If you got on here thru gambling, check this out

Daddyo

thats how i got here but at least i smelt the coffee - unlike this poor fella mentioned on the racing post......

Book-keeper blows £1m in online gambling spree

by Bruce Jackson

LADBROKES on Tuesday claimed they saw no reason to change procedures after a £16,000-a-year book-keeper blew more than £1m in an online gambling spree, leaving his company in administration.

The sorry tale was told this week in Dorchester Crown Court but Ladbrokes, who restrict the size of bets on winning accounts and in shops, feel its current policy of monitoring accounts of heavy losers is adequate.

Ladbrokes did not want to comment on the ongoing case, adjourned for reports, of Bryan Benjafield, 23, who pleaded guilty to stealing more than £1m from his construction company employers over nearly two years.

Ciaran O’Brien, spokesman for Ladbrokes, said: "We don't think there is any reason to change our procedures.

"We do have lots of very large-staking punters and do have procedures to check that the money is coming from bona fide sources."

Ladbrokes confirmed that they monitor accounts and that where there are cases of sudden changes in betting habits, they might intervene to check the account.

O"Brien added: We keep our eyes on things for a number of reasons and deal with them on a case-to-case basis."

Benjafield will have had to satisfy the checks made by any person wanting to open a betting account, which would have included a credit check with his bankers and should have verified his annual earnings

Police revealed that Benjafield had been gambling up to £17,000 a day on internet poker, casino, racing and sports betting with Ladbrokes just before he was arrested.

Amazingly the bookkeeper, who was thought to be a hard worker being hunched over his computer each day, gambled away the fortune on the works computer.

Skybet, another bookmaker mentioned in court proceedings, reported that Benjafield had closed his account at his own request.

Skybet spokesman Dale Tempest said: "We monitor anybody who is betting excessive amounts and we take on board Gamcare recommendations when they make them. We have facilities for punters to put a restriction on how much they can lose."

Police were amazed at the amounts gambled without detection with the £1,047,550 amounting to a tenth of Charminster Limited’s annual turnover. The gambling spree lasted from January 1, 2004 to October 28, 2005.

Police spokesman detective constable Paul Carpenter said: "At that time he admitted that it could have been £400,000 that he had taken but was unsure himself.

"The thing that astonished us was that he had no idea about the scale of it. It wasn't until accounts were examined that the full extent was revealed. It was a massive sum. I haven't heard of a bigger internet gambling case."

amosworks

This is an interesting article for those relevant to the subject matter, so BUMP baby BUMP!

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

Pobby

I guess it shows how debilitating compulsive gambling can be.

Graham_Devon

It shows that all you can ever do is lose, thats for sure. I'm here cus of gambling, but not to that extent!! I can afford the repayments on the debt I've mounted up at least, just wish I had got something nice from them.

Daddyo

Thought my post was long gone !!

amosworks

I found it and someone else had just posted about debt and gambling, so thought it would be nice to have them near each other as they were so relevant to each other.

Pobby

I see on line gambling as a time bomb waiting to go off.Any ``traditional`` forms of gambling require an individual to make some form of effort to go to the bookies,casino or an arcade.On line is an effortless way of gambling and also very secretive.As an ex gambler,in recovery,I am very glad that on line casinos weren`t available when I was suffering from this desease.

I understand that in the U.S.A there is pressure to close down these sites,indeed it is be coming a world wide problem.

http://www.sfcghub.com/cgsf1.html This is a good place to come to for anyone needing support for compulsive gambling.

Richie23_2

I think there should be a max limit you can gamble daily... i was losing £1000 a night some nights..with about 5 clicks of the mouse the money is from your credit card and in your betting account. Ive seen some blackjack tables with unlimited bets on.... scary!

I havent gambled for a month now and now clearing the damage up!

Pobby

Richie23----well done mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cattie1

i actaully work for a bookmakers and we monitor everyone who puts bets of £100 upwards,
any1 planning to gamble-bear this in mind-of every account we hold-NO-ONE has won more than they have staked, THE BOOKIE ALWAYS WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!