Casino News

Betting cheat gets nine years

2006-10-31 15:59:19

An online fraudster has been jailed for nine years following a series of cons that netted him over £2 million.

Philip Smith, an unregistered financial advisor, targeted over 50 victims, ranging from the elderly to his own clients and friends and even his own brother.

Mr Smith used the money to fuel a gambling habit, betting hundreds of thousands of pounds using online accounts over a period of over a decade.

Detective constable John Ashington, of Greater Manchester Police, said that Mr Smith "simply didn't care who he stole money from". Mr Smith provided his clients with fake alibis and even impersonating the deceased as his efforts to conceal his criminal activities became more desperate.

The UK has this week called for a code of conduct concerning online gambling, emphasising the need for gambling to be brought into the mainstream so that it could be properly regulated.

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell argued that registering gambling sites in the UK would give a "hallmark of quality" which could be used to simultaneously enhance sites' reputations and protect the welfare of players.


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