If you’re wondering how a bookmaker or casino can help you, this is a good story to read through. There are millions of gamblers worldwide, and in our approximation, at least 30% of more have some sort of gambling problem.
Even worse, the situation is far from being a good one when we’re talking about a disabled betting addict. Allegedly, two bookmakers, Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, helped a disabled gambler fill out hits betting slips, as he lost all of his compensation from the operation.
Liam McCarron, a gambling addict we’re talking about, lost more than £500,000 in three years, as a result of the bookmaker’s lack of care and appreciation for this customer.
Devastating Effects of Gambling
Our site is all about promoting and reviewing the best bookmakers and casinos out there. However, we always say that you should bet responsibly. Well, McCarron surely wasn’t doing so given his history of successful businesses in 2007.
At the time, he sustained severe injuries during a certain operation, which gave him problems with his speech and movement. According to the UKGC, Ladbrokes, one of the suspected bookies, knew about the situation with this customer, yet still allowed him to place bets.
Logically, as a disabled person, he is most likely not able to work properly and earn a high salary – in most cases, at least.
From 2014 to 2017, Liam continued to bet his way through life, ramping up his losses to more than £500,000. It was until Coral, a sister company of Ladbrokes, decided to ask McCarron to prove his funding source.
McCarron couldn’t do that without the help of his wife who didn’t know of Liam’s nasty habit and huge financial losses. In 2017, however, with a swift reaction from his lawyers, the gambler finally stopped gambling for good, but not without consequences.
His marriage has fallen apart, and since then, he had two suicide attempts. Lawyers on the McCarron’s side are fighting for compensation for everything that the gambler went through as a result of irresponsible gambling.
But, both Ladbrokes and Paddy Power claim that they did nothing wrong.
Despite these claims, McCarron says that his life has taken a turn for the worse. His finances, family relationships, and overall health have all deteriorated, and as he adds, he feels like he lost dignity and self-respect.
Public Response
What did the UKGC say about this situation? Well, nothing special. Members of the Parliament, including Carolyn Harris, said that disabled persons are allowed to gambling and should do so if they like it.
But, she adds that if the person can’t afford this hobby, the bookmakers or casinos should react accordingly. Paddy Power didn’t respond to claims, while GVC, a company that owns Ladbrokes acknowledged the mistake and promises to work harder on fixing new issues that might arise.
Strangely, neither of the bookmakers were fined for this, which was met with sharp criticism from Richard Holden, a West Durham MP.
Both Paddy Power and Ladbrokes were lucky to get out of this situation, and if a similar situation happens again, it will probably be detrimental for both gambling operators.
Passionate about sports from a very young age, I have been scouring sports betting sites for over 10 years. This allowed me to become a real expert in the field. It is this expertise that I will try to share through my posts, guides and analyzes on Gamblingking.co.uk.