The scam

A EuroMillions lottery winner who scammed ￡34,000 ($41,199) from friends to fund his gambling addiction has been sent to prison for a year. Reece Casey won ￡164,000 ($198,725) in a Euro Millions lottery draw in 2019, blowing the winnings gambling. He then proceeded to scam ￡34,000 ($41,199) from a total of 25 victims in Sunderland to fund his addiction.

saying that one of his friends worked at the company and had a staff discount

In June 2021, the 31-year-old claimed on Snapchat that he was able to secure a 40% discount for luxury clothing brand Flannels, saying that one of his friends worked at the company and had a staff discount. This was not the case and Casey kept the money for himself.

Many victims

During the trial in the Newcastle Crown Court, it was revealed that Casey became entrenched in the world of gambling after working offshore. Despite his six-figure lottery win and a successful ￡58,000 ($70,301) wager with William Hill in 2018, Casey had to resort to scamming long-time family friends to keep his addiction going.

Casey previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation

Sentencing in the case took place on Wednesday; Casey previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation. The sentencing was supposed to take place at an earlier date, but there was an adjournment so more details of the offense could be gathered.

One of the victims had given ￡4,500 ($5,453) to Casey, while another person used inheritance from her deceased mother to try to avail of the non-existent Flannels discount. Casey claims he only dealt directly with three of the victims as one of his friends had ordered numerous items on behalf of his own friends and family.

Dealing with gambling addiction

Casey’s legal counsel Kelly Sherif claimed that her client had displayed “extreme remorse” for his actions. She explained that Casey had begun gambling when he was 15 years old and that some of his previous efforts to curtail his gambling were ultimately unsuccessful.

went into gambling addiction rehab in August 2021

He had self-excluded himself from sports betting platforms, but was able to restart gambling through WhatsApp. He went into gambling addiction rehab in August 2021 and is still there. Sherif said that her client has “no intention to return to this lifestyle and has no intention to get back to gambling.”

When sentencing Casey, Judge Stephen Earl said that the victims have been left with unnecessary worry and stress. He did state that he did not believe that the defendant is a bad person. Casey is working towards paying back each of the victims.