Benjamin Carter: Alleged fraudster and problem gambler drops civil court case against Sportsbet

Penrith accountant and gambling addict Benjamin Carter has dropped court action which claimed Sportsbet ignored ‘red flags’ in his betting and plied him with free holidays and NRL games.

Alleged fraudster accountant Benjamin Carter has quietly dropped his civil court case against wagering giant Sportsbet, The Daily Telegraph can reveal. Picture: Facebook

A former high-flying tax agent accused of siphoning tens of millions of dollars from clients to bankroll a monster gambling addiction has quietly abandoned his year-long civil lawsuit against wagering giant Sportsbet.

Benjamin Carter launched civil proceedings in the Federal Court on July 3 last year, accusing Sportsbet of courting him as a high roller and plying him with gifts and incentives to keep betting, while ignoring “red flag” behaviour that suggested he was a problem gambler.

But Sportsbet fired back at the claims, saying Carter’s betting activity did not raise alarm bells in the company and it was his responsibility to tell them if he was an addict.

According to an amended statement of claim filed by Carter’s legal team, Carter placed $70 million worth of bets between 2021 and 2023, at times transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars from his Commonwealth Bank account into his Sportsbet account in a single day.

The court heard he was unable to account for his seemingly large cash flow when Sportsbet hit him with “source of wealth” requests under anti-money laundering legislation.

Benjamin Carter leaves Penrith Local Court last year during a brief mention of his matter. Picture: Shannon Tonkin

NSW Police claim at least some of the money transferred was the proceeds of crime, alleging Carter misappropriated $26 million from clients connected to his Penrith-based company, Carter’s Tax Advisory.

His alleged victims include Penrith brewery Drink West, which is part-owned by star Panther’s halfback Nathan Cleary and UFC fighters Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa and Tyson Pedro.

Part-owners of Drink West: UFC fighters Tai Tuivasa and Tyson Pedro, and Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Carter was arrested by police just days after commencing the Federal Court action and was charged with multiple fraud-related offences.

He was remanded in custody for five weeks before being granted bail by the NSW Supreme Court.

Both Carter’s civil and criminal cases ran side-by-side in their respective courts for more than a year, however, The Sunday Telegraph can exclusively reveal Carter quietly abandoned his case against Sportsbet in August this year, formally withdrawing the civil action before a Victorian registrar.

The move coincided with case conferencing in Carter’s criminal charges, however the Telegraph does not suggest the two developments are related.

Carter’s criminal case remains on foot before Penrith Local Court, with defence lawyer Nick Hanna last week revealing he was still awaiting a report from a forensic accountant hired by police to review Carter’s financial records.

Magistrate Stephen Corry agreed to adjourn the case for a further six weeks.

Meanwhile, according to documents filed with the Federal Court, Carter had characterised his gambling as “erratic, extended and high-volume”.

He had accused Sportsbet of engaging in negligent and “unconscionable conduct” by failing to curtail his access to his Sportsbet account or limit his exposure to the company’s marketing or inducement program.

Carter is accused of ripping off clients of his business, Carter’s Tax Advisory, court documents reveal.

Carter, pictured with his partner, Amy Steele, who is facing a charge of recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime relating to the same investigation. Pictures: Facebook

Instead, he claimed he was lavished with gifts and incentives to keep betting, including corporate box tickets to State of Origin and the 2022 NRL grand final; flights and accommodation for the Magic Millions racing carnival on the Gold Coast; and almost 5,000 bonus bets on his account in four months.

The amended statement of claim also said Carter was flown to the Northern Territory in August 2022 for the Darwin Cup, where he partied with Sportsbet chief executive Barni Evans in a nightclub.

Carter claimed Sportsbet breached its duty of care to him by allowing him to continue gambling when they knew he was displaying “red flag” behaviours.

However, Sportsbet refuted the claims in a defence filed with the court, saying under Sportsbet’s terms and conditions, the onus was on Carter to notify them of addiction concerns.

They agreed that Carter gambled for “extended periods” and with larger amounts of money between April 2021 and January 2023 but claimed his betting activity and dealings with Sportsbet “did not entail a conclusion that he was a problem gambler”.

They further said during frequent interactions with Carter he always assured them his betting activity was “under chronological, within his limits and sustainable”.