Luke Bateman admits bookmaker role as Senate inquiry continues
Former NRL player and prominent anti-gambling campaigner Luke Bateman has revealed he previously worked for a bookmaker, days after giving explosive evidence at a Senate inquiry examining the Federal Government’s proposed gambling advertising reforms.
Bateman became one of the inquiry’s highest-profile witnesses this week after alleging wagering company representatives offered to source illicit drugs as they attempted to cultivate him as a high-value customer during his gambling addiction.
However, it has since emerged the 31-year-old spent six months working as a business development manager for now-defunct bookmaker Southern Cross Bet in 2020, where he welcomed new customers, offered bonus bets and hosted promotional events.
Bateman did not disclose the role during his appearance before the inquiry, later saying his evidence focused on what he described as the industry’s culture rather than individual gambling operators. He also said Southern Cross Bet had been “much more well-behaved” than other bookmakers he dealt with.
The revelation came as wagering operators rejected separate allegations aired during the inquiry that high-value customers had been offered access to illicit drugs and escorts, with Sportsbet and TAB saying they had found no evidence to support the claims and maintained zero tolerance for illegal behaviour.
The Senate inquiry is due to report on August 17 as the government weighs reforms to gambling advertising laws.
Meanwhile, much of the online reaction to the inquiry and the government’s proposed advertising crackdown has been critical of the reforms, with many social media users arguing the measures unfairly target licensed wagering operators while doing little to address broader gambling harm or illegal offshore gambling.
The general consensus among punters is that the industry is over-taxed and driving Australians to offshore betting sites, where the odds are often better and there are less restrictions on bonus bets.
