Teen who gambled away RM8mil Share

PORT KLANG – A boy who grew up watching his father gamble followed in his footsteps and lost about RM8mil within three years.He started gambling and losing millions in foreign football bets over the Internet.
His high-rolling ways earned him the monicker "Little Dragon".


Object lesson

Like his millionaire father, he became a compulsive gambler, said Klang Barisan Nasional chairman Teh Kim Poo, who related the story as part of a campaign to check gambling.“This teenager grew up watching his father gamble and at the age of 16, he began to do it after gambling agents gave him a credit line of RM100,000," said Teh."Each time he was buried in debt, his father would bail him out. Over three years, there have been several bail-outs,” he said.Teh said the father, in his 50s, put a stop to the son's spiralling losses when it reached RM8mil. He stopped his son from attending college and is keeping a close eye on the teenager by making him work for him.

Out of control

The teenager, now 19, who was pursuing an Australian degree programme at a college in Petaling Jaya had on several occasions used college fees to settle his debts and extend his credit line.He would lie to his father that college fees needed to be paid and use the money to pay the gambling agents.On occasions when he could not settle the debt, the agents would send Ah Long to collect from the father.Teh, who was unable to coax the teenager to come forward to relate his gambling spree, said gambling agents were the culprits who went after teenagers from rich families.

“Most times, these agents would go to ‘high-end colleges’ and look for these rich kids.”Teh also said Pandamaran New Village had become a hotbed for gambling and simple wooden houses were equipped with Internet facilities for the activity.

No to gambling

On Sunday, the Klang and Kapar MCA held an “Anti-Gambling at Internet Cafes” signature campaign at the Taman Eng Ann morning market.It received more than 2,000 signatures from parents in two hours, according to a report in The Star.Klang OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Mat Yusop urged the public to provide information on gambling dens that existed in Internet cafes so that swift action could be taken.

Source : http://www.malaysianmirror.com