Gambling help line director sentenced

[Bigjoe33]

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It is not gambling that is wrong, but the way he is with the money itself, the way he steals is an action that cannot be justified.

Gamblers are really the problem here, and not gambling itself. Gambling isn't a living things that begins to operate itself on our behalf, no. We are the ones who decide to play, and many times, fail to abide to strict financial discipline when it comes to gambling.

Though to some point, working in a gambling company can breed temptation to gamble, and if not always controlled can turn to addiction. I have heard cases where poeple who works in gambling company squander the companies money all in the name of gambling, trying luck and want to double there money, and before you know it, he has already wasted enough money.

For me, any worker that gambles should be relieved of his duty. Infact, not gambling should be one of the criteria for selecting workers. Maybe, this will help to deter them from wastage.

[Charles-Tim]

I did not say he was sentenced to death, I said he was sentenced and gave an idea to why he was sentenced, maybe you read that I wrote sentenced to death.

And I have read the article I know how many years he was sentenced to, I am not a law student but a quick search on what does it mean to be sentenced and it just mean you are guilt and judgemental has been passed.

You are right about this, to sentence someone, it can mean to certain years in prison, to life imprisonment or to death. So far you did not specify it, you are right.

The one that is about sentenced to death is capital punishment. It is not about just saying someone has been sentenced.

[giammangiato]

A very similar discussion was made some time ago, one of the users asked whether to work for a
casino could make you addicted to gambling.
If what has been said is indeed confirmed by this discussion, everything becomes real.
While a few months ago in that discussion (which I can't find on the forum) there was a discussion about a possible addiction for those who work inside to chaos, now the fact seems real.
I wonder how many other workers are employees, they just haven't come out into the open.
This fact is very serious, first from an ethical point of view, the one who has to control needs to be controlled and managed, the second point appropriating money that is not yours to enjoy an advantage at the expense of other users.
This makes me very angry, I can't find any news that apologizes to users or in any case if money has been stolen (that they have been compensated), do you have any news on this? Mine is just curiosity.

[Findingnemo]

All I am reading is someone got a job as gambling helpline when he himself don't know how to control his addiction, government should implement better criteria to pick them in the future. Stolen money to gamble isn't a new thing, people do that and it is a crime and should be punished for that.

[crwth]

That is ironic, knowing that someone is a helpline director and still having problems with gambling himself. How can you expect someone to help others if they can't help themselves?
^{(What made me think of this is somewhat the medical doctors who are not healthy or in shape)}

With everything that has been said here, I don't think it's easy to say that it's for fun only because, in the back of your mind, it will still always be about winning. That is what you want.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

So technically, he was addicted and yet he is supposed to be the one to respond to gambling addiction related issues? there is two angle to this story because while he decided to spend stolen fund on his gambling lifestyle, the key thing to note here is that he is a thief to start with.

I guess he was employed as the gambling help line director because they believed that has already escaped gambling addiction and is now fit to guide other patients to become responsible gamblers, not knowing that he has already committed a crime by stealing $1.4 million. I would argue that he was not a thief but became one after his addiction to gambling has blow off and that's what usually happens to people that are shy to seek for help after they noticed the problem they are battling with. If he had spoken up and told his employer about his condition, he probably would have been relief of his office and then placed on medication and observation too and that would have prevented him from stealing.

We are in a time where those handling therapy needs the service they are offering even more than those that are offering the service to.

It's not always like that, any one that respects their profession would make sure they always act and maintain professionalism in the area of their job, it's not every employee in same job role that will do what this man has done, so I don't quite agree with this.

Anyone can get addicted ad this is very important to take note of. if you know you are going to struggle dealing with addiction, then it is wise you never work in certain place.  i would even suggest that if you are working in such environment, don't gamble at all because you are going to be too exposed that addiction becomes a natural consequence.

Some organizations usually place that law of not allowing their employees to gambling but you know humans, some person will hind their gambling activities so that their employers will not find out about it, but in this man's case, what I understand is that, he was already addicted and have been receiving treatment, so I assume that why they employed him as the helpline director is because they believe that with his experience in addiction, that he can be able to help other people knowing what to tell them about the dangers of addiction and for you to know that he was already addicted before getting that job is because of what his defence said that the man was affected by ADHD medication, implying that it was that medication that made him stole $1.4 million from his former employers. That's not a reasonable excuse, so he deserves the sentencing he got.

[BitBakerr1]

OMG, I’m so heartbroken to see this news. Someone who used to work helping many people recover from addiction is actually struggling with the same problem himself. I mean, how could he possibly be the director of an addiction treatment center when he can’t even help himself?
On the other hand, I’m sure he isn’t an expert in this field, and regardless of anything else, I’m sure he must be deeply embarrassed now that the public knows about this.

One of the things you need to understand about human being is that they can change at any minute, someone who used to be very disciplined, can change into a thief, someone who was helping people in recovering their money and who hate anything related to scam can one day turn into a scammer. There’s not impossible when it comes to human change.

I can’t be surprised with such a news, haven’t you seen a situation where someone who you believed will never do a particular thing end up doing it.
I believe he was not addicted to gambling before but he became addicted gradually and the addiction took over him.

[Ishicryptic]

All I am reading is someone got a job as gambling helpline when he himself don't know how to control his addiction, government should implement better criteria to pick them in the future. Stolen money to gamble isn't a new thing, people do that and it is a crime and should be punished for that.

Some professionals don't even have any conscience, their jobs are to help vulnerable people recover from addiction meanwhile they themselves are also addicted to the same thing, it is hypocrisy and wickedness. This kind of news is what makes people to be suspicious about helpline operators, while getting help you might be wondering if the professional is actually better than you in real life because many professionals don't practice what they teach. I agree that government, casinos and corporate entities should do background checks on the professionals that they hire to work for them, there is also need for them to do periodic background checks on them just to make sure that they are maintaining their professional ethics.

[macson]

It's like a drug enforcement officer who ends up becoming a drug dealer himself. Well, it's unfortunate, but that's the kind of temptation you face when you're dealing with something that has the potential to make you a lot of money, and that guy just couldn't resist it and ended up becoming a gambling addict. He's like a hypocrite, there's nothing you can do for people like that.

[Grace333]

This is compulsive gambling, if you have gotten to the point where you have to steal from others to gamble then it has gone beyond a normal activity. I used to think that those that work in casinos don't gamble not because they are told not to but they are aware of the dangers that comes with getting addicted to gambling. It is possible for people that are in such depth or level in gambling addiction to recover from it.

[rachael9385]

I have seen something like this in my country where a young man whose mum is in the hospital took her ATM card and withdrew money meant for her treatment just to gamble.
When gambling stops being about Fun you will be doing you and those around you wrong.

This is something that I have seen a lot of people do, gambling addiction has made a lot of people do things that don't only affect them but also put others in a precarious situation. The moment Gambling stops being a source of entertainment it becomes a serious issue addiction issue.

All I am reading is someone got a job as gambling helpline when he himself don't know how to control his addiction, government should implement better criteria to pick them in the future. Stolen money to gamble isn't a new thing, people do that and it is a crime and should be punished for that.

Working as a professional in a casino doesn't really mean that you have control or being able to avoid getting addicted to gambling. In some cases some not all amounts of money stolen to gamble warrants an arrest, in the case Op talked about I don't think that will lead to an arrest.

[Byebyebtc]

It doesn't matter who you are, you can still be a victim 

Even we that criticize sometimes in the forum might also lowkey be victims of this gambling addiction. The truth is that if you don't have a good gambling start, there are high chances that you will get addicted, we see the signs but some times ignore it, we should try our best to make sure that we don't let those micro desires build

[Yablee0]

All I am reading is someone got a job as gambling helpline when he himself don't know how to control his addiction, government should implement better criteria to pick them in the future. Stolen money to gamble isn't a new thing, people do that and it is a crime and should be punished for that.

Is so unbelievable to have such an addicted person as a help centre personnel. What can he possibly give out as a help to a customer that is actually in needs when he's also a victim of a chronic gamble addiction, and to make things worst he's also a thief to the extent of going as far as stealing funds just to funds  up his gambling life style. What a world, who knows how long he has been doing this and finally he has been caught.

Perhaps, this is to confirm that nothing last forever. I just hope justice will be served on this case.

[Chinesebaby]

I don't know if this news is already in this board I have checked and did not see, if there is let me know.

In the News a certain former gambling help line director from Florida has been sentenced.

Also according to the same news he was sentenced for cunning the gambling company he worked of millions but what has been shocked is that he did this just to use the same stolen funds to gamble.

Image a gambler addiction counsellor becoming an addict, because that's exactly what I could understand from this incident. And another question I would have loved to ask, did he gamble the $1.4 million on the same casino where he was working, or did he go to a different one? because if he used then, his account can be restricted and deduct all his remaining balance. While also charged to face the penalty of his actions by stealing such a huge sum of money.

I have seen something like this in my country where a young man whose mum is in the hospital took her ATM card and withdrew money meant for her treatment just to gamble.

When gambling stops being about Fun you will be doing you and those around you wrong.

These are the negative effects of gambling addiction we talk about, becaue imagine using a money that was meant for hospital treatment for gambling? Thats the craziest thing that he could have done, or what was he thinking? was he thinking if he gambles he could get 10x of that amount to pay his mum's hospital bills and then have some left? And thats why been realistic and true to yourself is always good, because gambling is the last resort you could ever trust for money.

[icebar]

All I am reading is someone got a job as gambling helpline when he himself don't know how to control his addiction, government should implement better criteria to pick them in the future. Stolen money to gamble isn't a new thing, people do that and it is a crime and should be punished for that.

It may sound strange that the person who provides customer support is addicted to gambling, so how good a service he provides to others will certainly be a matter of criticism. In my opinion, a good person can be affected by addiction at any time, and self-control is an important task. No matter how good a person is appointed in the selection process, if he cannot manage him properly, he can become addicted. In gambling, many people spend the necessary money, some can even steal money to gamble. Those who are in a position of responsibility must respect their responsibilities.

[Mutuvasilin]

All I am reading is someone got a job as gambling helpline when he himself don't know how to control his addiction, government should implement better criteria to pick them in the future. Stolen money to gamble isn't a new thing, people do that and it is a crime and should be punished for that.

I think it's a bit different though. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two separate things, and he could have been giving perfectly good advice and support while not being able to follow it himself. That doesn't excuse what happened, but I'm not sure better hiring criteria would catch something like that.

[r_victory]

During the time he provided this service, did he truly help anyone break free from gambling addiction? It's often easier to help others than yourself. It's sad to see someone reach this point; now, in addition to the addiction, he will have to deal with a conviction for misappropriation of funds. The curious detail here is the argument that the medication used contributed to the act; in his case, it could be a defense strategy, or it could be real. I've seen some articles about this.

'It's ruined my life': Hundreds tell BBC how medication triggered gambling and other addictions
I spent nearly 20 years on a drug for restless leg syndrome. It wrecked my life

[Dareo]

Is so unbelievable to have such an addicted person as a help centre personnel. What can he possible give out as a help to a customer that is actually in needs when he's also a victim of a chronic gamble addiction, and to make things worst he's also a theif to the extent of going as far as stealing funds just to funds  up his gambling life style. What a world, who knows how long he has been doing things and finally he has been caught.

Perhaps, this is to confirm that nothing last forever. I just hope justice will be served on this case.

I think the problem is not that of addiction, but that of people not being able to solve their own issues and take money from others and misuse their positions is quite an issue. A person who has overcome his addiction can also guide other people through his experience. However, it is very essential to conduct periodic evaluations and hold the workers of the help center responsible, so that they do not harm others due to their own issues. There definitely needs to be a proper investigation and trial in case of any criminal activities.

[Proty]

I believe this is what happens to those that are addicted to gambling. When someone is addicted to gambling they are willing to take any risk just to continue gambling without thinking of the outcome of their actions. Gambling should be seen as a means of entertainment rather than away to make money to avoid this kind of scenario, because those that treat gambling as a means of entertainment may hardly find themselves in such situations. People should always learn to gamble with what they can afford to lose and they should understand that gambling is a game of luck.

[Powerjumboo]

This means that no one is save from gambling addiction because if an expert who counsel people on irresponsible gambling can forget all that he tells people and become addicted to gambling. It means that no one is above being an addict.

 I thought that people working for casinos don't gamble, why is his own case different. Maybe, he was doing it secretly. Honestly, when you are working in a casino and you see gamblers winning big amount of money that can tempt you to believe that you can also be as lucky as those few people. Only gamble for fun.

Yes, you are absolutely right, someone's gambling addiction is not safe for anyone, gambling addiction is very dangerous for any person. Here, the person who made everyone aware of gambling addiction, has himself become addicted to gambling and has proven himself to be a thief and has participated in gambling with stolen money. However, each of us who is involved in gambling should be careful so that gambling does not turn us into an addiction in any way because addiction is so terrible that it does not hesitate to commit any crime.