why the house loses?
The House Loses didn't start because we're anti-gambling.
It started with a much simpler question: why aren't we talking about gambling harm more?
it started with a question.
Garry grew up in a family where gambling wasn’t really part of life. That changed in his late teens when he was introduced to horse racing — and over the next 25 years, having a bet became a regular part of Saturdays.
But gambling changed too. What once took effort became something you could do anywhere, anytime, from your phone.
As Garry and Nic became parents, they became increasingly conscious of how normal gambling had become around sport, racing and everyday Australian life — especially for kids growing up around it.
Then came another story about someone losing almost everything through gambling while the people closest to them had no idea. It wasn’t the first story like that.
That’s when the question became impossible to ignore:
WHY AREN’T WE TALKING ABOUT GAMBLING HARM MORE?
i can't say i always stayed on the right side of the line.
Looking back over more than 25 years of gambling, there were probably times when I crossed the line.
Thankfully, it never developed into the level of harm we’ve seen in other people’s lives. But eventually, gambling stopped being fun. So I stopped regularly betting.
I still love racing. I just realised I don’t need money riding on the result to enjoy it.
this isn't about telling people they can't bet.
We’re not anti-punter. We’re not anti-racing. We’re not anti-sport. We’re not anti-fun.
You can love racing and still believe we should talk more openly about gambling harm.
The House Loses exists to make the harm more visible, easier to understand and easier to talk about.
BUILT BY TWO PEOPLE WHO THINK THIS CONVERSATION MATTERS.
The House Loses is being built by us — Garry and Nic — as a side project alongside full-time work, three kids and a busy family life.
We’re not counsellors, clinicians or researchers. We’re ordinary Australians who believe gambling harm deserves to be more visible and easier to talk about.
Our role is to build the brand, start conversations people actually want to have and, as THL grows, help fund organisations already doing the professional work.
recognise the line.
Because sometimes the hardest part is recognising that the line has moved.
Notice it in yourself. Check in on a mate. Start the conversation. And if gambling is causing harm, know that support is available.