In short:
A 22-year-old man's gambling addiction led to him taking his own life in 2021, a corner in Victoria has ruled.
asserted
corner → lead → Victoria
After opening a Sportsbet account on his 18th birthday, Kyle Hudson wagered about $895,000 with various betting companies.
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Hudson → open → companies
In scathing findings, the coroner called on the federal government to consider banning all gambling ads on mainstream and social media.
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coroner → call → media
A Victorian coroner has ruled a young man's sports betting addiction led to his suicide, while handing down scathing findings about the Australian gambling sector and its impact on society.
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addiction → rule → society
Kyle Hudson opened an account with Sportsbet on his 18th birthday and went on to wager $895,733 with various betting companies until his death four years later in 2021.
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Hudson → open → 2021
The Werribee man's net losses totalled $47,945, a large amount for a 22-year-old who was still studying and working part-time casual jobs, Coroner Paul Lawrie said.
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Lawrie → total → jobs
His final losses occurred on July 6, 2021, when bets of $5,000 and $1,300 failed to get up.
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bets → occur → 5,000
Mr Hudson's mother found him dead later that night.
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mother → find → him
The coroner found online gambling was the main and direct cause of Mr Hudson's decision to take his own life.
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gambling → find → life
He noted Mr Hudson had no history of mental illness or drug and alcohol problems.
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Hudson → note → illness
"Kyle was a young man brimming with promise, and his story is heartbreaking,"Coroner Lawrie said.
"Ultimately, he lost everything.
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he → brim → everything
In the lead-up to his death, Mr Hudson's long-time girlfriend Ashley Baker tried in vain to help curb his habit.
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girlfriend → try → habit
Mr Hudson had agreed to let Ms Baker manage his finances and pay him a $50-a-week gambling "allowance", however he found other ways to hide his extensive betting habit.
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he → agree → habit
"He was unable to stop betting," Coroner Lawrie said.
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Lawrie → stop → ?
Sportsbet argued Kyle Hudson did not have a gambling addiction
In broad-ranging recommendations, the coroner said the federal government should consider banning all gambling advertising on mainstream and social media.
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government → argue → media
He also called for a ban on gambling inducements, such as "bonus bets", for young customers.
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He → call → customers
A national gambling data vault should also be created, he said.
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he → create → ?
Coroner Lawrie said the data, maintained by the federal government, could be studied and used to assess bookmakers' monitoring programs for problem gamblers.
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data → say → gamblers
"We need to know what works, what is likely to work, and what is a mirage," he said.
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he → need → ?
In Mr Hudson's case, Sportsbet was the main online bookmaker he used but he also held accounts with companies including bet365, Neds and Ladbrokes.
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he → use → bet365
A major flaw, the coroner said, was that each betting company could only see Mr Hudson's activity on its own platform, leaving it blind to his betting elsewhere.
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company → say → betting
Sportsbet sent Mr Hudson numerous emails about his gambling activity and suspended his account multiple times, however he was able to re-activate it after telling the company he was betting within his limits.
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he → send → limits
At the inquest, Sportsbet's lawyers argued that Mr Hudson did not have a gambling problem.
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Hudson → argue → problem
"It is chilling that this is Sportsbet's view," Coroner Lawrie said, given the tragic outcome.
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Lawrie → say → outcome
While there was no direct evidence that Mr Hudson's gambling habits were influenced by advertising, the coroner said it was "naive in the extreme" to think it didn't have an impact.
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it → be → impact
"Kyle did not simply decide, out of nowhere, to open his first betting account on his 18th birthday,"Coroner Lawrie said.
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Lawrie → decide → account
In closing remarks, the coroner said revenue from sports betting companies flowed through to local clubs, media companies and the government tax coffers.
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revenue → close → clubs
"The source of all this money lies not in some bright vein of national wealth; it lies in the losses of many thousands of gamblers attracted to the offerings of online betting companies," he said.
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he → lie → companies
"They are dangerous and capable of causing misery and great harm, especially for the young or those whose traits may make them more vulnerable."
Mr Hudson's family were in court and made no comment outside, other than to say they were pleased with the findings.
A Sportsbet spokesperson said Mr Hudson's death was tragic and that the company would consider the findings and recommendations.
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company → cause → findings
"Sportsbet acknowledges there is more to do, and we remain committed to continually strengthening consumer protections," they said.
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they → acknowledge → protections
Australians spend $30 billion each year on gambling, and Coroner Lawrie said the country had the dubious title of "leading the world in per capita gambling spending and gambling losses".
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country → spend → spending
New national gambling laws will come into effect in January, including an opt-out service for online betting advertising.
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laws → come → advertising
The measures don't go as far as what was proposed by late Labor MP Peta Murphy in 2023, when an inquiry she led recommended banning gambling ads during sporting events.
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she → go → events
The Aporia
