33-year-old convicted

Gambling addiction: Receptionist used a trick to divert money

The crime took place in a hotel (symbolic image).(Bild: DragonImages - stock.adobe.com)

A receptionist (33) had money transferred to his own account at a hotel in the Tyrolean lowlands. The case was uncovered, and now the Innsbruck Regional Court has handed down the receipt.

The defendant's trick was quite ingenious: he used credit notes to ensure that payments via the ATM terminal ended up in his private current account. According to the public prosecutor's office, the loss to the hotel between February and September 2024 was a whopping 33,571 euros.

Separation from girlfriend and gambling addiction
During the trial, the man cited his break-up with his girlfriend at the time and a subsequent gambling addiction as the reasons for his actions. "The break-up caused the rumor mill in the village to boil," he said. He was therefore "less and less respected", withdrew and finally started gambling online. At first it was only the rent that he gambled away, but then more and more. The man pleaded guilty in full, saying that he had gradually "got into it". And he affirmed that he wanted to pay back the entire loss.

I withdrew and started gambling online.

Der Angeklagte beim Prozess

More damage than initially suspected
The damages were even revised upwards in the course of the short trial: 39,871 euros were wrongly deposited in the man's account. The defendant acknowledged this amount and assumed that this loss had actually been incurred.

The judge opted for a combination of a conditional prison sentence and an unconditional fine. Böhler pronounced five months' imprisonment as conditionally suspended, but the man must pay 4200 euros in full. The damage of 39,871 euros must also be made good. The verdict is not final.