At the time, the Communications Minister – who has played an important role in the looming shake-up of advertising rules for betting products – had acknowledged that “transparency and accountability” were important in this area.

She conceded that although no rules had been broken, people did “expect better” of their ministers.

“I respect that, and I think that that is a reasonable position to hold,” she had said, adding that she would no longer accept donations from Sportsbet.

Despite that acknowledgement, the Melbourne lunch was not recorded on Ms Rowland’s parliamentary register of interests, the purpose of which is to make public any “interests which may conflict, or may be seen to conflict” with their public duty, according to the official parliamentary website.

Society’s menu includes high-end wagyu beef and lobsters and its 10,000-bottle cellar won the best listing of French wines at this year’s Australian Wine List of the Year Awards.

Geoffrey Watson, SC, who led the prosecution by NSW’s Independent Commission Against Corruption in several campaign finance-related cases, said such events raised serious questions about how political parties used access to powerful people to raise money for elections, and also whether the activities were adequately disclosed in public records.

“The point about all of this is, for too long, we’ve permitted a system under which governments – it’s always the government of the day – have been able to fundraise off the back of controlling power,” Mr Watson said.

‘It’s sort of sickening’

“It seems to be selling government knowledge to a select few. It seems to be a system under which unless the people paying the money are fools, they’re gaining access to information or influence in return for a donation or the cost of a dinner. Does that sound right to you? To me, it’s sort of sickening.”

After citing a host of measures taken since the election to reduce problem gambling, including a self-exclusion register, mandatory classifications for video games with gambling-like content and legislation to ban credit cards for online gambling, Ms Rowland’s spokesman said no rules were broken.

“The minister complies with all relevant guidelines for both declarations and travel, including the register of members’ interests, and the parliamentary business resources framework,” the spokesman said.

The Australian Financial Review is not suggesting otherwise.

One source who attended the Melbourne lunch said executives left less than pleased about what they heard. “Industry did not like what she was saying. I think they left the room disappointed, to say the least,” the person said.

Another source said that after the pre-election Sportsbet fundraiser story broke out in February, direct access to the minister had become very difficult.

The lunch was on the same day as a speech delivered by Ms Rowland to the RadComms Conference 2022 – hosted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. That would have allowed her to travel to Melbourne paid for by taxpayers as it would be considered official duty.

The spokesman declined to say if the airfares were paid for by taxpayers.

Parliamentary spending reports for the period are yet to be released; AEC political disclosures for 2022-23 will be released in February.

Bookmakers and their lobbyists were substantial sponsors of the major parties before last year’s federal election. An analysis of AEC disclosures by the Financial Review shows that in 2022-23, Sportsbet made $312,000 in political payments, split almost evenly between Labor and the Coalition parties.

Tabcorp paid $115,000 to Labor and just over $100,000 to Coalition parties, according to its official AEC filings, and Responsible Wagering Australia paid more than $70,000 to Labor and $20,000 to the National Party.

Tickets to the races

Ms Rowland has been a regular recipient of hospitality from gambling companies over recent years. On five occasions, Tabcorp has gifted her two tickets to attend the races at the Royal Randwick Racecourse.

In November 2021, less than six months out from the federal election, she accepted a dinner for four paid for by Star Casino, and later in the month two tickets to see the hit musical Hamilton at the Star.

Australians are some of the biggest users of online sports betting and other gambling products in the world. Estimates suggest they lose about $25 billion on legal forms of gambling each year, representing the largest per capita losses in the world, according to Australian government research.

A parliamentary inquiry led by Victorian Labor MP Peta Murphy in June recommended that online gambling be banned across all media and at all times within three years to combat the manipulation of an “impressionable and vulnerable audience”.

Titled You Win Some, You Lose More, the report made 31 recommendations, with the push to ban online ads being the most significant. The spokesman for Ms Rowland said the government was working through the report.