Bookmaker behind Ladbrokes turned blind eye to drug money laundering

Zoe Samios and Max Mason

Updated Apr 1, 2025 – 4.12pm, first published at 4.00pm

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Already a subscriber?

The British bookmaking giant behind Ladbrokes and Neds allegedly failed to cut off a customer who punted more than $1 million in a single year despite knowing an internationally wanted criminal suspected of trafficking drugs had transferred money into his bank account.

Another customer, according to details filed by the federal anti-money laundering agency with the Federal Court, put more than $20 million through the bookmaker between 2015 and 2022 and was likely a trafficker who was incorrectly thought to own car yards when he was unemployed.

Zoe Samios covers wagering and the business of sport from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. She was previously the media and telecommunications reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and covered media at The Australian.

Max Mason covers financial crime, courts and corporate wrongdoing. A Walkley Award winner, Max’s journalism has also received awards from the National Press Club of Australia, the Kennedy Awards and Citibank. Message Max on Signal https://tinyurl.com/MaxMason