Amused Group, an Australian gambling company, is at the center of a scandal. It allegedly offered AU$25,000 (US$16,200) in hush money to a Melbourne man. The payment was meant to persuade him to withdraw a complaint to the local gambling regulator.
The complaint is Melbourne resident George Burns, 23 years old. In 2022, at the age of 21, Burns went on a gambling spree. He used two gambling platforms: BetNation and BetDeluxe.
Burns alleges that he deposited AU$10,000. AU$25,000, as well as AU$35,000 within eight minutes.
He made numerous deposits in 17 minutes totaling AUD$120,000, later that same day, in his next gambling session.
Burns’ complaint focuses on the fact that neither of the two companies nor their employees attempted to stop his behavior.
According to NTRWC regulations, bookmakers must identify and respond to red flag behaviors. He alleges that no one at the two companies done source-of-funds checks.
Amused Group acquired the two firms in March 2023, just a few months after Burns’ gambling spree.
Burns then filed his complaint with NTRWC, which is in charge of regulating most online gambling firms in Australia. Amused Group received the complaint in mid-March of the previous year. Shortly after, one of its representatives contacted him via WhatsApp.
The Guardian has been told by Burns that the representative said, “Are you free for a brief call now? I wanted to discuss a settlement for your account.”
After accepting the call, the representative offered him AUD$25,000. They also asked him to withdraw the complaint by the end of the day. They also asked Burns to agree to confidentiality provisions and to indemnify them. This includes against negative media coverage.
