How a gambling addiction ruined the life of an NRL star in the making as he’s jailed for two years for taking desperate steps when loan sharks came calling
How a gambling addiction ruined the life of an NRL star-to-be as he faces two years in prison for taking desperate steps when loan sharks came calling
- Reece Piepers was $50,000 in debt due to gambling addiction
- Constantly looked over his shoulder at loan sharks
- As a youngster, he attracted the attention of NRL scouts from Cronulla
A talented fullback on the cusp of the NRL has been jailed after a gambling addiction destroyed his life.
Reece Piepers, 22, who reportedly caught the attention of Cronulla Sharks scouts as a youngster, started using gambling apps on his phone two and a half years ago – and his habit quickly became an obsession.
He started borrowing money at every opportunity so he could gamble – and once even resorted to stealing $650 from a friend’s house.
Pipers pleaded guilty to burglary, robbery and seven counts of fraud related to receiving deposits on job exchange app Airtasker while appearing at Gosford Local Court on the NSW Central Coast.
He then failed to show up to do the agreed work after receiving the Airtasker money.
Piepers’ legal aid lawyer told the court earlier this month that her client “started to look over his shoulder all the time” when loan sharks started chasing money he owed them.
Reece Piepers – who reportedly caught the attention of Cronulla Sharks scouts as a youngster – started using gambling apps on his phone two and a half years ago
The 22-year-old was soon $50,000 in debt – with no way to pay back the money
“He fell victim to a gambling addiction… and with the wrong people,” the lawyer told the court.
“He was in a position where he simply didn’t know what to do.”
The court also heard that Piepers was pursuing a career as a carpenter when he was $50,000 in debt, with no ability to repay the money.
After Piepers’ stepfather Clinton Fell appealed his two-year prison sentence, which he had handed down on August 10, he told the court that he installed CCTV cameras in the family home and that police got involved after loan sharks were looking for their money in a terrifying incident.
Piepers has no assets and, according to Fell, “every penny he made went back into gambling.”
The rising football star – who appeared in court via audiovisual connection – was “a big wake-up call” in recent weeks and decided that he had been placed in full-time custody in recent weeks.
Piepers will be sentenced again on September 18 for burglary, robbery and seven counts of fraud – all of which he pleaded guilty to – at Gosford District Court.