesperson said the company operated a “strike system to hold advertisers and creators accountable for the content they post”. This system can result in accounts being restricted or disabled if there is a history of violations.
A spokesperson for the Australian Influencer Marketing Council said it was clear that influencers needed more education about their roles and legal responsibilities.
They added: “Many creators engaging in affiliate marketing may not fully understand the regulatory frameworks in which they operate.”
• In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858. The National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007. In the UK, support for problem gambling can be found via the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic on 020 7381 7722, or GamCare on 0808 8020 133. In the US, call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 800-GAMBLER or text 800GAM
