‘A massive public health problem’: Australian children as young as 10 are hooked on gambling

More and more Australian young people are entering adulthood with depression, debt and relationship breakdowns because of gambling in their youth. Composite: Nadir Kinani/The Guardian

Steven* was just 10 years old when he started gambling online, an addiction that by the age of 15 would see him lose about $2,000 and grappling with embarrassment and despair.

He remembers gambling away $500 in birthday money when he was 12. “I was late to school because I didn’t want to leave my computer,” he says.