Ex-NRL player Luke Bateman alleges gambling company offered him drugs
Luke Bateman says gambling company employees unofficially offered him illicit drugs in order to cultivate a relationship with him when he was high-spend punter.
Source excerpt
A former professional rugby league player says gambling company employees offered to secure him illicit drugs to "strengthen" their relationship when he was in the grips of a financially crippling wagering addiction.
Luke Bateman, 31, who had losses of "tens of thousands of dollars a month" at the peak of his problem gambling, will give evidence about his personal experience at a Senate inquiry into the federal government's legislation to restrict gambling ads in Canberra on Monday.
The two-day inquiry is due to hear from medical experts and welfare charities urging Labor to strengthen its proposal, while the gambling industry has argued against tougher measures.
Bateman, who played in the NRL for the Canberra Raiders and is now a social media influencer with a two-book deal to author his own fantasy series, last month told Australian Story how he survived his gambling addiction and was now advocating for an end to so-called gambling inducements.
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