Gambling addiction funded by ticket scam
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10 Aug 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes In Heerenveen, a 48-year-old man saw his daily life turn into a dangerous whirlwind, trapped in a gambling addiction. Driven by the need to keep betting, he devised a well-oiled scam: offering fake concert tickets for sale on Marktplaats.
Illusory tickets, shattered dreams
The scheme is almost too simple to be malicious: he offers tickets for concerts by popular singers such as David Gilmour, Billie Eilish and Golden Earring on Marktplaats (a Dutch sales platform). Buyers make their payments enthusiastically, only to never receive anything. Dream concerts turn into very real scams. The money collected, which is just as real, is used to fund his online gambling sessions.
A long criminal record
This is not the first time he has been caught by the law. Already convicted twice for fraud, he had previously received a partially suspended sentence. However, he has reoffended, and the judges can no longer turn a blind eye.
Faced with this new case, the court is taking a firm stance. He is sentenced to four months in prison, plus an eight-month suspended sentence. The sentence aims to break the cycle: repayment to the victims, mandatory addiction treatment and a legal ban on participating in any form of gambling.
Beyond the punishment, this is a personal turning point for him. Supervised treatment will be his only chance to break his addiction. This measure is reinforced by law: mandatory registration in the Cruks register, which makes it impossible for him to access any legal casinos (physical or online).