Ex-NRL star tells gambling companies offered him drugs

• A prominent former NRL player, Luke Bateman, has spoken about the grimy side of high-stakes gambling
• He has witnessed the morally dubious culture that surrounds licensed sports gambling companies when it comes to their VIP customers
• Bateman and others have called on the government to act decisively in passing stricter advertising rules that protect vulnerable consumers

Former National Rugby League (NRL) star Luke Bateman testified before an inquiry in Australia, offering his first-hand account of gambling companies and the lengths they would go to keep paying customers.

NRL athlete tells about the seedy underbelly of high-stakes gambling

Bateman, who has had a bad brush with gambling, offered his insight into what it is like to be a high-value player at some of Australia’s major sports betting companies.

The ex-NRL player was well-paid, earning $400,000 when he was gambling, but due to gambling losses amounting to $250,000, he had almost no money at the time he was also gambling heavily.

The player said that on at least one occasion he attended an event hosted by a licensed gambling company during which senior figures took illicit drugs with clients.

Bateman further argued that the Albanese government needs to act sooner rather than later and help put in place safeguards that are meant to protect vulnerable consumers, starting with gambling advertising.

The ex-NRL athlete said that there was "zero" duty of care and care for a customer as a human.

"There’s zero care for your well-being, for your mental state. Absolutely nothing of that," he explained.

Bateman recounted how such interactions would go as well. "Before getting there [referring to an event such as race days], your VIP manager would say: ‘Hey mate, what drugs do you want? Do you want a couple of bags for this weekend?’"

He was also targeted by personalized betting promotions. He further offered details about the Gold Coast event where he witnessed a gambling company’s entire staff doing drugs in the "back room."

"This is like the CEO, the founders, the VIP managers. And at that stage, I would have been a 23-year-old," he explained.

Bateman admitted that he was a willing participant in some of these events, but argued that people in power should also be looking out for your best interest and not "coax you into and normalizing" the activities.

Bateman not the only person to attests to the practice of offering drugs, escorts, and bonuses to stimulate certain gamblers

Bateman’s accounts are corroborated by Tim Costello, a prominent anti-gambling hawk, who has said that in the case of another problem gambler, Australia’s major sports gambling companies would go so far as to offer the person escorts, drugs and free accommodation.

"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 was cited as saying at the inquiry by The Guardian, a prominent media outlet.

The Albanese government is preparing, in the meantime, to restrict the number of gambling ads that can be seen during each hour of broadcast, as well as ban advertisements appearing during live sports broadcasts.

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