A man who couldn’t stop himself from playing online lottery games and lost $550,000 in disability payments is suing the British Columbia Lottery Corp. (BCLC) for not stopping him.
The man, Tyler Hatch was enrolled several times in a BCLC voluntarily exclusion program for addicts but still couldn’t stop losing. To help himself pay off the debt he obtained a lump-sum payment of disability payments he was getting because of his depressive and bipolar disorders.
He used the $550,000 he received to pay off his debts, but still didn’t stop playing, as he writes in his lawsuit filed with the B.C. Supreme Court. He lawsuit contends that the BCLC should have done something to stop him from frittering away all his money.
He argues that the BCLC has no program in place that would identify his type of behavior and raise a red flag.
His lawsuit contends “As a result of his compulsive gambling addiction and the failure of the BCLC to take any steps to prevent him from gambling away the entirety of his future income, the plaintiff suffered disastrous financial ruin.”
Hatch has a degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University and a law degree from the University of Manitoba. Psychiatric problems in 2010 forced to stop working and obtain disability. The medication he was taking for this condition has a side effect of causing compulsive behavior, Hatch claims.
BCLC is not commenting on the case, but has said it will file a statement of defense later on.
