A UK accountant for a local authority was jailed for five years after stealing almost £1m of public money to play online slots. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Accountant jailed

A council accountant who stole almost £1m ($1,314,000) in public money to fund a gambling addiction has been jailed for five years.

equivalent to 6% of the entire annual budget of the local authority

Alan Doig, 57, was employed by Gedling Borough Council in Nottinghamshire, England as a senior accountant. Over a period spanning two decades, he managed to steal a huge sum to fund his online gambling addiction. The total was equivalent to 6% of the entire annual budget of the local authority.

Doig used his own knowledge of the accounting system to carry out the fraud, which he spent on gambling almost £2,000 ($2,262) per night, mostly on online slots.

Popular and credible

Doig was seen as a “popular and credible” member of staff at the council, where he had worked for more than 20 years.

He told authorities that he had been gambling small amounts since he was 17, but won £12,000 ($15,779) one night on online slots, leading gambling to become “a constant, every single night.”

It was all he thought about, day in and day out”

Prosecutor Alan Murphy said that from then on: “It was all he thought about, day in and day out. He opened multiple online accounts to avoid betting company restrictions and once he’d used up his salary and savings he started committing fraud, chasing his losses.”

“He had around 20 accounts. He thought he was spending £2,000-per-night. He said his problems had been over the last 15 years.”

Fraud discovered

Doig was eventually caught when a suspicious assistant noticed discrepancies in a car loan scheme while preparing a report for the UK customs service.

At a hearing, Doig pled guilty to charges of fraud by abuse of position and obtaining money transfer by deception.

A business impact statement from the council Chief Executive Mike Hill stated: “This loss has had a real and significant impact on not only the council, but every individual resident in the borough.”

In a separate victim statement, Hill reassured locals, saying: “We are confident that this was an isolated incident by a man with a serious problem. He stole public money, which could have been used to pay for essential services, and we want to reassure the public that the money will be recuperated in full.”