Luke Bateman tells Australian inquiry gambling VIP programs included drugs, alcohol, and AUD 1 million losses

Former NRL player and online influencer Luke Bateman told an Australian parliamentary inquiry that betting company contacts went far beyond aggressive promotions. For operators and PSPs working around high-risk acquisition, the uncomfortable part is not the PR damage — it is the picture of VIP programs built around inducements, not ordinary customer relationship management.

1. Bateman said industry figures regularly supplied him with drugs and alcohol and encouraged him to gamble heavily. He described a VIP culture where he was flown to private events, placed in exclusive settings, and offered perks that went well beyond free bets or tickets.
2. One of his most serious claims was that company representatives asked him what substances he wanted and made them available at private parties. He said senior betting company figures reportedly took drugs alongside clients, and that this was happening when he was in his early twenties.
3. Bateman said VIP managers constantly messaged him with incentives and personalized promotions to keep him betting. He admitted he was responsible for his own actions, but said he was never truly in control; his wagering became compulsive and his losses eventually reached around AUD 1 million ($700,000), leaving him in heavy debt despite a substantial salary.
4. Tim Costello, chief advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, told the hearing that high-value customers were often offered incentives to keep betting, even when they showed clear signs of problem gambling. The inquiry is taking place as gambling harm remains a live political issue in Australia, with lawmakers split between tighter controls on VIP programs and inducements, and changes to advertising and regulation.
5. A recent Roy Morgan survey found that millions of Australian adults were affected in some way by their own betting or that of family members. The most commonly reported impacts were financial pressure, mental health issues, and relationship breakdowns.

The thing high-risk payments people will notice here is the structure: VIP retention, personalized inducements, and heavy spenders being handled as a special segment. If that sounds familiar, it is because the commercial logic is familiar — and regulators tend to look at the mechanics, not the pitch deck.