Kid blows £80k gambling online

[Nicola]

Seen this story in a couple of papers over the weekend:

A boy aged 13 went on an £80,000 crime spree to fund a gambling addiction as new Government figures reveal he is one of 25,000 children aged 11-16 who are hooked on gambling.

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For me barely a month goes by without making a deposit, then seconds later getting a text or phone call from the bank asking if it was a genuine transaction. How comes this never happens in these cases? Also, surely the bill-payer gets credit card statements and has to pay monthly bills?

These kind of stories are becoming commonplace these days, but I wonder if in some cases it is one of parents who has the problem, blames the kid so the casino has to refund all the losses?

What it does highlight is how easy it is for a player to join a casino under a false identity and get away with it for quite some time. Casinos like 32Red, William Hill etc that use electronic checks are most open to this type of fraud. Sending in copies of passports and utility bills has advantages.

For years I watched a very popular twitch streamer, and only last month it was revealed he was underage and was using his dads identity (with permission) to play. He had thousands of people fooled, including myself who for 10 years worked in casinos verifying ages!

 

[lockinlove]

Oh I remember people arguing on twitch how legit casinotest was. Ya a 17 year old depositing 100k a month. Sounds legit. I watched him once and laughed that people bought into it. I tried telling people but nope they were certain he was legit.

Most channels on there are fooling everyone. Sad to see so many people being duped on there. Its one giant pile of garbage. People mostly playing with casino money. showing excitement and entertainment meanwhile reeling people in to sign up under them to make really good money. And still, people getting caught lying and being frauds people still will defend that section til their blue in the face.

90% of the streamers play with casino funds.

Only person I really have respect for is subthielee. He was a streamer and quit because he felt bad he was reeling people and making money off them. And then another streamer who caught some people being fake and called them out.

But yes, this story is the parent blaming it on their kid to get a refund. Saw it happen to a few distant acquaintces I know. 3 heavily addicted gamblers, no relation, dont know each other. All lost alot of money and then blame their teenage kids to get a refund.

I laughed hard when people stated huggehugg was of age. The kid is maybe 15.

The only big streamers that dont use viewbots are letsgiveitaspin and rocknrolla. Casinodaddy and a few of the other guys do for certain. Its a joke section preying on the weak and should be shut down

 

[Supababe]

It was some credit card that allows 60k in a week (who has that sort of limit????) in small, online transactions without anyone questioning it.

My bank too has systems in place to block payments and send a confirmation text.

As for the attempt to blame an advert at a football match.... it’s ridiculous. It’s like blaming football players for a drink problem because their shirt advertises carling or coors.

 

[Biti]

First time his parents didn't notice, but when the bank discovered he admitted. Then, again 60k lost and nobody noticing it while it happened before? Sounds like quite naïve parents.

Sure thing that politicians will be milking out this story, while I would blame more the parents than gambling ads.

 

[dunover]

Seen this story in a couple of papers over the weekend:

A boy aged 13 went on an £80,000 crime spree to fund a gambling addiction as new Government figures reveal he is one of 25,000 children aged 11-16 who are hooked on gambling.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

For me barely a month goes by without making a deposit, then seconds later getting a text or phone call from the bank asking if it was a genuine transaction. How comes this never happens in these cases? Also, surely the bill-payer gets credit card statements and has to pay monthly bills?

These kind of stories are becoming commonplace these days, but I wonder if in some cases it is one of parents who has the problem, blames the kid so the casino has to refund all the losses?

What it does highlight is how easy it is for a player to join a casino under a false identity and get away with it for quite some time. Casinos like 32Red, William Hill etc that use electronic checks are most open to this type of fraud. Sending in copies of passports and utility bills has advantages.

For years I watched a very popular twitch streamer, and only last month it was revealed he was underage and was using his dads identity (with permission) to play. He had thousands of people fooled, including myself who for 10 years worked in casinos verifying ages!

Yep, I get banking security all the time by text, a code to enter, especially if the casino has a foreign-based bank say like Casumo. I must say it sniffs a bit of an attempt by an adult to retrieve losses, but then again who knows?

 

[The Dude]

I think someone is pulling someone else's leg here. For one thing, in this day and age of online fraud, I seriously doubt any bank would have this kind of limit on a credit or debit card. I have a 10K limit on a business account card, and any time it is used I get a TAN sent via SMS. So I say "bullshit" to that claim. And the story about some kid going to Wembly with his dad and seeing some ads that got him going is like some script in a bad movie.

And this article makes claims that aren't ever referenced "According to the Government, a staggering 25,000 children aged 11-16 are hooked on gambling." Where? Which government? According to whom?

This reads like a high school newspaper. Unless this is verified by police reports or statements from other verifiable third parties (like the bank), I would not believe it. It's hogwash.

 

[Lincolnuk]

1 in 4/5 Get flagged by my bank. Text to ring them or they ring me.
Credit cards should be band anyway. Debit cards are fine but credit cards should not allow them sort of transactions. Im a big fan of not allowing the ability of using borrowed funds.
Also agree that blaming football adds..... Thats lame

 

[Cody7]

First time his parents didn't notice, but when the bank discovered he admitted. Then, again 60k lost and nobody noticing it while it happened before? Sounds like quite naïve parents.

Sure thing that politicians will be milking out this story, while I would blame more the parents than gambling ads.

Exactly right very very naive parents

 

[danchop]

Maybe banking is too automated.
I worked for a bank when I left school in 1983 and got a credit card,only worked there two years but I kept the card and never much used the credit.
Fast forward 2014 and the same credit card had grown in bank credit limit to $32500,that same year I had a uncontrollable gambling spree and started on the credit card,over about 3 months my debt went from zero to $27000-$28000 on the card within 2 months and all transactions were to our national tab bookies.
I received a letter from the bank at the near end of the two month spree,awarding me an extra $20000 credit limit on top for being a good customer,I had yet to make one payment on the shit situation of my balance as it was.
I then went into a branch of the bank and handed over my card and asked for a $20000 cash advance,expecting to be asked maybe what I intended using it for?but no,i was only asked for one other means of id and walked out with the $20000 cash and up to the only casino,where I spent 3 days of blurr and an unhappy ending.
My credit card balance was now around $48000 of the $52500 limit,my financial position since I left the bank in the eighties was never checked once,and i had no other accounts with them.
I did the honorable thing and refused to pay it back,to keep these conglomerate institutions on their toes and a valuable lesson on prior due diligence,greed etc
I was not chased for the entire amount which had grown to $67000 odd with interest by the time they wrote it off as bad debt.
I have a gut feeling why they didn't act,can you guess?

 

[Dwyer]

I do not believe for one second the parents did not notice. I imagine it was them all along. Thought process of "If we win awesome, if we don't we will scream fraud and blame our son."

 

[Jono777]

Glad you posted this Nicola.

This article was front page of the paper I have every Sunday (Sunday People)

Immediately I thought "yeah, whatever" - Started to read but gave up after reading about half the article.

Said to the wife, only way I could see dumb ass parents not seeing this was if they are absolutely minted stinking rich, I know I for one notice if even a fiver is missing from my bank balance

I'd agree with others that 90% if not more of this is "paper selling" BS, trouble is the knock of effect will be a total misunderstanding by the powers that be and quite probably more OTT rules for us in the UK when it comes to gambling in general.

 

[shadow123]

There is no way that the bank would not check the transactions for that amount of cash,
also how did the kid manage to lose another £60000 after admitting to his dad that he has lost
£20000,surely the father would make sure any gambling transactions were blocked on that account.
Either it was the father gambling or government bullshit trying to gain support for future gaming
restrictions.
I think the former but latter is quite possible.

 

[Simmo!]

I seriously doubt any bank would have this kind of limit on a credit or debit card.

A debit card has no limit on spend but in recent times, I've never been able to get past about 3 or 4 deposits at the same place without some sort of SMS verification from the bank.

And this article makes claims that aren't ever referenced "According to the Government, a staggering 25,000 children aged 11-16 are hooked on gambling." Where? Which government? According to whom?

It's probably because they now include "Loot boxes" in video games as gambling. Nothing to do with the gambling industry at all and it's only gambling in the sense that buying stocks or shares is. Honestly, casinos and sports-books are so tight on verification these days there's no way that number of people of that age could gamble without parental help or parental stupidity.

This reads like a high school newspaper. Unless this is verified by police reports or statements from other verifiable third parties (like the bank), I would not believe it. It's hogwash.

It's just the press and wannabe journalists trying to get a break - they dress anything up to be what they want it to be if it sells papers or gets them noticed.

 

[maxd]

It's just the press and wannabe journalists trying to get a break - they dress anything up to be what they want it to be if it sells papers or gets them noticed.

+1! Trash "journalism" has become depressingly pervasive. They're trolls, simple as that.

 

[dunover]

I think someone is pulling someone else's leg here. For one thing, in this day and age of online fraud, I seriously doubt any bank would have this kind of limit on a credit or debit card. I have a 10K limit on a business account card, and any time it is used I get a TAN sent via SMS. So I say "bullshit" to that claim. And the story about some kid going to Wembly with his dad and seeing some ads that got him going is like some script in a bad movie.

And this article makes claims that aren't ever referenced "According to the Government, a staggering 25,000 children aged 11-16 are hooked on gambling." Where? Which government? According to whom?

This reads like a high school newspaper. Unless this is verified by police reports or statements from other verifiable third parties (like the bank), I would not believe it. It's hogwash.

Well if that were the case then it's the fucking stoooopid government's fault anyway, allowing (almost uniquely in the western world) kids to gamble on AWP slots in amusement arcades at seaside resorts for 5p or 10p stakes. Cretins.

 

[Simmo!]

...allowing (almost uniquely in the western world) kids to gamble on AWP slots in amusement arcades at seaside resorts for 5p or 10p stakes. Cretins.

That's what got me started.

 

[nikantw]

It's the same all over the world. Did you notice that it is always the "online" that is responsible for all the bad things in this world?
At the same time the land based is "doing God's work, pays lots of taxes, helps local community and donates a lot".

It is not just gambling, the internet is "responsible" for all crime, terrorism, economic crisis and climate change (because of the crypto currencies causing all the global warming).

 

[BrianGhattas]

I don’t believe some kid could blow through 80K quid through online gambling. There has to be some serious embellishments in regards to the story. As Donald loves to say, FAKE NEWS.

 

[nikantw]

If there is any truth to the story, chances are the father figured he has a "get out of jail free card" when he managed a refund of the 20k with the "my son did it" story. But he got greedy the 2nd time, asked for a 60k refund and the casino didn't fall for it. So he figured he can put pressure on them by giving the "story" to the papers.

 

[TheresNoDInBonanza]

Disclaimer: haven't read the article.

I don't understand the view that this is impossible.
I've lost probably $20k this month with no bank checks or anything like that, never had one. And that's just doing ~$7.50 average bet. Bump that up to $200 a spin and add in parents who don't check their accounts daily and it's certainly possible.

Also lol at the guy proud of gambling away $50k of the banks money and welshing on the debt. I guess that shows how this is indeed possible.

Not saying this particular story is true but I'd be amazed if there weren't real life occurrences of this scenario each week.

 

[ed skull murphy]

Interesting to read everyone's differing takes on what is going on here.

If I may add another one. Based on what Nicola said about the UK bookies using auto-verification, could this be a 'psy-op' by the 'powers that be', aimed at providing the licensing authorities with the justification to begin clamping down on those guys?

 

[goatwack]

Say it was true and he'd actually won!

Imagine the SoW question. 'Please provide proof of your income for the last 6 months'

kid: "Mum and Dad"

 

[Biti]

Bump that up to $200 a spin and add in parents who don't check their accounts daily and it's certainly possible.

The kid did it before, hence parents were warned already and he used the cards of his dad's company. I suppose a company has an administration.

 

[interlog]

Welcome to blame culture UK where everybody else is responsible other than yourself and/or your immediate family.

What I don't get is how the kid was allowed to continue to gamble after the parents discovered he already had a problem. Didn't they change their credit/debit cards? Block internet access to the kid? Put filters on his/their computer?

But then again "think about the children".

 

[goatwack]

Welcome to blame culture UK where everybody else is responsible other than yourself and/or your immediate family.

What I don't get is how the kid was allowed to continue to gamble after the parents discovered he already had a problem. Didn't they change their credit/debit cards? Block internet access to the kid? Put filters on his/their computer?

But then again "think about the children".

I agree. Ban this sick filth - NOW

Won't somebody think of the children etc

 

[NeverLucky]

Quite a few Kids are exposed to gambling -- not on the serious, regulated Sites that we play on but rather on sites that are absolutely unregulated -- they dont care and dont verify your Age in any way, all they do is say in their Terms that you are not allowed to use the Site if you are below the Age of 18/legal gambling age in your country.
In the gaming scene, there has been a lot of promotion going on for CS:GO gambling sites for example. This is not run through the Game Developer themselves but through some very sketchy individuals. While CS:GO gambling has pretty much died down as Valve was forced to take steps to stop it because of a lawsuit of parents, there most certainly are still sites that are run for other Games. If you are at all interested in this you should Google 'Phantoml0rd scandal' or check out the Videos of Richard Lewis on YouTube regarding this.
YouTubers that are promoting these sites or people running these sites are not being held accountable and to my knowledge not a lot is done against it.
It's been shown time and time again that people specifically target a young audience, rig outcomes for Partners so they have good outcomes for their Videos etc.

In regards to this case:
I find it unbelievable that the Bank would not notify you or even ASK if these transactions are your own doing.

 

[Simmo!]

Welcome to blame culture UK where everybody else is responsible other than yourself and/or your immediate family.

So sad, so true. Suits the lawyers that way though so it ain't all bad.

 

[Steviedoo]

Welcome to blame culture UK where everybody else is responsible other than yourself and/or your immediate family.

What I don't get is how the kid was allowed to continue to gamble after the parents discovered he already had a problem. Didn't they change their credit/debit cards? Block internet access to the kid? Put filters on his/their computer?

But then again "think about the children".

It’s not that difficult to find ways around your parents restrictions. Pretty sure they did all that your saying.

Kids, addicts, etc will always find a way.

 

[Reelsoffun]

That's what got me started.

That's probably how we all got started... TBH

 

[goatwack]

The fault lies with the parents first and foremost by being slack, that's not to say certain little cherubs won't or can't find a way to diddle their old folks.

Kid won't get punished, mind, as they're pretty much beyond reproach these days, the thieving brat

Maybe a week without the XBox?

 

[dionysus]

The fault lies with the parents first and foremost by being slack, that's not to say certain little cherubs won't or can't find a way to diddle their old folks.

Kid won't get punished, mind, as they're pretty much beyond reproach these days, the thieving brat

Maybe a week without the XBox?

That's so harsh, forcing them to have to game only on their phones, tablets and pcs, you big meanie

 

[interlog]

The fault lies with the parents first and foremost by being slack, that's not to say certain little cherubs won't or can't find a way to diddle their old folks.

Kid won't get punished, mind, as they're pretty much beyond reproach these days, the thieving brat

Maybe a week without the XBox?

PlayStation - don't yah know

 

[lotusch]

It is a mad mad story and I agree with previous posters..
Why oh why did the bank not ring the bell..Like it is not healthy to spend this kind of cash on gambling..
Second of all,I understand everyone can make accounts for online gambling, but how did he pass the KYC procedures? I assume he was not even able to WD funds..

 

[dusky]

I deposited 30k into Coral after no real history at that level and had absolutely no emails or check ups so it is possible.

All depends on the final outcome I think. If you try to cashout £500 you get them at the door wanting all sorts of proof, but not as fussed when it's losses.

 

[spurs1882]

The original version of this story was created to promote 'Therapist Steve Pope' who was photographed and had his website promoted.

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[slotter999]

@spurs1882 Interesting post....also makes reading back the 'broken Britain' responses more interesting. Never let facts get in the way of a good story right?

 

[Simmo!]

Not this one but quite relevant:

Online gambling operator 32Red has been hit with a £2m penalty for failing to protect a problem gambler.

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[SpinUk]

Not this one but quite relevant:

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“there were at least 22 incidents indicating the customer was a problem gambler.

"Instead of checking on the welfare of a customer displaying problem gambling behaviour, 32Red encouraged the customer to gamble more“.

Shameful. Families broken and lives destroyed with such actions.