The Commonwealth Bank gave a problem gambler more than $13,000 in personal loans despite his transaction history with the bank showing he was spending as much as half his income on a months-long betting binge.
Ben*, who asked the ABC not to use his real name, has taken the matter to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), claiming the bank breached its responsible lending obligations by granting him a $6,812 loan in September last year and a $6,727 loan in March this year.
“My gambling was out of control and if you looked at my transactions it was obvious,” he said.
“Instead of stopping to ask if I was OK, they approved not one but two loans.“
He has since begun psychological treatment for his gambling addiction.
Despite Ben…