Luke Bateman, a former rugby league player and “BookTok” influencer, tells an Australian parliamentary inquiry that gambling companies and their promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol. Bateman says he was taken to gambling-linked events, including private race-day functions on the Gold Coast, during a period he describes as a spiralling addiction. He alleges that before trips “interstate” or to racing days, VIP managers arranged access to alcohol and food and then asked what drugs he wanted for the weekend.
Bateman also claims that senior figures connected to a betting company took drugs with punters at one of these events, describing participation by founders or senior management at the Gold Coast gathering. The inquiry session centers on whether the betting industry had a duty of care toward vulnerable people and on Bateman’s account of how promotions and access to hospitality coincided with his worsening gambling behaviour. Bateman estimates the overall cost of his addiction at about $1 million, according to the reports summarised by the outlets.
