Jan. 1, 2006 — Mark Erickson always craved a piece of the action — so the accountant from Phoenix started betting on sports over the Internet.But soon, it spiraled out of control.
"I've heard other people compare it to a cocaine addiction, the high you get from that, and that's the euphoria I felt," he said. "It becomes an all-consuming activity. The lining up the money, the handicapping of the game, the betting of the game, the watching of the game. Win or lose, it didn't matter to me, it just set me up to bet again."
Three and a half years ago, Erickson accrued $400,000 in gambling debts. Desperate, he began stealing from his clients. And when they caught on, he left his family and fled. ...