Ex-NRL star claims gambling firms offered drugs to keep him betting

Former rugby league player Luke Bateman told a Senate inquiry that staff at betting companies tried to arrange illicit drugs to cement their relationship with him while he was losing tens of thousands of dollars each month.

Luke Bateman, a 31-year-old former NRL player turned social-media influencer, appeared before a Senate committee to describe how gambling company representatives cultivated a personal bond with him by providing bonus bets, paid trips and, on multiple occasions, offers to procure illegal drugs. He said the drug offers were informal tactics intended to deepen loyalty and ensure he continued betting with their platform, even as he lost tens of thousands of dollars monthly.

Bateman argued that such relentless inducements made it harder to break his addiction, noting that after large losses he was often contacted with attractive offers that prompted him to gamble again. The inquiry will also feature testimony from medical professionals, charities such as the St Vincent de Paul Society, and industry bodies like Responsible Wagering Australia, while Labor pushes for stricter advertising restrictions and an expanded BetStop opt-out system. Opposing voices, including Liberal MP Simon Kennedy, claim the reforms do not go far enough to curb predatory practices.