Paddy Power Player From Part-Time Accountant to Full-Time Addict

Man in late 60's gets addicted to online poker.

Paddy Power Player From Part-Time Accountant to Full-Time Addict
kreetube, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

Not every story can be about living it up off your poker game. Sometimes the dark underside of the game rears its head and when it does it’s always a good idea to take note.

Here’s the story of former respected schoolteacher and trusted part-time accountant John Carlos from Ireland. Carlos found online poker in his 60’s and it was all downhill from there.

According to The Irish Times, Carlos, who is now 74, embezzled €135,000 over the course of three years to fund his massive online poker habit. The former schoolteacher was hired by a friend and owner of a Eddie Rockets franchise (Johnny Rockets for those in the US) to look after the books. It wasn’t until years later that he discovered that Carlos was slowly siphoning off funds, by forging and altering checks from the restaurant, and shipping the cash to his Paddy Power account.

Carlos’s bank account showed numerous amounts going to the Paddy Power online poker website.

In April 2011, Carlos called in voluntarily to Blackrock Garda station and admitted defrauding his employer via dozens of cheques, totalling €135,000. He told gardaí that he had lost about €150,000 gambling and had run into considerable debt. He said what he had done was appalling but that he could not afford to repay the money.

Now, he’s on the hook for all it, facing possible jail time and his gambling addiction has led to him separating from his wife.

Everything in moderation people.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling (VACPG) helpline at 1-888-532-3500
published 10 years, 10 months ago • by • permalink

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