Steve Girling stole upwards of £1m from his employers to fund his 3 year gambling addiction.It started back in 2014 and he was eventually found guilty at Norwich Crown Court in October 2017.
£18,000 A Night Habit
Girling had been transferring cash from company accounts in to his own account to fund his gambling addiction. Girling who used all his own funds before dipping in to company accounts would spend up to a £100 per spin on slot games, he would spend up to £18,000 per night feeding his addiction.Girling spoke of his addiction which he said he used to block out the stresses from work,“I turned to gambling because I liked the fact I could do it on my phone on my own and it was my way of shutting myself away from everyday life and my worries.”“ I didn’t tell anyone as I didn’t want to stop”It was March 2014 that Girling had a decent win, this is where his addiction to gambling began . He admitted when he started to steal from his employers he was constantly waiting for an email or phone call each day to say ‘we need to talk to you’ but it never happened so he continued.
£1M Stolen
Finally in October 2017, he resigned from his job and told his wife in December what he had done. At this point, Girling had no idea how much he had stolen, when the company investigated it was close to £1M.He will be sentenced in January 2019 where he will receive a custodial sentence.Girling has been clean for a year now and is training as a life coach, he want’s to use his experience to help others who have found themselves addicted to gambling. He admitted everything but does go on to say he feels gambling operators could do more to help problem gamblers.If you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, get in touch with BeGambleAware