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Hooked: Inside the murky world of Australia's gambling industry
How did Big Gambling become too big to fail and too powerful to adequately regulate?
Australians lose around $32 billion on legal forms of gambling each year, the most of any country in the world, while the industry rakes in $244 billion through poker machines, lotteries, casinos and the exponential rise in sports betting. In Hooked, Quentin Beresford explores how gambling expanded from a highly restricted recreational activity to a mega industry. He asks, what’s the balance between entertainment and social harm? What does the crisis reveal about the troubling intersection between business and politics? And, finally, how can the gambling industry be reined in?
With a cast of questionable characters, iconic corporate brands, eye-watering greed, political subterfuge and the many state and federal politicians who have sold out to the gambling industry, Hooked exposes the underbelly of gambling in Australia.
‘A gripping account of how the gambling ecosystem grew to be Australia’s version of the NRA.’ – Charles Livingstone
‘An exceptional account of the history and predatory behaviour of the gambling industry...and a powerful acknowledgement of all those people who suffer in the clutches of the executives who run and profit from these companies.’ – Andrew Wilkie
Australians lose around $32 billion on legal forms of gambling each year, the most of any country in the world, while the industry rakes in $244 billion through poker machines, lotteries, casinos and the exponential rise in sports betting. In Hooked, Quentin Beresford explores how gambling expanded from a highly restricted recreational activity to a mega industry. He asks, what’s the balance between entertainment and social harm? What does the crisis reveal about the troubling intersection between business and politics? And, finally, how can the gambling industry be reined in?
With a cast of questionable characters, iconic corporate brands, eye-watering greed, political subterfuge and the many state and federal politicians who have sold out to the gambling industry, Hooked exposes the underbelly of gambling in Australia.
‘A gripping account of how the gambling ecosystem grew to be Australia’s version of the NRA.’ – Charles Livingstone
‘An exceptional account of the history and predatory behaviour of the gambling industry...and a powerful acknowledgement of all those people who suffer in the clutches of the executives who run and profit from these companies.’ – Andrew Wilkie
- GenresNonfiction
475 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 16, 2025
Great analysis of Big Gambling in Australia. How they target gambling addicts and provide money-laundering services to big- time gangsters to make massive piles of money and use some of that money to buy protection from politicians and media magnates. They are a cancer on society which is almost impossible to remove.
December 30, 2025
A disturbing book on the history of gambling in Australia, and the succession of politicians and governments who have perpetuated the scourge on society that is gambling, especially poker machines and online betting. How anyone can ignore the harm it does to society is beyond me. A much needed call for action.
January 5, 2026
[Disclosure: this was written for Tasmanian Times, and will be the last review I’ll be doing for reasons contained within the review]
Hooked is a morbidly addictive read.
Using public record investigative journalism and critical interviews across the gambling, criminal and government sectors, author Quentin Beresford hasn’t just taken us ‘inside the murky world of Australia’s gambling industry’, he’s revealed that our entire democracy is actively and aggressively involved, directly and indirectly, in gambling exploitation and crime.
One shock in Hooked is finding out that our major party politicians are indifferent to human suffering and the injustices of an industry based on deception, exploitation and crime. If you look at what politicians do rather than the pious words they say, it’s stunning to see how far they’ll go to protect gambling and the criminals who use it.
“Gambling is one of the key drivers for preventable harm in Australia. It can cause family breakdowns, neglect of children, physical and mental health problems, financial catastrophe, increased rates of crime and family violence, and, in too many cases, suicide.” Charles Livingstone, Monash University
The social damage caused, and the infiltration and control of our political processes, is just one aspect of the problems of gambling.
There is also the aggressive expansion of pokies into the areas and demographics least able to afford loss, the near-exponential promotion of online “casual” gambling among young men, the campaign to normalise and encourage gambling as ‘fun’ for children, the insertion of gambling as fundamental to sport as part of ‘the viewing experience’, and the astro-turfing ‘grass-roots’ fight back against banning greyhound racing. Above all is the ability of the gambling lobby to own the halls of our parliaments, make politicians back away from banning gambling advertising, and to water down any and all enforcement of already pathetically weak regulations.
It gets worse. It’s well known that our State and Federal governments are addicted to revenue from gambling, but less well understood that governments are so complicit in the industry that they’re indifferent to a majority of voters who want ads totally banned - especially to children. Government know we want greyhound racing to end, and want more enforcement of gambling, and for government to separate itself from gambling interests and instead prioritise community, but Hooked indicates nothing is going to change.
We’re not a few pieces of legislation away from ‘achieving a healthy balance between people’s rights to have a flutter and mitigating harms’ because the gambling industry controls our legislature and will not allow any reduction in profits or its expansion.
Gambling advertising in and around sports, and sport sponsorship itself, is a key debate, but their advertising saturates our entire media in a way most of us can’t comprehend. The extent of what gambling companies do to lure gamblers, and how far they’ll go to keep those with pathological gambling issues hooked to their ‘product’, should be legislated crimes. The extent of what gambling companies do to attract and serve money launderers from around the world should be legislated crimes. Current regulations, in the rare event that any agency even thinks about enforcing them, are weak, and the rare legal finding against the companies have no lasting impact.
The expanding digital slot machines and casualised online betting is being pushed across the spectrum of media, from tiny outlets such as this one, engaged in SEO farming to pay the bills with links to online casinos, to the barrage across social media and traditional media. In other words, what you as an individual see on the platforms you use daily, is dwarfed by the advertising tsunami across all media.
We, as a culture, are being marinaded in gambling as ‘a terrific and growing part of our economy’, while our governments ignore the links to criminal activities and the devastating impacts on our communities.
Tasmania faces the looming battle to ban greyhound racing as our Parliament returns to work in 2026. The gambling industry and associated media and political interests have been strategising a multi-pronged PR assault to weaken opposition, gaslight the public, and threaten politicians with electoral defeat should the ban proceed.
The powerful gambling industry impacts and costs us all, in every form it takes, and we are, again, soon to see what will look like a grassroots campaign rise from the pubs, clubs, tracks and communities to fight off ‘the threat to local jobs and community organisations’. Big money will back it all, retreating to the shadows as their local proxies – ordinary people working for the industry – are put forward as the ‘true face’ of “gaming”, and as the people who will be hurt most if the ban succeeds.
And, if history is any guide, the gambling industry will win, and reforms, yet again, will evaporate with a few legislative amendments to assure the public that any harms are mitigated. Dogs will continue to be overbred, caged, and quietly killed when they can no longer race.
The gambling industry is based on deception and dishonesty, and will spend millions on the best possible lies to ensure their continued control of us and our economy.
“Big Gambling seems to have become an industry too big to fail, and too powerful to adequately regulate…[yet] the social damage, the infiltration of criminal elements and the corruption of the political process Big Gambling has caused is too high a price for the people of Australia to pay.”
Hooked is a morbidly addictive read.
Using public record investigative journalism and critical interviews across the gambling, criminal and government sectors, author Quentin Beresford hasn’t just taken us ‘inside the murky world of Australia’s gambling industry’, he’s revealed that our entire democracy is actively and aggressively involved, directly and indirectly, in gambling exploitation and crime.
One shock in Hooked is finding out that our major party politicians are indifferent to human suffering and the injustices of an industry based on deception, exploitation and crime. If you look at what politicians do rather than the pious words they say, it’s stunning to see how far they’ll go to protect gambling and the criminals who use it.
“Gambling is one of the key drivers for preventable harm in Australia. It can cause family breakdowns, neglect of children, physical and mental health problems, financial catastrophe, increased rates of crime and family violence, and, in too many cases, suicide.” Charles Livingstone, Monash University
The social damage caused, and the infiltration and control of our political processes, is just one aspect of the problems of gambling.
There is also the aggressive expansion of pokies into the areas and demographics least able to afford loss, the near-exponential promotion of online “casual” gambling among young men, the campaign to normalise and encourage gambling as ‘fun’ for children, the insertion of gambling as fundamental to sport as part of ‘the viewing experience’, and the astro-turfing ‘grass-roots’ fight back against banning greyhound racing. Above all is the ability of the gambling lobby to own the halls of our parliaments, make politicians back away from banning gambling advertising, and to water down any and all enforcement of already pathetically weak regulations.
It gets worse. It’s well known that our State and Federal governments are addicted to revenue from gambling, but less well understood that governments are so complicit in the industry that they’re indifferent to a majority of voters who want ads totally banned - especially to children. Government know we want greyhound racing to end, and want more enforcement of gambling, and for government to separate itself from gambling interests and instead prioritise community, but Hooked indicates nothing is going to change.
We’re not a few pieces of legislation away from ‘achieving a healthy balance between people’s rights to have a flutter and mitigating harms’ because the gambling industry controls our legislature and will not allow any reduction in profits or its expansion.
Gambling advertising in and around sports, and sport sponsorship itself, is a key debate, but their advertising saturates our entire media in a way most of us can’t comprehend. The extent of what gambling companies do to lure gamblers, and how far they’ll go to keep those with pathological gambling issues hooked to their ‘product’, should be legislated crimes. The extent of what gambling companies do to attract and serve money launderers from around the world should be legislated crimes. Current regulations, in the rare event that any agency even thinks about enforcing them, are weak, and the rare legal finding against the companies have no lasting impact.
The expanding digital slot machines and casualised online betting is being pushed across the spectrum of media, from tiny outlets such as this one, engaged in SEO farming to pay the bills with links to online casinos, to the barrage across social media and traditional media. In other words, what you as an individual see on the platforms you use daily, is dwarfed by the advertising tsunami across all media.
We, as a culture, are being marinaded in gambling as ‘a terrific and growing part of our economy’, while our governments ignore the links to criminal activities and the devastating impacts on our communities.
Tasmania faces the looming battle to ban greyhound racing as our Parliament returns to work in 2026. The gambling industry and associated media and political interests have been strategising a multi-pronged PR assault to weaken opposition, gaslight the public, and threaten politicians with electoral defeat should the ban proceed.
The powerful gambling industry impacts and costs us all, in every form it takes, and we are, again, soon to see what will look like a grassroots campaign rise from the pubs, clubs, tracks and communities to fight off ‘the threat to local jobs and community organisations’. Big money will back it all, retreating to the shadows as their local proxies – ordinary people working for the industry – are put forward as the ‘true face’ of “gaming”, and as the people who will be hurt most if the ban succeeds.
And, if history is any guide, the gambling industry will win, and reforms, yet again, will evaporate with a few legislative amendments to assure the public that any harms are mitigated. Dogs will continue to be overbred, caged, and quietly killed when they can no longer race.
The gambling industry is based on deception and dishonesty, and will spend millions on the best possible lies to ensure their continued control of us and our economy.
“Big Gambling seems to have become an industry too big to fail, and too powerful to adequately regulate…[yet] the social damage, the infiltration of criminal elements and the corruption of the political process Big Gambling has caused is too high a price for the people of Australia to pay.”
January 2, 2026
A great book about the power of the gambling industry, the social harms they are inflicting for profit, and the politicians who allow it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews