Latest news with #gamblingaddiction
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Newport: Accountant stole £2.4m to fund gambling addiction
An accountant stole more than £2.4m from companies she worked for in order to fund her gambling Lewis, 40, who was on a £200,000 salary, stole money from five businesses within the same family of companies, Newport Crown Court heard. Her actions caused considerable stress to other members of staff, causing one director to leave, another to lose out on his salary, and one woman unable to access her pension. Lewis, of Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by abuse of position and was sentenced to five years in prison, with each charge to run concurrently. Her actions also meant that the companies, owned by James Davies, did not contribute enough Davies said Lewis was like a daughter to him, and felt like five companies she committed fraud against included Daisy Vale Limited, Charnwood Accounts, Edward Davies Construction and Fastnet Properties Orndal, prosecuting, told the court that Lewis began working for Mr Davies in 2007, first holding a role as a 2017 she was the accountant for the group of companies after she had her accountancy training funded by the company. However, when the company moved over to an online banking system financial problems began to arise. For the first time, the company began to see a substantial and unexplained downturn in suspicions were raised over an increase in third party payments, Lewis officially resigned in 2023 and a new accountant took Lewis contacted Mr Davies about her severance payment he noticed a link between her account details and a number of other payments on the account. 'Crypto companies' Mr Orndal said: "Instead of paying third party people she had been paying herself and disguising them as proper payments."Between 2018 and 2023, the total payments to her account exceeded £3.6m, with the total being more than £2.4m after her salary and other legitimate payments had been deducted. Mr Orndal said that £1.4m of this was sent to known gambling companies but this figure is likely to be higher as it is difficult to identify all gambling also spent £67,000 on crypto companies and £9,000 on FairFX, a bank which accepts payments in different already fraudulently stealing millions from the businesses, Lewis also asked Mr Davies to loan her £163,000 to help her buy a house, but the money was eventually repaid by her mother and a victim impact statement, Mr Davies said Lewis's crimes had "affected the lives of countless people" and she had also taken money from the Davies said one member of staff had been unable to withdraw her pension, despite working at the company for many years, because Lewis did not fund it a victim impact statement, former director Mark Cotter said that the stress on him had led to his GP making him take four to six weeks off work. "I felt forced to leave the company that I had spent a lot of my life trying to build," he added."I'm in disbelief that all of this happened because of Jemma Lewis."Neil Corre, for the defendant, said she was in this position due to her gambling said she did not gamble to win but to continue gambling, adding she had now been free of the addiction for more than a Corre said she hoped to use her experience to help others. "She has lost her job, her home and she may lose her liberty, but her moral compass has been restored," he Lewis, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You have been a gambler for years, since you were 18 and long before you were employed by James Davies. "Your upbringing was privileged but also blighted by trauma and sadness."
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Can gambling be ‘responsible' in Mass. and the US in the face of addiction?
'High Stakes: Gambling Addiction, Beyond Borders' is a three-part series by New England Public Media looking at the public health movement to address gambling in Massachusetts and the United States, and what can be learned from two countries with very different models of gambling regulation: Norway and the United Kingdom. This is part three of that series. A few hundred feet into the MGM Springfield casino floor, visitors can find the 'GameSense' office, where, amid the loud clanging of slot machines and table games, an employee often stands alone at a desk. They offer swag to get people to stop by — tissue boxes, luggage tags — and are happy to explain how gambling odds work. If anyone feels they need help reining in their gambling, brochures with the state's helpline number are stacked on the counter. The GameSense program has been a centerpiece of Massachusetts' approach to reducing gambling problems, along with Play My Way, a program that allows people to set their own time and money limits in the state's casinos and with online sportsbooks. The programs focus on the 10% of the population that researchers at UMass Amherst estimate either has a gambling disorder or is at risk of one. But with no national commission on gambling nor nationwide gambling policy, Massachusetts — like every state — is on its own to come up with ways to curb gambling disorders. And many addiction experts think the states could do better. A growing number of health and policy makers say it's time to take bolder — and more unified — action, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized sports betting in 2018 and unleashed an aggressive new industry, now legal in 39 states. (Forty-eight states have legalized at least some form of gambling, including lotteries.) 'All (addictions) except gambling have some kind of intervention by the government to impose some constraints and provide some protection,' Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said. 'The sophistication and complexity of betting has become staggering. And that's why we need … protections that will enable an individual to say no.' Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, a New York Democrat, have filed the Safe Bet Act, legislation that would impose federal standards on all sports betting companies. Among those regulations: no advertising during live sporting events, mandatory 'affordability checks' on high-spending customers, limits on VIP schemes, a ban on A.I. tracking for marketing and the creation of a national 'self-exclusion' database. 'Gambling is a nationwide activity. States are unable to protect their consumers from the promotions and pitches, the excessive and abusive offers — and sometimes misleading pitches — to gamblers from out of state,' Blumenthal said. 'And [states] simply don't have the resources or the jurisdiction legally to provide the full protection that's necessary.' The fallout, according to Jonathan Cohen, author of the book 'Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling,' is putting new generations at risk. 'The landmines are placed in front of young people,' Cohen said, 'and if they don't know any better … they step on gambling as a landmine and it just blows up in their face and they don't even know what happened to them.' The gambling industry has come out strongly against the Safe Bet Act. Joe Maloney, a spokesperson for the American Gaming Association, calls the very concept of federal gambling standards a 'slap in the face' to state regulators across the country. 'You have the potential to just dramatically, one, usurp the states' authority and then, two, freeze the industry in place,' he said. Maloney said the industry acknowledges that gambling is addictive for some people, but he said it has already developed its own solutions through a model called 'responsible gaming.' That includes messages warning people to stop playing when it's no longer fun and entertaining, public education about the low odds of striking it rich and supporting access to treatment for those with gambling disorders. Maloney said there is no need for new federal rules on how companies can offer or advertise their products online or in casinos, which he said would only benefit the unregulated, illegal gambling market. 'There are certain stakeholders that are pretending to represent a certain type of player as a rationale for a one-size-fits-all protection,' Maloney said. But proponents of the Safe Bet Act say the industry's 'responsible gaming' model has failed. Harry Levant, the director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University in Boston, calls the model 'ethically and scientifically flawed.' He said it puts all the blame and responsibility on individuals with a gambling disorder. Levant, who helped write the Safe Bet Act, was addicted to gambling himself. A former lawyer, he was convicted in 2015 for stealing clients' money to fund his betting habit. He is also an addiction therapist. He explained that you can't just tell a person struggling with addiction, 'Just don't do that anymore.' 'You need regulation when the industry has shown an inability and unwillingness to police itself,' Levant said. 'It's the moral equivalent of Big Tobacco saying, 'Let us do whatever we want for our cigarettes, as long as we pay for chemotherapy and hospice.' We wouldn't tolerate it with tobacco. We don't tolerate it with alcohol.' Public Health Advocacy Institute Executive Director Mark Gottlieb said 'responsible gaming' targets people who have already suffered great harm, while a public health approach, such as limiting what products can be offered and how, is 'preventing people from experiencing that harm in the first place.' But Gottlieb acknowledged that new federal regulations could be a hard sell in today's political climate. If the Safe Bet Act doesn't pass under this Congress, he is hoping states choose to take strong action on their own. Massachusetts gambling regulators declined to comment on any legislation — neither the Safe Bet Act nor a pending state bill that would limit gambling options. But they say they have come a long way since the state legalized casinos in 2011, when the approach to problem gambling was 'much more about making sure that there are brochures that are available that explained the odds of whatever game it was,' according to Mark Vander Linden, who runs the responsible gaming division of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The commission says 64,000 people are currently signed up for a Play My Way account, though only a small percentage choose to set personal limits on time and money spent gambling. About 2,300 people have put themselves on a statewide 'self-exclusion' list that bans them from one or all forms of legalized betting for a period of time. Vander Linden said his office is now adapting to the new risks of online sports betting, which lawmakers legalized in Massachusetts in 2022. His team is seeking technology that gives gamblers more ways to curb their play, including software that disables gambling apps on phones and methods to track any uptick in gambling habits. He said they are also designing research to learn 'the science of being able to identify triggers or patterns of risky gambling behavior,' as well as which interventions would change that behavior. State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, wants to give regulators even more tools. Sabodosa is co-sponsor of the Bettor Health Act, which, like the federal Safe Bet Act, would require affordability checks and advertising limits. It would tax gambling companies at a higher rate and direct additional money to the Massachusetts' public health trust fund for treatment and prevention. The law would also ban 'prop' bets, which are wagers placed during a game on a variety of game-related events — who makes the first shot in basketball, for example, or who hits the first home run in baseball. 'It's encouraging excessive gambling,' Sabadosa said. 'You can win and lose, like, from one second to the next.' Sabadosa also thinks affordability checks, like those that exist in the United Kingdom, can act as a financial safety net. 'If you're only allowed to have two drinks, we know that you're not going to get drunk, right?' she said. 'If you're only allowed to gamble $100 a day because that's an affordable amount, you're not going to go broke.' The American Gaming Association declined to give its position on affordability checks but did say it opposes a ban on prop bets. 'A prop bet is a very, very popular form of betting. It provides for an increased level of engagement,' Maloney, the American Gaming Association spokesperson, said. 'If you suddenly start to pick and choose what can be legal or banned … you're driving bettors out of the legal market and into the illegal market.' Sabadosa doesn't accept that position. 'We've heard that argument from the cannabis industry, too. 'Don't regulate us because then people will go to the black market,'' Sabadosa said. 'But at the end of the day, if you're going to have a legal market, it does need to be protected. That is the whole point of having this legal market.' She added that the goal is not to stop gambling entirely. 'It's to stop the worst excesses of online sports betting.' Many public health advocates say passing any legislation that restricts the growth of gambling won't be easy — not least due to industry lobbying. The watchdog organization OpenSecrets reports gambling companies spent almost $40 million nationally on lobbying in 2024. In Massachusetts, 30 gaming-related companies spent a combined $2.7 million lobbying state lawmakers last year, according to state lobbying disclosures. 'The sportsbooks really benefited from the diffuse nature of sports betting and from the fact that we have 50 states and 50 laws about gambling,' Cohen said, 'because they were able to show up at every different legislature and sort of run roughshod over them with their money, their lobbying, to get the sort of laws they wanted on the books.' At the same time, many state legislators are tempted by the promise of new revenue from expanded gambling, said Harry Levant of the Public Health Advocacy Institute. He's concerned that could launch the 'i-gaming' industry — online roulette, blackjack and other casino-style games — which is currently legal in only seven states. 'We have empathy for how hard it is for states to balance their budgets in this current political environment,' he said, 'but states are starting to recognize the answer to that problem is not to further push a known addictive product.' What could convince lawmakers to restrain the gambling market, Mark Gottlieb said, is a groundswell of advocacy from friends and family of people with gambling addiction, the same way that Mothers Against Drunk Driving pushed for blood alcohol limits on the road. 'That is really the thing that has been missing from this movement,' Gottlieb said. Meanwhile, industry critics are not waiting for legislation to pass; they are also turning to the courts. In June, the Public Health Advocacy Institute sued Caesars Online Casino and Harrah's Philadelphia casino over what it calls a 'predatory' promotion designed to 'snare' consumers into more gambling. The city of Baltimore is suing several sportsbooks for their aggressive marketing practices. And Cohen said simply publicizing the risks of gambling — in a way that young people will notice — can work too. 'So whatever sort of counter programming that can be provided to Jamie Foxx playing piano and telling you that gambling is cool, I think that would be the place to start,' Cohen said. 'We don't have to wait for government to do that.' This project was supported by a grant from the Association of Health Care Journalists, with funding from The Commonwealth Fund. It was edited by Dusty Christensen, with help from Elizabeth Román. Red Sox rain delay: Sudden monsoon in DC causes stoppage in 2nd inning Sunday MLB insider tabs 'Rafael Devers duplicate' as perfect fit for Red Sox in free agency Funeral info announced for woman killed in Wrentham single-car crash MLB insider connects ex-Red Sox outfielder to NL West contender 'Our final song': Legendary metal singer plays final epic show amid health issues Read the original article on MassLive.
News.com.au
12-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
From successful business owner to homeless: How gambling addiction changed Adelaide dad Roger's life
Roger's first win at the roulette table changed everything – but not in the way he expected. A successful business owner, the father-of-three owned multiple cafes and a chicken shop in Adelaide's west and was 'comfortable financially'. But after winning big his first time playing roulette, he began spiralling into a devastating gambling addiction which took complete control of his life for 14 years. 'You get to a point where money isn't an issue anymore. I was comfortable financially and I fell into an addiction,' he said. 'I was no longer enjoying the game, I was just chasing my losses and trying to make something. 'I had no control of myself.' At the peak of his addiction, he ranked among Adelaide's biggest gamblers, gambling up to 17 hours daily and spending nearly $500,000 yearly. In 2019, he paid the ultimate price for his addiction, filing for bankruptcy and separating from his wife of 30 years. Unemployed and relying on welfare, he left the family home with only $150 cash to his name. 'It was hard on all of us,' he said. 'Losing all my assets and all the luxurious items around me had an impact without a doubt. 'But the legit and serious impact was when I lost my family. 'I attempted suicide after that, I just couldn't take it.' After being discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt, he began rehab. However, with nowhere to go, he was left homeless. It was while staying at St Vinnie's Men's Shelter that he connected with Hutt Street Centre and was given a 'second life'. The charity provides free meals, access to bathrooms and laundry facilities, and a range of support services, ranging from medical check-ups to employment pathways. 'Most people think it's just a place where you can get food but it's much more than that,' he said. 'From the first second they were so humble and welcoming. 'They made me feel like I'm still alive.' Now preparing to move into his own home over the next coming weeks, he said it wouldn't have been possible without the charity's support. 'I will have my own space, my own place – that feels amazing,' he said. 'If it wasn't for (Hutt Street Centre) I wouldn't be where I am today.' Roger is one of thousands of South Australians that Hutt Street Centre supports everyday. 'Every single one of us has an issue, has a story,' Roger said. 'None of us were born on the footpath to be homeless. 'To see (people sleeping rough) out there is heartbreaking. 'We don't ask for too much. We only ask for help.'
South China Morning Post
09-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
In Philippines, alarming rise in online gambling addicts fuels calls for a ban
At the rehabilitation centres run by Bridges of Hope, a recovery network spread across the Philippines , founder Jon Ty is used to seeing the different faces of addiction. For years, clients came seeking help for their abuse of drugs, alcohol or painkillers. Now, most come for something else. Advertisement Today, seven in 10 clients treated across the network of centres are battling online gambling addiction – a trend that highlights a deepening crisis in the country, fuelled by a boom in mobile betting apps during the pandemic. 'There's so much enrolment into our treatment centres when it comes to gambling', with online betting addiction becoming 'an alarming national problem', Ty told This Week in Asia. While gamblers who seek treatment from Bridges of Hope come from various backgrounds, Ty is alarmed by the rising number of minors whose families come to the centres for help. 'We have seen many people, mostly the young ones in this generation, since last year, because of mobile apps that are promoting it,' Ty said. Advertisement Several lawmakers have already filed bills to regulate the country's online gambling industry just days into the new Congress, amid increasing public pressure to address the rising cases of gambling addiction, especially among minors.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mother-of-two says winning £25,000 was the worst thing that ever happened to her
A British mother who won £25,000 on a gambling website said it ended in 'disaster' with her losing everything. Gabby Walker, a mum-of-two from the UK, hit the jackpot while gambling and said the big win only exacerbated her gambling addiction. After the win, Gabby spent £1,000 in one day on gambling websites and afterwards lied to her family, friends and partner to get them to give her more money so she could use it on betting sites. Gabby has vowed to stop before she loses 'everything' and said she 'regrets' the time she has lost with her kids while glued to her phone placing bets. 'That's why now I'm trying to keep myself busy so I don't have time to sit down and think about gambling,' she said. 'Whether or not people understand it, the urge to gamble is horrible.' In a TikTok clip, the mother revealed she won the £25,000 on her birthday two years ago while with her partner on a £10 bet. 'It might not seem a lot to everyone but to me, that was life-changing,' she said. 'I should have been able to do so much with that money but because of my gambling addiction, I couldn't - I spent most of it being put back on to the gambling websites.' In one day, Gabby gambled away £1,000 and said the urge to bet every day is all-consuming. 'It's like something's taken over you and you have to gamble, you have to do it, you have to do it there and then,' she said. 'You might not have any money, you don't care where you're getting the money from, you'll lie to your friends and your family just to put it on [gambling websites].' Recalling the weeks after her big win, Gabby said she regrets the time she spent away from her children gambling and then trying to recoup her losses. 'Looking back now, I regret it because I was spending less time with my children because I was always on my phone. I was constantly trying to get that next win - trying to win it all back so I didn't lose everything,' she said. 'After winning that £25,000, I felt like I'd lost everything because I put it all straight back on when I should have been spending it on a holiday or activities to do with the children but I didn't. I was selfish and I spent it.' Gabby has maxed out credit cards and would live month-to-month waiting for her next pay cheque, asking her partner to pay for necessities to get by. 'I don't think about what's around me and my surroundings at the time, it's just gamble, gamble, gamble,' she said. 'It's put a wedge in my relationship because I have that gambling issue. 'I never have any money, I lie to my partner and say, "Yeah, I've got money", whereas I don't because I spent it all on gambling. 'He has to always fund for me to survive for the month and for the children to survive for the month. It's awful, it really is.' Gabby has come to terms with her addiction and is trying to keep herself busy and distracted so she's not tempted to pick up her phone and get back on the gambling sites. 'I'm glad I've got the stage now where I'm wanting to change and wanting to get better, although it might be difficult and I know it's going to be difficult,' she said. 'There are going to be days where I'm not going to be able to get through it but with the support of my partner and my children just being there and keeping me busy and just distraction from being on my phone.' She added she will also start a budgeting plan where she will outline all the money she has going into her account every month, then put aside cash for essentials and give the rest of her funds to someone close so she can't access it. 'I'm going to work out what I've got left at the end of the month...I might send it to my partner, put it in a pot, send it to my mum or my dad, I don't know, anyone, just to keep it safe until I need it,' she explained. 'If I feel the need to gamble or want to gamble then I'll have to be open and explain the urges.' Gabby said she knows quitting gambling won't be an 'easy road' but she's determined to stop. 'I know it's not going to be easy and I've got a long road ahead of me but I need to do it, I need to stop gambling because if I don't, I am going to lose everything,' she said. 'I'm going to have no family to support me or anyone because I'd have lied to them to get money. 'I'll lose my partner because that's not fair on him and I'll lose everything. I can't continue gambling all my money, I can't.' Thousands online applauded Gabby's vulnerability, offered their support and shared their own struggles with gambling. 'What I did was lock myself out of all my accounts, contacted customer support and got them to block my accounts, contacted my bank to decline transactions made to gambling sites. This helped massively' one viewer suggested. 'It's the big wins and the max wins that hook you. Also, these streamers gambling fake money, that's hooking people. Stay strong! You've got this!' a second wrote. 'The way I stopped is by making my identity associated with being a non-gambler. Should I gamble? No, because I'm not a gambler. I've got money should I gamble it? No, because I'm not a gambler,' a third explained. 'I won over 60k in the space of six weeks and still managed to get into 23k worth of debt, it literally ruined my life. I can totally relate,' a fourth replied. 'I won 20k. 24 hours later took it to 30k and lost the lot in about two minutes. Gambling is no joke, I'm off it now and I'll never do it again. All the best to you and whoever is going through hell,' someone added. 'From someone who has been in a relationship with a gambler. It's hard but the first step is admitting you have a problem. You have to do this for your family. It breaks people,' a mother said. Where can you find support in the UK for gambling addiction? GamCare's National Gambling Helpline - Call 0808 8020 133 for free 24/7. GambleAware - National Gambling Support Network service and the leading independent charity and strategic commissioner of gambling harms. education, prevention, early intervention, and treatment across Great Britain Primary Care Gambling Service - a free, confidential NHS service for over 18s who experience harms from gambling. GamLearn - A lived-experience network for people that have been impacted directly or indirectly from gambling related harm. Gamblers Anonymous - a local support group service of people who share their experiences that uses the 12-step approach to recovery Citizens Advice Bureau - a charity that can advise you on a range of issues, including finances and gambling. ChapterOne - a place to find information that will help you understand the causes of gambling harm, and where to access the right help.
