A Victorian coroner has ruled a young man’s sports betting addiction led to his suicide, while handing down scathing findings about the Australian gambling sector and its impact on society.
Kyle Hudson opened an account with Sportsbet on his 18th birthday and went on to wager $895,733 with various betting companies until his death four years later in 2021.
The Werribee man’s net losses totalled $47,945, a large amount for a 22-year-old who was still studying and working part-time casual jobs, Coroner Paul Lawrie said.
Kyle Hudson opened a Sportsbet account on the day he turned 18. (ABC News: Patrick Stone)
His final losses occurred on July 6, 2021, when bets of $5,000 and $1,300 failed to get up.
Mr Hudson’s mother found him dead later that…