Wins and wealth flaunted
Casino streamer David Nicholas, better known ‘The Captain Davo’, is renowned for showcasing his biggest wins on social media platforms.
With 653,000 Instagram followers and even more people subscribed to his YouTube channel, 25-year-old Nicholas documents the highs and lows of gambling vast amounts of money on an almost daily basis.
uploaded a video to show off one of his latest wins after winning AU$250,000 (US$171,280) on a slot machine
Last week the high-rolling gambler uploaded a video to show off one of his latest wins after winning AU$250,000 (US$171,280) on a slot machine, or pokies as they are known as in Australia.
Melbourne Crown
The YouTube video he uploaded begins with the high-roller showing a balance of AU$7,000 (US$4,795) on a slot machine at Melbourne’s Crown Casino. It is unknown how much he had deposited beforehand.
As the jackpot on the Rising Fortune slot machine he is playing hits 13 minutes later, one of his friends can be heard saying, “Are you serious? Dude, are you serious?” The video has now been viewed over 125,000 times since it was uploaded last week.
According to the Queensland government, the chances of winning the maximum prize on a slot machine is just one in seven million.
Who is ‘The Captain Davo’?
David Nicholas, 25, is an Adelaide-based high-roller who goes by the name ‘The Captain Davo’ to showcase his gambling exploits. Although he also calls himself Mark Petersfield on his YouTube channel, where his description reads:
“Hi there! Mark Petersfield here, also known as The Captain Davo! I started my gambling career when I was 18 years old. Since then I have been diagnosed as an addict. Cheers!”
Splashing the cash
The way that gambling high rollers use social media has been condemned by anti-gambling charities, who warn that it ‘glamorizes’ the industry.
Baptist minister Tim Costello, a spokesman for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, believes that this type of attitude is fueling higher gambling addiction rates, especially among youngsters.
Costello believes that these high-profile wins are only setting youngsters up to fail
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Costello said: “The biggest jump is in young people, almost certainly that would be because of social media. These sorts of social influencers are really just puppets of the industry.”
With the likelihood of winning on slots being very slim, Costello believes that these high-profile wins are only setting youngsters up to fail, especially when dealing with unscrupulous operators.