An Australian Poker Hall of Fame member has lost a debt lawsuit worth A$50,000
Gary Benson, the first Australian in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet, has lost a lawsuit against his colleague Michael O'Grady. The Sydney court sided with the debtor, ruling that the plaintiff's own gambling operation was illegal.
The conflict flared up over a private sports betting arrangement. According to Benson's records, 211 transactions were logged between the players over 9 months, with turnover reaching A$70,000 in a single day alone. O'Grady would send Benson matches and odds, and Benson would accept the bets and extend a line of credit against them. Because of this, Judge Scott Nash ruled that Benson had effectively been acting as an unlicensed bookmaker. Under state law, debts owed to illegal bookmakers are not legally enforceable.
The most ironic part of the story is that Benson had already won a court case against O'Grady over this matter back in 2023. Back then the poker players reached a settlement — O'Grady promised to repay the money in installments out of his future winnings. Benson trusted his colleague and withdrew the claim. When O'Grady stopped paying again, Benson went back to court, but this time the debtor's defense played the "illegal bookmaking" card and wiped out the debt entirely, additionally ordering the poker veteran to cover all of his opponent's legal costs.
📰 Subscribe to Pokerflow
The conflict flared up over a private sports betting arrangement. According to Benson's records, 211 transactions were logged between the players over 9 months, with turnover reaching A$70,000 in a single day alone. O'Grady would send Benson matches and odds, and Benson would accept the bets and extend a line of credit against them. Because of this, Judge Scott Nash ruled that Benson had effectively been acting as an unlicensed bookmaker. Under state law, debts owed to illegal bookmakers are not legally enforceable.
The most ironic part of the story is that Benson had already won a court case against O'Grady over this matter back in 2023. Back then the poker players reached a settlement — O'Grady promised to repay the money in installments out of his future winnings. Benson trusted his colleague and withdrew the claim. When O'Grady stopped paying again, Benson went back to court, but this time the debtor's defense played the "illegal bookmaking" card and wiped out the debt entirely, additionally ordering the poker veteran to cover all of his opponent's legal costs.
📰 Subscribe to Pokerflow
