A former Sydney accountant and tax agent — accused of stealing $17 million from his clients to fund his high-stakes sports betting — has dropped his lawsuit against Australian sportsbook Sportsbet.
Benjamin Carter (pictured) had previously accused Sportsbet of allowing and encouraging him to gamble nearly $47 million without appropriate checks.
Sportsbet defended itself against the allegations. It said Carter made verbal promises that he was financially in control of his gambling, and told them of his new clients. Sportsbet account managers did eventually ask him for proof, but he declined.
Carter was arrested in July 2023 and is currently on trial for allegedly stealing millions from wealthy clients and business accounts. They included a beverage company owned by several prominent Australian athletes. He faces 16 charges and up to 15 years in prison if convicted. It is not clear why he decided to drop this lawsuit.
The Lawsuit
Carter sued Sportsbet shortly before his arrest, and not long after, he was asked for proof of his finances by the sportsbook. His lawsuit claimed that between 2021 and 2023, Sportsbet ignored signs that he may have been gambling unsustainably. It accused them of unconscionable conduct by failing to demand proof of income and enticing him to continue gambling with offers and perks.
However, Sportsbet said they did ask Carter for proof of income, and that it was not their responsibility to push customers to admit problem gambling habits if they denied they had a problem when questioned.
The case has echoes of former Jacksonville Jaguars account manager Amit Patel, who stole $20 million from the NFL team to fund his sports betting habit. He recently announced he is suing FanDuel along similar lines to Carter’s case.
The Alleged Crimes
Carter is currently facing 16 charges in Sydney Court, where he is due to appear in six weeks time. He has also been banned from practicing accountancy in Australia.
He is alleged to have gambled some $47 million over two years. Police believe much of that sum was betting profit from initial deposits paid with money stolen from his clients.
Among the clients he allegedly stole from was a drinks company backed by Aussie MMA stars Tai Tuvisa and Tyson Pedro.
At the peak of his betting spree, Carter is alleged to have deposited several hundreds of thousands of dollars to his Sportsbet account for just one day’s gambling. He was pictured flying across Australia to party with SportsBet execs in Darwin in a video obtained by the Sydney Herald. The sportsbook also bought him VIP tickets to sports games and horse racing events.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
