Targeted promotions ‘influential’ in luring Melbourne man who gambled $895,000 back to betting apps, inquest hears

Kyle Hudson received more than 300 inducements from Sportsbet and 72 from Bet365 before he died, the inquest heard, including via email and SMS, averaging more than one a week. Photograph: The Guardian View image in fullscreen Kyle Hudson received more than 300 inducements from Sportsbet and 72 from Bet365 before he died, the inquest heard, including via email and SMS, averaging more than one a week. Photograph: The Guardian Targeted promotions ‘influential’ in luring Melbourne man who gambled $895,000 back to betting apps, inquest hears Inquest hears Kyle Hudson, who died aged 22, withdrew from betting accounts multiple times but received more than 300 inducements Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A young Melbourne man who took his own life after gambling more than $895,000 over four years was repeatedly drawn back to online betting platforms by targeted inducements, an inquest has heard. Coroner Paul Lawrie is investigating the circumstances and likely contributing factors to the death of Kyle Hudson, 22, including whether betting companies like Sportsbet, Entain and Bet365 accurately assessed his risk of gambling-related harm. Forensic accountant Cameron Gray told the Victorian coroner’s court on Wednesday that Kyle Hudson redeemed 489 inducements from gambling companies from the time he opened his first betting account on his 18th birthday until 6 July 2021, the day he died. Gray’s analysis found Hudson had engaged in sustained gambling activity over the four years, wagering $895,733 across 8,485 bets – depositing $406,725 into betting accounts from which he withdrew $358,779 in total, the inquest heard. Hudson’s income, however, amounted to $105,000 in total over that time. The total turnover reflected repeated betting and re-betting of funds retained within his gambling accounts, and the reinvestment of winnings into further bets, Gray said. His analysis showed Hudson experienced a brief period of overall net financial gain from his gambling in July 2017, but his overall losses steadily increased from then on, resulting in a net gambling loss of approximately $47,946, the inquest heard. More than 300 inducements came from Sportsbet and 72 from Bet365, Gray told the inquest, including via email and SMS, and averaged more than one a week. On multiple occasions, Gray said, Hudson withdrew all the funds from his different gambling accounts, and didn’t bet or deposit money back into the accounts until he received deposit-match inducements. This is where companies provide bonus bets equalling the amount a customer has deposited into a betting account. The deposit matches were “influential to Mr Hudson’s betting activity,” Gray said, though they did not determine all of it. Hudson’s financial exposure per bet increased over time, Gray said. In particular, individual high-value bets of between $3,000 and $9,400 were placed in the last year of his life, including in late 2020 and shortly before his death. Ashley Baker, Hudson’s girlfriend, told the inquest on Monday that she became aware Hudson had lost substantial amounts of money – which she understood to be about $20,000 – in December 2020. Hudson had on multiple occasions deposited and bet amounts that represented a substantial proportion, and in some cases almost all, of the funds available in his bank accounts at the time, the inquest heard. Earlier in the week, the inquest heard from representatives of Sportsbet, Entain – which owns Ladbrokes, Neds and Bookmaker – and Bet365, who were questioned about their responses to Hudson’s betting activity and the inducements offered to him. Christina Baek, Entain’s head of compliance, told the court that Hudson had been blocked from receiving bonus bets on his Neds and Ladbrokes accounts due to his use of them to bet “both sides of the line” – or bet on alternative outcomes on the same event so as to minimise losses. Baek said this was not in the spirit of the bonus bets. Lawrie asked: “Isn’t that Mr Hudson trying to reduce his exposure? … Isn’t that just what a bookie would do at the racecourse if they got a big stake?” “It is, but we wouldn’t be doing that with free money,” said Baek. “It’s a management of commercial risk … the traders would be managing how much free money is being given to people that then turn that into significant winnings or winnings in a systemic fashion.” “So if they bet cleverly with the free money, that’s not ideal?” Lawrie said. Baek replied: “From a commercial risk perspective, that’s correct.” In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14 and the Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie, while support for problem gambling can be found via the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic on 020 7381 7722, or GamCare on 0808 8020 133. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org, and support for problem gambling can be found via the National Council on Problem Gambling on 1-800-MY-RESET Explore more on these topics Gambling Victoria news Share Reuse this content