LONDON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- An online gambling addict in Britain, accused of stealing about $1.75 million from his employer to fund his habit, has received a five-year prison sentence.
The judge sentencing Bryan Benjafield warned about the "staggering" growth of Internet betting sites, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Benjafield, 23, an accounts administrator earning about $28,000 annually, was accused of stealing up to $17,000 a day to gamble. His company later went into liquidation.
The report said Benjafield used his position to transfer money to his bank account, and then used the money to bet on horse-racing, football matches, Internet poker and other online casino games.
Benjafield, who is newly married with a 12-month-old son, admitted to the charges, the report said.
"The ease with which a desperate man addicted to gambling could spend enormous sums is bluntly staggering," the judge said. "Internet or online gambling has made it much easier, regretfully, for enormous sums to be spent unthinkingly."
