Gambling addiction a mental illness court hears

(ANSA) - TURIN, JAN 13 - Gambling addiction is a full-blown mental illness, a defence-appointed expert told a Turin court on Wednesday.
    The defence thus entered a plea for leniency in the case of a former middle school teacher accused of embezzling 11,000 euros earmarked for school trips to feed his gambling habit.
    The court ordered another expert to assess the first expert's conclusions.
    The prosecution did not oppose the defence motion.
    Prosecutor Giovanni Caspani noted that three sentences by Italy's supreme Cassation Court had already determined that addicted gamblers are incapable of resisting their craving to bet.
    The new test was ordered after the defendant reported his addiction to a gambling clinic in 2018. (ANSA).