A gambler hoping for “a big win” has ended up convicted of fraud after stealing more than $70,000 from the Master Builders Association (MBA).

Luke Lowes, 41, worked for the MBA as an event organiser between 2019 and 2022.

The events he organised ranged from national awards events, to a golf challenge and a Business Excellence Australia event.

The money for the tickets was collected by a company called Eventbrite which paid funds back to the MBA.

But it later emerged the man was funnelling the funds into his own accounts.

The ACT Supreme Court heard Lowes did not intend to keep the funds and was hoping to have a gambling win large enough to pay the money back.

The crime came to light when another man tried to reconcile the accounts and a $50,000 discrepancy was discovered.

When Lowes was questioned, he produced an email he said had come from Eventbrite apologising for the money not coming through, which was later discovered to be a fake.

Lowes pleaded guilty to one charge of obtaining financial advantage by deception, and expressed his shame and remorse.

The court heard the MBA insurers paid out more than $56,000.

Lowes paid back about $11,000 before he was arrested. He has been ordered to pay reparations of more than $5,000 to make up the remaining amount.

‘Unsurprisingly, the offender lost the money’: Justice

Justice David Mossop described the crime as a gross breach of trust.

He noted the money was not taken with the intention of stealing it permanently but rather to “win it back”.

“Unsurprisingly, the offender lost the money instead of winning it back,” Justice Mossop said.

The court heard at one point the man was spending up to $500 a week on poker machines.

In a victim impact statement, MBA CEO Denita Wawn said Lowes had been well liked and respected, but when the crime came to light the group felt an “acute sense of disappointment”.

But Justice Mossop noted pre-sentence reports suggesting Lowes was at low risk of reoffending, and the crime was an “uncharacteristic aberration”.

Lowes has been placed on a two-year intensive corrections order so he can serve his time in the community.

He will also have to pay the reparations and complete 200 hours of community service.