Posted on: March 16, 2026, 07:49h.
Last updated on: March 16, 2026, 07:49h.
- Australian betting syndicate collapses owing $1.5 million to creditors
- Founder allegedly kidnapped by Alameddine crime network over gambling debt
- Liquidators find less than $1,000 remaining in collapsed betting venture
An Australian sports betting syndicate has collapsed owing about $1.5 million, just months after its founder was allegedly kidnapped by associates of one of the country’s most notorious organized crime networks.
Investors in handicapper Tyler Roberts’ Worldwide Sporting Investments (WSI) have forced the company into court-ordered liquidation, claiming they are owed around $1.5 million. WSI has less than $1,000 in the bank, according to court documents seen by Australia’s Daily Telegraph.
Roberts ran what amounted to a sports-betting investment syndicate, pooling money from outside investors and wagering it through online bookmakers.
But other, less reasonable alleged “investors” took the matter into their own hands. Roberts, 28, and his girlfriend, the social media influencer and bikini model Mariah Burr-McLean, were kidnapped in April 2025 by alleged members of the Alameddine crime family, one of the biggest drug-trafficking organizations in Sydney.
Gnocchi and Finger Amputation
According to Queensland Police, the couple were abducted on April 10, 2025, at around midnight when seven men surrounded their white Range Rover as they pulled into their home in the Sunshine Coast suburb of Birtinya.
They were driven to a nearby vacation complex where, oddly, the gang ordered in gnocchi for the pair while threatening to cut Roberts’ fingers off unless he paid the $2.5 million he allegedly owed them.
Roberts later told police he believed the men had intended to kill him but held back because his girlfriend was present.
Equally oddly, Burr McLean was permitted to hang onto her mobile phone during the ordeal, from which she made repeated demands to friends and family for cash to pay the debt. This alerted others to the situation and eventually drew police to the unit complex.
Five of the men left the unit around 7:30 pm the next day, leaving two behind to guard the couple. They were arrested at the scene when police arrived, which eventually led to the apprehension of the other five. All seven were charged with deprivation of liberty and extortion.
Nothing Left to Pay
Prosecutors believe Roberts met with representatives of the Alameddine gang in January 2023 and persuaded them to invest about $3.1 million into his sports betting venture. He claims a former business partner disappeared with the money.
Meanwhile, three identified creditors who were in no way involved in the kidnapping, are seeking to recoup their money, a total of $1.28 million, through more legitimate means, and several unsecured creditors claim they’re owed an additional $871,000.
Liquidators said this week the company did not appear to have sufficient assets to repay anyone anything, though they are investigating whether any recoverable assets remain.
