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Teen loses $1,300, ends up paying $5,000 after losing Poker Game in School

MarrickG

Alfrescian
Loyal
Teen_loses_1_300_ends_up_paying_5_000-topImage.jpg


PLAYING poker was the "in thing" among his peers and he wanted to get in on it too.

The stakes, at just 10 or 20 cents, seemed small. So the then 18-year-old, whom we are calling Zac, said yes when his classmates invited him to gamble with them last year.

That decision cost him dearly.

In just three months, the teen lost $1,300. He also failed his O levels and paid more than $5,000 to one classmate after signing an IOU.

Now, his family, in an attempt to get the money back, has made a police report against that classmate.

When The New Paper met Zac last Monday, he said he gambled with his secondary school classmates from March to June last year.

The poker sessions took place on the school grounds after class, or while they were waiting for teachers to start lessons.

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"At first, we bet 10 and 20 cents. Then the stakes rose to $1, $5 and $10. Soon, it was $50 to show a hand. Eventually, it hit $100," said Zac.

He ended up losing "quite often", but never thought of stopping.

"I was just desperate to win back what I had lost and clear my debt."

His losses snowballed and hit $1,300 last June.

Then his classmate started pressing him for payment.

Zac said: "He would call me every half an hour to ask when I was returning the money."

Once, the classmate even confronted him near the school hall and grabbed him by the throat.

"He told me not to mess around with him as he knew gangsters," he recalled.

Worried, Zac started avoiding his classmate, skipping school and even missing his Sec 5 Maths preliminary examination "because other classmates said he was looking for me, and I couldn't pay up".


Signed IOU

Hounded to honour the loss, he then signed an IOU with the classmate in June.

He also agreed to the interest and other terms - $7 for every day he was unable to pay off the amount, in addition to $45 for every fortnight that the sum was outstanding.

Last July, Zac claimed the classmate told him to sign up for a mobile plan and pay the expenses. He did as he was told.

To settle his debts, he also borrowed money from friends and began juggling two part-time jobs - pulling the early shift at a factory and working till 2am as a hotel banquet waiter.

Zac estimated that he has handed over $5,000 to the classmate so far.

Both teens have since graduated from secondary school. Zac is now studying at the Institute of Technical Education, while the other boy is at a polytechnic.

Zac kept his problems from his family until recently.

His mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Teo, said her youngest son would ask her for money almost every week.

"Each time, he wanted at least $100. Then, it spiralled to $300.

"At first, I thought he didn't have enough money to eat or pay his fees, but after a while, I suspected something was wrong," the 52-year-old woman said in Hokkien.

The door-to-door saleswoman, who earns about $30 daily, recalled: "I told him that this was not the way, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

Though Zac refused to confide in his family, he spoke to friends living in his neighbourhood. They advised him to come clean with his family members.

So, last Sunday, Zac told his sister what happened. His sister alerted Madam Teo, who then called her eldest son. The latter asked Zac, the youngest of five siblings, to his flat to discuss the matter.

"We kept probing him for details. Before this, I thought he was asking for money to buy branded goods and that he failed his exams because he was too caught up playing football," the son, a financial consultant, said.

Besides poker, he found out that Zac also betted on football.

After the matter came to light, the family decided to seek legal advice and file a police report. A police spokesman confirmed a report was made and investigations are ongoing.

Said Zac's brother: "To some people, the money may not seem like a lot, but it's a big sum for my mother. We hope to get some of it back.

"That classmate is only 18, and he's already behaving like a thug."

When TNP called the classmate, the latter said he was in school and unable to talk. Further attempts to contact him on his mobile phone were unsuccessful.

According to Zac, the classmate is still hounding him for payment.

Not condoned

When contacted, a spokesman for the secondary school, located in the north, said they were not aware of the incident.

He added that the school does not condone gambling among students. If caught, offenders are reported to the discipline master.

"Disciplining includes counselling, parental involvement and close monitoring by teachers.

"This is to ensure that the student understands the consequences of his action and is given the appropriate guidance (plus) support to take personal responsibility," he said in an e-mail reply.

Lawyer Tan Hee Joek said the IOU that Zac signed is not legally binding.

"His case falls under unregulated gambling, and under the Civil Law Act, any gaming or wagering contract is considered null and void," Mr Tan said.

If Zac defaults on payment or refuses to honour the IOU any more. the former classmate cannot seek legal recourse.

"The court does not enforce gambling between friends and will not help the creditor pursue the money owed," added Mr Tan.

This article was first published in The New Paper.
 

shOUTloud

Alfrescian
Loyal
The police better step in and whack the two boys jialak jialak for gambling and the other one for loanshark activities.
 

halsey02

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
The police better step in and whack the two boys jialak jialak for gambling and the other one for loanshark activities.

It is a training ground...and they are promoting gambling in local produce movies ( recent)...so what do you expect, "no PORN Lui" but did say, "no gambling"... ha ha ha ha
 
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