Former NRL Star Luke Bateman Testifies Gambling Firms Offered Him Cocaine at Senate Inquiry

Former Canberra Raiders player Luke Bateman told a federal Senate inquiry on Monday that gambling company executives offered him cocaine and alcohol at exclusive events while he was struggling with a crippling betting addiction. The 31-year-old, now a social media influencer, described losing an estimated $1 million and running up debts exceeding $250,000 despite earning $400,000 annually as an NRL player. His testimony is pushing lawmakers to strengthen proposed gambling restrictions ahead of a two-day parliamentary hearing on federal legislation to limit betting advertisements.

What Bateman alleged at the inquiry

Bateman told senators on Monday that gambling company VIP managers offered him drugs before flying him interstate to race days. He described being asked: “Hey mate, what drugs do you want? Do you want a couple of bags for this weekend? We’ll organise that for you.” At a Gold Coast event when he was 23, Bateman said senior executives including the CEO and founders were using cocaine in a back room, and he participated alongside them. He stressed these were “men in positions of power with influence who should be looking out for your welfare.”

How betting firms targeted him as a high-value customer

Bateman held multiple online wagering accounts across several companies and was assigned personal account managers who sent him customised bonus bet offers. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, race days, he received direct messages offering $1,000 in bonus bets if he deposited $1,000. The companies identified his problematic gambling within his first week and assigned him a VIP manager to build rapport. At the peak of his addiction, Bateman lost “tens of thousands of dollars a month” and would steal from his mother, partner and siblings to fund $1,000 bonus bet offers after running out of money.

The Senate inquiry and proposed gambling laws

The two-day inquiry examines the Albanese government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment, which proposes restricting TV gambling ads between 6am and 8:30pm and radio ads during school pick-up and drop-off times, plus an opt-out system for online ads. However, the 2023 Murphy Report recommended a full ban on betting inducements, which the current legislation does not include. Crossbench, opposition and some government backbenchers are backing a push for tougher measures, and Labor delegates voted last month to include a commitment to tackle inducements in the party’s policy platform.

The scale of problem gambling in Australia

Australians lose an estimated $32 billion to gambling each year. Bateman’s case illustrates how betting companies show “absolutely zero duty of care” to vulnerable customers despite identifying problematic behaviour early. His testimony, alongside other gambling reform advocates who described offers of bonus bets, hotel rooms, escorts and grand final tickets, aims to pressure senators into strengthening the government’s contentious gambling package before it faces a parliamentary vote.

Final Thoughts

Bateman’s allegations of drug-fuelled inducements by gambling executives have intensified scrutiny of the Albanese government’s betting laws. With the Senate inquiry underway and cross-party support for stricter measures, the pressure is mounting to ban inducements outright rather than merely restrict advertising.

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