University of Sydney has invested in world’s biggest poker machine maker and global betting giant

Data obtained by the University of Sydney’s student representative council reveal investments in multiple businesses across the gambling industry. Photograph: superjoseph/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The University of Sydney has financial stakes in the world’s biggest poker machine manufacturer and a global sports betting giant, both of which have funded its academics and bankrolled specialist gambling research centres.

Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show the university held shares in Aristocrat, and in Entain, which runs the Ladbrokes and Neds brands, between 2021 and early 2024. Shares may have been held before and after this period, beyond the scope of the FoI.