Senate Claims Put Bookmaker VIP Programmes Under Scrutiny

A former rugby league player told the Australian Senate that bookmakers took VIP clients to private parties and supplied them with drugs, alcohol and escorts. Tabcorp and Sportsbet were named, and both companies have denied the allegations.

The hearings are taking place while parliament considers legislation that heavily restricts betting advertising but stops short of a total ban. The committee is pushing for a total ban and is using what it heard to support that position.

What Was Said at the Hearings

Luke Bateman, 31, who previously played for the Canberra Raiders, gave evidence on Monday. According to him, when he was in his early twenties, bookmakers took him on several occasions to private events in various cities across the country. One such evening took place in a rented house on the Gold Coast waterways.

Bateman said the operator’s senior management, including the chief executive, the founders and the VIP managers, were in the room, and that drugs were taken there. His comments were reported by the Australian Financial Review.

Tim Costello, who heads the Alliance for Gambling Reform, said such practices are not limited to a single company in the industry, and named Tabcorp and Sportsbet.

Companies Ask for Evidence

Sportsbet replied that it has zero tolerance for such behaviour and said there was no evidence for the allegations. The company said nothing had been given to it beyond what was said at the inquiry, and asked for any supporting material so that it could investigate.

Tabcorp gave a short reply and said the claims made at the inquiry do not form part of what it offers its customers.

No one has yet confirmed that the evidence has been passed on to the police or the regulator. This concerns a parliamentary inquiry, not a criminal case.

Betting Adverts Are Already Being Rewritten

A previous inquiry in 2022 ended with the report “You win some, You lose more”, which called for a full advertising ban and for a single national regulator.

The government has not gone that far. The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 has been tabled in Parliament. It limits television adverts to no more than three each hour between 6am and 8.30pm, and it removes them from live sport broadcasts inside those hours. Online, adverts are permitted only for users aged 18 and over who have logged into their account and can opt out of them. On the radio, the ban applies during the hours when children are being taken to and from school.

A separate provision stops operators from using athletes, celebrities and influencers to promote betting, removes odds advertising from broadcasts, and bans adverts at sports venues and on the kits of players and officials. Banks and payment systems will be allowed to block transfers to illegal operators, and the ACMA will get more powers to block websites faster.

One Account and No Documents

The allegations rest on the account of one person and on the view of a campaign group. No documents, dates or names of employees have been made public. The companies are asking for evidence, and the committee is using what it has heard to argue for a full ban on advertising.

If the materials reach the regulator, the discussion will shift from advertising to licences and compliance checks. Until that happens, the bill is moving forward in the form in which it was tabled.