In the digital age, crimes and fraud are increasingly more difficult to complete than one might think. The digital footprint of transactions and surveillance in casinos along with increased measures for security such as AI and proactive monitoring, help protect such venues from criminal activities, including robbery, money-laundering or other criminal acts. Despite the innovative technology casinos use, some culprits still attempt to execute different crimes and this is precisely the case of one student in the United Kingdom.

As announced by Birmingham Live, a 22-year-old student from Greenwich, London, was recently sentenced after attempting to steal a hefty sum from a casino. Samuel Bob-Emmanuel admitted to fraud and was reportedly sentenced to a 12-month community order by the Birmingham Crown Court. The student stole some £24,000 ($29,000) from Grosvenor Casino, a location where he was a regular customer.

In light of the sentencing, Bob-Emmanuel is now facing 150 hours of unpaid work. The 22-year-old who admitted to fraud by false representation must also undergo 25 days of rehabilitation. According to Bob-Emmanuel’s defense, Mohammed Naser, the defendant decided to temporarily stop his university activities to “better equip himself” for the final year. Naser explained: “He has not sought to prevaricate or delay matters. He has not sought to conceal or dispose of evidence. Of course, the unsophisticated nature of the offense means it was always going to come back to him.”

An Unsophisticated Crime

The crime Bob-Emmanuel admitted to dates back to March 1 this year. Back then, the young man memorized a PIN code used by a supervisor at Grosvenor Casino’s venue on Hill Street in Birmingham. As a regular client, Bob-Emmanuel had an account with the casino. After memorizing the PIN, the 22-year-old returned to the casino the next day and visited its poker room which was unattended at the time.

He then attempted to transfer the five-figure sum to his account. Sadly, Bob-Emmanuel wasn’t able to get the money as TSB Bank had frozen the transaction. Once Bob-Emannuel completed the transaction, he fled the casino.

Recorder George Kelly explained that the unsophisticated crime was quickly resolved. Yet, it involved some degree of planning, he said. Employees of Grosvenor Casino didn’t take long to identify the missing funds. Then, they reviewed the CCTV footage and identified who was the wrongdoer.

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Dr Timothy Fong, a member of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, spoke about the impact of problem gambling on student-athletes during the UNLV Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking. As reported by SBCAmericas, he also talked about how the harassment players receive from bettors can undermine their performance.

Students are considered to be high-risk gamblers. In addition, research shows that athletes are more exposed to gambling problems than other people. As a result, student-athletes, especially in the US where gambling is prevalent, are a very vulnerable demographic.

Fortunately, many recognize this issue and try to take action. Fong cited the program at Towson University that seeks to protect student-athletes from gambling and gambling-related harm. The program includes ways to identify potential gamblers and help them deal with their problems.

Echoing New Jersey’s recent decision to help young gamblers instead of punishing them, the University of California seeks to treat players instead of scrutinizing and suspending them.

We assess them, we treat them, and we get them to continue to be able to train and not sent home.

Dr Timothy Fong, director of sports psychiatry services, UCLA

Another problem that athletes all over the world face is harassment, which is oftentimes fostered by the discontentment of sports bettors who didn’t get their way. Harassment can happen both online and in the real world and can have a devastating traumatizing effect on young players.

Student-athletes would develop anxiety because of all the negative comments, which would affect their in-game performance as they would constantly worry. Dealing with this issue can become as important as training, eating properly and resting, Fong argued.

Suddenly, sports betting becomes a training issue. Just like cardio, strength training, sleep, nutrition, it becomes embedded as part of the athlete’s experience.

Dr Timothy Fong, director of sports psychiatry services, UCLA

Unfortunately, the growth of sports betting in the US has exacerbated the issue, with more harassment now circulating in the online space than ever before. The legalization of wagering in new markets has led to a sharp increase in harassment against athletes.

Some comments would simply say mean things about players but in certain cases, angry bettors may threaten the lives of athletes. Sometimes, the authorities would intervene and take offenders to court. Unfortunately, however, many harassers go unpunished.

The worst thing is that there is still not enough clear data about the issue and its prevalence. The exact number of affected athletes is also unknown, since no sufficient research has been done and since not all players like to comment on the matter.

Fong concluded that he hopes stakeholders will do something to address the issue.

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