3 months ago
22
On the same day he died by suicide at his family home in Melbourne’s outer-west, Kyle Hudson placed two online sports bets worth more than $6000.
Hours after he had lost both bets, one worth $5000 and the other $1300, Hudson’s mother found the 22-year-old’s body in the garage of their home.
Australian teenagers gamble $231 million a year.Credit: iStock
The tragic death of the university student, which occurred on July 6, 2021, is now being investigated by the Victorian Coroner’s Court.
Coroner Paul Lawrie is set to probe several factors, including Hudson’s frequent interactions with online betting agencies, such as gambling giant Sportsbet, and how his history of online gambling may have contributed to his decision to end his life.
Lawrie will also examine the banks where Hudson had accounts and withdrew large sums of money to place online bets in the lead-up to his death.
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On Tuesday, during a brief hearing, the court was told how Hudson had a history of online sports gambling spanning at least four years, which he largely hid from his family and friends.
The depth of this addiction was unknown to almost all those closest to him, except for his long-term girlfriend, the court heard.
His girlfriend of seven years, Ashley Baker, had first discovered his gambling problem when the couple were on a trip to Phillip Island.
Counsel assisting the coroner Stephanie Clancy said Hudson had received a gift of $2000 from his mother for his 18th birthday, and during this trip Baker observed that he was unusually quiet.
“When she asked him what was wrong, Kyle told her that he lost all his money and that he wanted to die,” Clancy told the court.
“Ashley says this was a really unusual thing for Kyle to say. She believes this was Kyle’s first significant loss, and was when his habit turned bad.”
Clancy told the hearing there was no evidence that Hudson was experiencing any significant stress related to his university studies or his casual retail job in the months before his death.
He also had a loving and supportive family and partner who were left devastated by his death.
The court was told he had a large circle of friends, some of whom would occasionally place sports bets with him.
Clancy also told the court that Baker and Hudson had a loving, mature and healthy relationship, but his issues with gambling were a source of concern and conflict.
“Ashley reported the only thing she and Kyle argued over was his gambling,” Clancy said.
“She described a constant circle where Kyle would bet money, have a loss, and she would ask him to pull his head in.
“Kyle would then tell her that he was going to be more mindful of his gambling ... He would even stop it. Sometimes, Ashley would notice Kyle spending money on things for himself and would think that he’d gotten on top of his gambling and managed to start saving money again.”
The hearing was told that in December 2020, months before Hudson took his own life, he had told his girlfriend he had lost all his savings on gambling, which Baker estimated to be about $20,000.
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Baker told Hudson that he “absolutely needed” to quit gambling.
In February 2021, Hudson told Baker he wanted to start gambling again, but this time proposed that he would stick to a spending limit, where she could oversee access to his bank accounts and money, and allow $50 a week to spend with Sportsbet.
In the days before Hudson died, the court heard Baker had observed he had become increasingly anxious and distressed.
The court heard Hudson has seen a general practitioner several times between 2014 and 2016, but never raised any issues about struggling with his mental health.
The hearing was told that Hudson’s financial records may be used as evidence in the hearing as well as text messages between him and his partner in the days before his death.
A gambling expert who, after Hudson’s death, completed a report calling for an overhaul of the way the gambling industry is regulated across Australia, is expected to provide evidence during an inquest later this year.
Lawyer Andrew Maher, representing Sportsbet at the hearing, said the gambling company wanted early notice of what opportunities for prevention would be put before the coroner before the inquest.
In March, Sportsbet publicly conceded it had not done enough to prevent financial crime or assist sports bodies in identifying integrity threats.
In 2023, a landmark study found about 4 per cent of suicides in Victoria between 2009 and 2016 were gambling-related.
Researchers said at the time they believed the number was probably a lot higher because people often do not tell their loved ones about it.
Gambler’s Help: 1800 858 858; Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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