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Bruce Moore, Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics, Australian National University

Two-up, Gallipoli and the ‘fair go’: why illegal gambling is at the heart of the Anzac myth

Spinner tosses the penny during a Two Up game at Flemington Racecourse during the Anzac Day in Melbourne in 2021. Diego Dedele/ AAP

Two-up is an Australian gambling game in which two coins are placed on a small piece of wood called a “kip” and tossed into the air. Bets are laid as to whether both coins will fall with heads or tails uppermost. It is one of the core activities of Anzac Day celebrations - and a beloved tradition.

The word ANZAC was created in 1915 as an acronym from Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. By 1916 it was being used emblematically to reflect the traditional view of the virtues displayed by those in the Gallipoli campaign, especially as these are seen as national characteristics. This cluster of national characteristics includes mateship, larrikin daredevilry, anti-authoritarianism, and egalitarianism.

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