Ex-NRL Player Luke Bateman Details Gambling Addiction and Secret Reading Life

Former National Rugby League (NRL) player Luke Bateman has publicly detailed his battle with gambling addiction, drug use, and alcohol dependency, which led him into significant debt despite a high salary. Bateman, who now has a following as a 'BookTok' personality, spoke on The Imperfects podcast about how reaching his childhood dream of playing in the NRL did not bring the fulfillment he expected.

Bateman, 31, described earning approximately $400,000 annually during his career and accumulating $1.2 million before taxes over three years. However, he admitted to gambling away his salary and accumulating around $250,000 in debt. He also revealed that drugs and alcohol became coping mechanisms to manage internal struggles.

"I finished my NRL career with absolutely zero dollars. And I was in probably about $250,000 worth of debt," Bateman stated. He elaborated that by the end of this period, he was using party drugs such as cocaine, MDMA, and speed on weekends, in addition to alcohol.

His gambling intensified after a season-ending knee injury in 2019, with the majority of his betting occurring late at night from his bed. Initially, his substantial salary allowed him to conceal the extent of his problem, borrowing smaller amounts that he would repay with his next paycheck. However, these debts escalated, eventually exceeding his monthly salary.

"I was just lying through my teeth. I had this house of cards built up. I deceived and manipulated everybody," Bateman recalled. He borrowed money from family, his partner, friends, and colleagues, fabricating reasons for needing cash. The shame of being in debt while perceived as wealthy exacerbated his situation, leading him to gamble more in an attempt to recoup his losses.

By the end of his playing career, Bateman said the consequences extended beyond his finances, impacting his relationships and friendships. He eventually confessed the full extent of his situation to his mother, stating, "Mum, I've lost everything. I have to come clean about it all."

Bateman described a period of deep depression, struggling to leave his bed and feeling like he was constantly playing a role when in public. He recalled one particularly difficult night at age 24, where his mother stayed on the phone with him for hours, an experience he remembers as a "fog" but credits his mother with saving his life.

The path to recovery was gradual. Bateman spent 2020 trying to address his gambling, experiencing setbacks. After a significant relapse in 2021, he entered rehab. His parents then devised a plan for him to leave football and Brisbane, return to rural western Queensland, and repay his debts directly to them while working in the timber industry. At that point, he estimated his outstanding debt to be around $150,000. He described this arrangement, which his parents facilitated by clearing his debts, as a significant relief.

"I'm so lucky because there are so many people who are in that same position that I was in who don't have parents that love them or are able to do that for them," he said. He emphasized the importance of honesty and not attempting recovery alone.

Long before his struggles with addiction, Bateman found solace in books. Growing up in a 'hyper-masculine' environment, he felt his interest in reading, particularly fantasy and romance genres, was not accepted. He would go to great lengths to hide his reading, waiting for others to leave school before visiting the library or reading in secret during away trips.

"The bell would ring and everyone would leave, and then I would sort of hang around and then I'd duck into the library, get my book and take it home where no one would see me," he said. He described hiding books in the bottom of his bag and reading them in toilets during away games out of fear of ridicule.

Today, Bateman has embraced his passion for literature, building a significant online presence. He now openly discusses books, including the genres he once felt compelled to conceal. He stated that books provided a safe space where he could be his authentic self, free from the pressures of performing a specific version of masculinity.

"I had to go into the world and I had to be a character that would be accepted and fit into that world," he explained. "Then books were the place where I just got to be me. They were my safe harbour where I just got to go, I got to take off all the armour that I had to wear in the world and go, 'I belong'."