Tabcorp illegal autistic scooter kid betting spree Melbourne: Gambling giant penalised for underage bets

Tabcorp is paying out big time after an autistic child with a scooter gambled large at multiple Melbourne gaming venues.

An autistic child was allowed to illegally gamble at multiple Melbourne Tabcorp venues.

Tabcorp has copped a hefty penalty after it allowed an autistic child with a scooter to burn big cash despite being warned the teen was illegally betting at multiple Melbourne gaming venues.

The betting giant avoided a conviction but was fined $274,000 at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to more than 30 charges, including allowing a minor to gamble.

The court heard the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, laid 36 illegal bets at multiple Melbourne gambling venues between May 2022 and October 2023.

The child burnt $6000 via sports gambling on Electronic Betting Terminals at the venues, which were mostly located in Melbourne’s north.

They included the Preston Hotel, Brunswick Hotel, Parkville Hotel, Olympic Hotel, the Charles Albion, the Edwardes Lake, and the Rose Shamrock.

The child also illegally laid bets at the Shoppingtown Hotel Doncaster and at the Northcote TAB.

The child, who at times wandered into the venues carrying a scooter, casually laid bets at the terminals without any interference from venue staff.

The bets ranged up to a staggering $760 for a single wager.

The court heard the child stole items from his mum, which he sold to raise his punting cash.

The child, who also illegally opened multiple online betting accounts, also borrowed money for gambling and at one stage owed $17,000.

The mother, who also can’t be named for legal reasons, attempted to stop her son gambling after finding EBT slips in his bedroom.

The Melbourne child used TAB electronic betting terminals to illegally place bets.

In April 2022, a month before the child’s illegal punting splurge kicked off, the mother went to various venues including the Junction Hotel and the Olympic Hotel with photos of her son and told staff not to allow him to gamble.

She also told staff her son moved around with a scooter.

Tabcorp circulated images of the child to all metro venues and included a description that the boy got around with a scooter, the court was told.

The mother also contacted several gambling help services and anti-betting crusader Tim Costello but claimed he did not reply.

A Tabcorp employee asked the mum if her son “looked of age”.

“He did not,” she said.

“He had a small build, was lean and looked younger than most (teens his age).”

The mother said, in a victim impact statement read to the court, she felt “isolated and lonely” after her autistic teenage son “was allowed to gamble at these venues”.

She also said her son “threatened to stop going to school and trash the house”.

The mum also confirmed her son stole various items he sold to fund his addiction.

She was forced to take her purse in the bathroom in fear her son would steal cash and credit card details.

The mum said she became dependent on charity to put food on the table after repaying her son’s $17,000 gambling debt.

Lawyers for Tabcorp, which also pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a vending machine is properly supervised, submitted the betting giant “suspended operations” at numerous venues while it investigated the child’s illegal gambling.

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Tabcorp and the venues suffered a “significant loss of trade”, the court was told.

Tabcorp also gave numerous “final warnings” and required venues undertake “further training” after the scandal was exposed.

Tabcorp, Victoria’s sole wagering and betting licensee, also sent “warning notices” which implored venues to be “vigilant” during school holidays.

The court heard Tabcorp also initiated a “mystery shopper program” in which a secret agent who appeared under the age of 25 was deployed to test underage gambling compliance at various venues.

However, it was not clear if or how many times the “mystery shopper” was able to breach measures to restrict underage gambling, the court was told.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission, which brought the prosecution against Tabcorp, ordered most EBTs be cashless in a bid to curb underage gambling.

The terminals are now in “voucher mode” which means anyone who wants to place a bet now has to exchange cash over the counter to a venue employee.

The measure was implemented in January this year in the wake of the child’s illegal gambling.

Lawyers for the commission submitted Tabcorp oversaw a “systemic failure” after the child laid bets at 13 venues, interacted with staff and gambled within adult only gaming rooms.

The commission also highlighted the child often entered venues holding a scooter which was a “childish attention grabbing thing”.

The commission also acknowledged the child was knocked back on 11 occasions.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet fined Tabcorp without conviction but ordered it pay $96,417 in legal costs and compensate the mother $6015.