GOLD COAST — Former rugby league player Luke Bateman testified at a parliamentary inquiry on Monday morning, alleging that gambling company promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol during private events. Bateman called on the Albanese government to implement tougher protections for vulnerable people regarding gambling advertising.

Bateman attended an exclusive event hosted by a betting company in a rental on the canals of the Gold Coast. He stated that the C-suite, management team, and administration of the company were present at the event where senior figures took illicit drugs with clients.

"The entire sort of C-suite of the company was there, all the management team, administration, and they were sort of all in a back room doing drugs together, and I was out in this room doing drugs with all of them," Bateman said. He identified the attendees as high-level executives, stating, "This is like the CEO, the founders, the VIP managers. And at that stage … I would have been a 23-year-old."

Bateman stated he was a willing participant in the drug use but criticized the behavior of men in positions of power. "I put my hand up, I was a willing participant of that, [but] these are men in positions of power with influence who should be looking out for your welfare, and this is the kind of behavior that they are drawing you into, encouraging you into, and coaxing you into and normalising, he said."

The former player alleged that VIP account managers for gambling companies sent him personalised betting inducements including bonus bets. He described a pattern of travel and hospitality provided by the industry. There were times where I would be flown interstate and taken to race days, put in marquees with alcohol and food provided all day, things like that, he said.

He recounted interactions with account managers prior to these trips. Before getting there, your VIP manager would [say], ‘Hey, mate, what drugs do you want? Do you want a couple bags for this weekend?’ he said. He stated that betting companies exercised no duty of care towards people like himself.

There’s absolutely zero duty of care, absolute zero care for you as a human. There’s zero care for your well-being, for your mental state. Absolutely nothing of that," Bateman said."

The 31-year-old TikTok influencer was earning $400,000 a year before his finances collapsed. He had debts of more than $250,000 due to gambling losses and estimates he lost about $1m due to his gambling addiction.

Bateman was a professional racing punter before his gambling addiction, with his betting activities including weekly race-day bets on Saturdays. His mother, Leanne, took control of his finances at age 18 after his gambling debts spiraled, a move that later helped him seek mental health treatment. Bateman attended a 28-day rehabilitation program in Gympie, Queensland, in 2021, which he credited with fundamentally changing his life after years of gambling and substance abuse.

Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello alleged to the hearing that TAB, Sportsbet, and Sydney’s Star casino offered one problem gambler drugs, escorts, and free accommodation. Sydney’s Star casino has a history of hosting VIP events for high-stakes gamblers, including a 2019 incident where a client was offered free accommodation in exchange for gambling activity.

Costello stated the problem gambler was given free accommodation at Star casino and had to leave each week so the casino could technically say he wasn’t living there. "He was given free accommodation at Star casino. He had to leave each week so they could technically say he wasn’t living there and come back the next morning," Costello said. The problem gambler mentioned by Costello has been charged over illegal activities and is currently detained in Sydney’s Silverwater prison.

he stated the problem gambler was TAB’s biggest customer at that time and was given $50,000 bonus bets. "He was the TAB’s biggest customer in that time. They were giving him $50,000 bonus bets," he said.

He added that the individual was also Sportsbet’s biggest customer and was doing turnover of more than $20m a month. "They were flying him to grand finals. They were offering him escorts, drugs, whatever he wanted," he said.

The Albanese government’s legislation will cap the number of gambling ads broadcast each hour and ban gambling advertising during live matches. Critics say the Albanese government’s plan falls short of the total ban proposed by late Labor MP Peta Murphy in a report into gambling harm. Liberal MP Simon Kennedy has advocated for the Coalition to go further than Labor with tougher new gambling limits.

Kennedy said Bateman’s story was a reality check. "The prime minister’s gambling reforms protected the use of predatory VIP gambling inducements instead of protecting Australians from them," Kennedy said. Representatives of Racing NSW and Racing Victoria will appear at the inquiry, along with Lottery Office chief executive Jaclyn Wood.

Why It Matters

Testimony alleging that gambling executives supplied drugs and alcohol to clients shows a claimed absence of duty of care toward vulnerable individuals. These accounts describe a pattern where high-value customers received personalized inducements and hospitality despite accumulating significant debts and addiction issues. The inquiry examines whether current regulations allow industry practices that prioritize revenue over the well-being of people facing financial collapse.