Project Description
Level Up Life is a data-driven, youth-focused initiative designed to reduce gambling harm and build stronger, more resilient communities across Victoria. Grounded in public data and informed by behavioural insights, the project recognises that gambling harm is not only an individual issue but a community-wide challenge shaped by socio-economic disadvantage, digital exposure, and intergenerational risk.
At its core, Level Up Life uses analytics and community intelligence to identify where gambling harm is most concentrated. By combining EGM density and socio-economic indicators, the program generates regional heat maps that highlight high-risk Local Government Area (LGA). These insights ensure that prevention and support efforts are targeted to where they are most urgently needed.
The initiative delivers integrated interventions tailored to young people and their communities:
A gamified digital platform guided by a friendly mascot, Lucky the Quokka, which provides interactive learning, peer-led stories, and wellbeing resources in a safe and engaging environment.
Incentivised learning through partnerships with socially responsible brands, rewarding positive engagement with vouchers for cinemas, music, and digital services, while showcasing partner contributions through a Supporter Badge system.
School-based programs including workshops, creative showcases, and peer-led campaigns that empower students to champion resilience, emotional literacy, and informed choices within their communities.
Looking ahead, Level Up Life is designed with future scalability and adaptability in mind. Planned features include real-time engagement analytics, adaptive content strategies, student and educator feedback loops, and a robust impact evaluation framework. This ensures the program remains responsive to changing youth behaviours and cultural trends, while providing evidence to inform broader policy and funding decisions.
Ultimately, Level Up Life reframes gambling harm reduction as a positive youth movement — one that combines education, fun, and empowerment. By equipping young people with the skills, support, and community connections they need, the initiative reduces risk while fostering resilience, social cohesion, and healthier futures for the next generation.
Data Story
In Victoria, gambling harm is not evenly distributed. Data shows that it clusters where communities are already under pressure. Our regression model revealed that 74.8% of gambling expenditure can be explained by just three factors:
Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) density: Each additional machine per 1,000 adults drives spending upward (coef. 0.864).
Socio-economic disadvantage: Communities with lower SEIFA rankings spend more (coef. –0.132).
Unemployment: Higher joblessness is linked to increased gambling risk (coef. 0.5623).
When we overlay this with population density, a clear picture emerges: disadvantaged suburbs in Victoria are carrying a disproportionate share of harm. These same areas report higher rates of crime, family violence, and mental health issues, creating a cycle that erodes resilience across generations.
For young people, the story is even more concerning. Public health data shows that adolescents in gambling-affected households are more likely to report anxiety, depression, and even suicidal behaviours (Suomi et al., 2021). They also face disruptions in education and early responsibilities at home, which limits their future opportunities. At the same time, exposure to gambling-like features in video games, apps, and social media normalises risky behaviour and blurs the line between play and harm.
These insights drive the vision behind Level Up Life. By combining heat map analytics with interactive digital engagement, the program ensures that data is not left in spreadsheets but translated into meaningful interventions. The boldest areas on the map mark the highest-risk zones, guiding outreach in schools and communities. At the same time, youth are engaged through a safe, gamified platform with Lucky the Quokka, reframing gambling education into something empowering, positive, and relevant.
The story does not end with intervention — it continues with feedback and adaptation. Planned analytics will track not only where the program is most effective but also how young people respond: which resources they use, which rewards motivate them, and which content sparks real conversations. This transforms raw data into a feedback loop for resilience, shaping policy, informing community leaders, and giving young people a platform to lead the change.
In short, the data shows us where harm begins. Level Up Life shows us how it can end by empowering youth, targeting communities at risk, and building a safer, healthier future across Victoria.
Reference:
Suomi, A., Lucas, N., Dowling, N., & Delfabbro, P. (2021). Gambling harm experienced by children of parents who gamble. Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au
