Debt-free with no known history of depression, a 26-year-old young man ended his life after winning more than $100,000 at an overseas online gambling site and then losing it in less than 24 hours, The Press learned. A relative is calling for the banning of these illegal platforms in Quebec that do live roller coasters with the players.
Posted at 5:00 am
In February 2022, Jacques (fictional first name) revealed to relatives that he had won more than $100,000 playing online poker in less than a week.
One of his electronic devices, which was later consulted by a relative, was “exposed [qu’il] had actually won the announced amount and then continued to play,” says the coroner’s report.
On the evening of his death, the man “made significant bets, including at least one bet of tens of thousands of dollars, before losing his accumulated winnings,” the coroner said. “By 8 p.m. the same day, he had less than $10 of his winnings left. »
The man’s body was found at his home two days later. Death “probably occurred[e] On the day he lost all his earnings, coroner Marie-Pierre Charland concludes in a very sober investigative report that makes no recommendations. “Often in the files we want to denounce the sadness of the situation, but to make recommendations we really need a specific recipient. I can’t say to the general public, “Be careful in situations like this,” Me Charland explained.
Winnings that are not paid out immediately
The online gambling site told the player that their winnings would not be paid out in full immediately, but only at “$2,500 a week,” a relative told us, who asked not to be named.
“He didn’t like it, he didn’t want to leave his money there. If he could have pulled it off, he would have done it. I think that was the trigger, says this person. The company that does this doesn’t want to pay the winners: they know there’s a good chance people will play and lose again. »
Ottawa should block access to overseas gambling sites, this relative claims.
A site that lets you play and doesn’t pay you right away should not be tolerated in my view. They should not be allowed to look for customers in Canada.
A relative who asked for anonymity
The site where the Quebec player would have lost his winnings in a few hours had not yet answered our questions at the time of sending this text.
In Quebec, only lotoquebec.com is fully legal. Other gambling sites are considered illegal. Many players, including a man who won $75,000, complained of difficulties getting paid by such sites, The Bill reported last fall.
No warning signs
The player’s demise is all the more troubling as he showed no warning signs whatsoever. “I didn’t find it in the medical record […] no relevant story to understand death. According to one of his relatives [il] wasn’t depressed at all. No suicidal remarks or suicide notes were found,” the coroner wrote.
The twenty-something has “a very good job”, has no gambling debts and has not stayed away from work, emphasizes his relative. While gambling has always been a part of his adult life, he only devoted his spare time to it.
It’s really a sudden movement. There’s something that triggered something, there was really an inclination.
A relative who asked for anonymity
The toxicological analyzes revealed no traces of drugs or medication. On the other hand, the blood alcohol level was 202 mg/dl (0.20), two and a half times the legal limit for driving (0.08). “It is known that a blood alcohol level of 202 mg/dl can cause emotional instability, decreased inhibitions and loss of critical judgment,” notes the coroner.
“Thank you for speaking up because it is the story of an individual’s suffering from a gambling addiction and often when people come to commit suicide there is a sense of unease about talking about suffering,” Me Charland said in a telephone interview. “The fact that you talk about it helps open people’s horizons and maybe prevent similar situations. »
“Harmful” game
The National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) does not comment on specific cases. “It’s documented that a big win encourages anchoring, the taste of reliving that experience because it creates tremendous stimulation, a bit like a drug,” recalls Élisabeth Papineau, a science advisor specializing in happiness and cash games at INSPQ.
The definition of harmful gambling not only includes spending too much money, but also spending too much time or thought. “Even if you have the financial means, you will have a problematic relationship with gambling that will affect your quality of life. »
Operators of websites located outside the country “may have very dubious practices” for which “we have no jurisdiction,” recalls Sylvia Kairouz, research chair in gambling studies at the University of Concordia. “There is no security for the players. »
The ubiquity of online gambling and the hype it receives makes the experience more engaging, the two researchers note. “A player has already told me: ‘I carry my casino in my pocket,'” illustrates Ms. Kairouz.
No blockade in sight
When asked about the idea of blocking foreign gambling sites, the office of the Federal Minister of Justice referred us to the ministry. Gambling is regulated “by the provincial and territorial governments in accordance with the Penal Code,” he just recalled.
“Federal legislation does not block access to the sites of operators who are not authorized,” argued Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard’s office.
Quebec had enacted a provision to oblige internet service providers to block access to sites deemed illegal, but the Court of Appeals invalidated it for a second time in 2021.
Efforts continue to “restrict access to illegal sites, strengthen the position of the state-owned company as the sole responsible operator of online gambling [et] Reduce the presence of advertising,” we say in Quebec.
Since blocking is “almost impossible”, it would be better to issue “licenses with very clear and strict conditions” in terms of ethics and responsible gambling, Ms Kairouz suggests. “If we offer licenses, a certain number of large operators will stick to what we consider to be a safe environment,” the researcher estimates.
Loto Quebec customers can withdraw their total winnings “regardless of the amount,” according to Crown Corporation.
With the collaboration of William Leclerc, La Presse
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20% Percentage of Quebecers who gambled and gambled online in April 2022. Her popularity, observed a year earlier amid a pandemic, has therefore been sustained.
Source: Quebec National Institute for Public Health (INSPQ)