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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Henry Belot

Gambling company offered Melbourne man $25,000 on condition he withdraw complaint to regulator and be liable for ‘adverse media’

A generic image of a person using a phone on a street at night
Gordon Burns, who was 21 when he undertook a frenzy of online betting, wants the regulator to investigate why ‘so many red flags were ignored’. Photograph: DMP/Getty Images

A Melbourne man says he was offered $25,000 by a gambling company on the condition that he withdraw a complaint to an industry regulator, agree to confidentiality provisions and indemnify them, including against adverse media coverage.

Gordon Burns, 23, argues his 2022 betting frenzy with two bookmakers showed “consistent patterns of addictive behaviour” and alleges that no one from either company checked on him to minimise gambling harm.

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