Gambling helpline boss gets nearly 10 years for $1.5M theft he used to gamble. He says he kept betting to win it back

Sullivan was arrested and charged with grand theft greater than $100,000 in March 2024 after an internal audit found unauthorized charges on a credit card issued by his former company, Royal American, a property management company in Panama City. Sullivan was reportedly fired after the audit discovered his crimes.

In March 2025, while Sullivan awaited trial, he managed to land a position as the director of 1-888-Admit-It, a gambling addiction hotline run by the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. Leaning into his learned experience, Sullivan reportedly counseled troubled gamblers using his own past as a warning sign for others to avoid.

Less than two years later, Sullivan was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison and ordered to repay $1.5 million to his old employer.

Gambling, adderall and a 10-year prison sentence

During a recent interview posted on ODAAT Gambling Awareness’ YouTube channel, Sullivan opened up about his gambling addiction and how it ruined his life, financially and structurally.

“I started gambling in my early 20s,” Sullivan said in the podcast. “It was mostly recreational during football seasons, and that was typically the extent of it, and you know, maybe March Madness.”

Sullivan then began taking Adderall to deal with work performance issues in his job as a CPA, and that’s when the dangerous gambling began. After a recent football season had ended, Sullivan said he felt the need to keep on going.

“I started betting on tennis,” he said. “Don’t know anything about it, [it] did not go well.”

As the losses accumulated, Sullivan took out a secured personal loan against his truck and even took out a loan in his wife’s name.

“Essentially, at that point, I probably had about $150,000 of personal debt,” he noted. More losses followed, leading Sullivan to steal from Royal American to fund his addiction. Admitting that he stole the company funds to pay off his expanding gambling debt, Sullivan said he couldn’t get himself to quit.

“I had almost resigned myself to the fact that I couldn’t stop myself,” he said.

When Sullivan’s theft was discovered, he knew he’d run out of time. “It was finally discovered, and in some sense, thankfully, it was over,” he added.

Now facing a lengthy prison sentence and a court order to repay the $1.5 million, Sullivan said he found a few silver linings that he feels good about. He has quit using Adderall and hasn’t placed a bet in a long time, and his advice to anyone who believes they have a gambling addiction gets straight to the point.

“There’s Gamblers Anonymous, [and] there’s plenty of virtual meetings … as well as your family,” he said. “You’ve got to let people in on this. Gambling addiction thrives in secrecy. Gross things grow in the dark, and letting people in on that will help you.”

What to do if you suspect you’re addicted to gambling

Sullivan’s saga is a cautionary tale for any addicted gambler.