UNITED KINGDOM: 13-Year-Old Kid Spends £80,000 Gambling With Dad's Credit Card

A child, generously described as a teenager due to scraping in above the 13-year-old bar when he committed his crimes, is in trouble.

Quite a lot of trouble, thanks to taking photos of his dad's credit cards with his telephone and using the details to rack up a staggering £80,000 online gambling loss.

The child and his now literally poor parents are being used to publicise the evils of online gambling sites, as the story goes that the kid was lured into high-stakes gambling through adverts placed around the edges of the pitch during trip to Wembley stadium.

A bit like how seeing one advert for a new type of chocolate digestive can lead to a nine-stone weight gain over the next three months.

The boy's down only rollercoaster ride saw him eventually wagering £3,000 at a time and placing hundreds of bets a week, which due to him being 13 he thought might eventually help him win him the big payday.

He says if you're also 13 and have a financially secure dad, saying: I had no idea that ­gambling could be an addiction like smoking, drinking or drugs.

It seemed like fun and I thought I would make money too. It was just far too easy. I just had to put in dad’s name, ­address, date of birth and card details and checked a box saying I was 18, it took seconds to register and start gambling.

After he did it once and got caught, he did it again six months later.


Tourism Observer