Inquest into the Death of Kyle Hudson: Gambling Companies Under Scrutiny

Victorian coroner Paul Lawrie is conducting an inquest into the death of Kyle Hudson, who died by suicide on 6 July 2021. The inquest, which began on Monday, examines whether betting companies adequately assessed the risk of gambling-related harm before his death.

A Devastating Gambling History

"Hudson's total online gambling turnover was $895,733, with a net loss of over $47,000 over four years."

According to counsel assisting the coroner, Georgina Coghlan KC, Hudson's gambling activity began on his 18th birthday in 2017 and continued until his death. He held accounts with Sportsbet, Entain, and bet365.

Court documents reveal alarming patterns:

• Hudson placed 999 bets in his first six months with Sportsbet, with an average stake of $107.
• He bet an average of 4.6 times per day with Sportsbet.
• He triggered behavioral alerts on average every six weeks, with Sportsbet recording 37 alerts. Most alerts were triggered by him being aged 22 or under and betting over $3,000 in a rolling week.

The company's response was limited. Sportsbet sent "safer gambling" emails, which Coghlan described as "almost identical and lacking specific information on problematic deposits."

Hudson's account was suspended five times but reactivated after he told safer gambling specialists he was betting within limits. Notably, Sportsbet did not retain call recordings of these conversations.

Personal Tragedy

"After receiving $2,000 as a birthday gift, he lost it all and told her he 'wanted to die.'"

Ashley Baker, Hudson's girlfriend of seven years, testified that Hudson opened a Sportsbet account on his 18th birthday. She said the only arguments between them were about his gambling.

Baker described the first significant loss: after receiving $2,000 as a birthday gift, Hudson lost it all and told her he "wanted to die."

Hudson attempted to control his gambling, including setting limits and taking breaks. In December 2020, after losing $20,000—all his savings—he gave Baker control of most of his money and his Sportsbet account password.

In the days before his death, Hudson asked Baker for money, and she sent him about $5,500. She subsequently ended their relationship after seeing he had been betting.

Company Testimony

Sarah Rizzo, Sportsbet's director of customer operations, acknowledged that with hindsight, "there may be times that Mr Hudson's gambling did get away from him."

She noted that procedures have changed since Hudson's death. Similar behavior would now trigger 70 alerts, including blocking deposits and mandatory deposit limits.

Representatives from Entain Group and Hillside (owner of bet365) are scheduled to testify later this week.