Gambling: Optimised for Frictionless Financial Mayhem?
Gambling: Optimised for Frictionless Financial Mayhem?  
Podcast: Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
Published On: Sun Nov 02 2025
Description: The internet promised to modernise an age-old activity, bringing new convenience to a quick thrill. But has it instead delivered a predatory, 24/7 addiction machine - one that exploits our psychology with algorithms and has created what many now consider a serious public health crisis?We're joined by Mark Kempster - gambling reform advocate and member of Australia's Alliance For Gambling Reform's Voices of Lived Experience program - who has seen the human cost of online gambling firsthand, and is fighting to make sure others don't pay the same price.Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation - new episodes regularly.Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishowIn this episode we investigate the addictive design built into digital platforms, examine how data and algorithms are used to target vulnerable people at their most exposed moments, explore the normalisation of online activity among young people, and ask whether regulation can ever keep pace with an industry that has turned a public health crisis into a business model.00:00 - The rise of online gambling and its real world impact06:55 - The addictive design deliberately built into digital platforms11:48 - Regulatory challenges and the industry's influence over reform15:59 - How data and algorithms are used to target vulnerable people23:38 - The future of reform in Australia: what needs to change25:33 - The pervasiveness of the problem among young people27:57 - The specific dangers of in-play betting and real time exploitation30:46 - How online culture has normalised what was once considered a serious risk34:49 - The role of technology in accelerating addiction39:03 - The urgent need for regulation and corporate accountability43:33 - Advocacy for change and what hope for the future looks likeGuest links - Mark KempsterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_kempsterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kempster-2925317b/Twitter/X: https://x.com/OffOddsAlliance For Gambling Reform: https://www.agr.org.au/