An Australian online sports betting company has finally agreed to write off more A$80,000 that a Melbourne man owed after they gave the vulnerable man extensive lines of credit. The problems began when Sportsbet acquired the gamblers details and offered him A$5,000 in free bets and give a perfect example of how care you must be when taking part in online gaming.

After joining the gambling operator in May last year he was offered A$10,000 in credit, followed by A$30,000 and a then a further A$40,000. In July Sportsbet took the man who suffers with mental illnesses to court to try and recover more than A$80,000 that he owed them.

The problem gambler risked losing his home that he shared with his mother and being made bankrupt. Luckily a number of politicians and lawyers came to his rescue resulting in the betting operator writing off the debts.

Liberal MP Alan Tudge, who was contacted by the man and his mother over the issue, said Sportsbet was exploiting a legal loophole that allowed it to offer credit because it is registered in the Northern Territory.

Sportsbet confirmed that the matter had been settled but would not give details, citing confidentiality.

A company spokesman said: ''Occasionally we offer free bets to those wishing to bet with us and these are determined on a case-by-case basis.''

If you find yourself in debt as a result of gambling you should seek help such as GamCare as soon as possible. Gambling operators have obligation to ensure that vulnerable people are not exploited and as such those that fit into this category maybe able to take action against the operator to recover some of their losses.

Those that chose to gamble online and provide their details to operators should be very careful of who they give their details to. We have reported several times how Foxy Bingo player’s data, including usernames and passwords has been openly sold to any one who wishes to purchase the lists. Many of these operators choose to operate from regions where the regulators of your own country are unable to provide any assistance, and the operators themselves are not interested in alerted the public when there is a breach of their data.

Taking part in online gambling such as online bingo can be fun and some players will find it more attractive than playing at a land based venue. It is important to remember that the way online gambling sites are set up so it is easy to spend large amounts of money in short periods of time. Think carefully before entering credit card details into an online gambling site. UK land based gaming venues are now allowed to accept credits. Only gamble with money you have.