Transgender beauty queen Lars Pacheco has opened up about her struggle with online gambling, sharing her experience in a viral Facebook video titled “How I Lost 5 Million in Online Gambling.”
The video, which has amassed over 5.7 million views, chronicles her journey from casual participation to serious addiction.
Lars revealed that her gambling habit began in 2021 through online sabong (cockfighting) on a popular money app. Initially unfamiliar with the game, she began by simply watching her housemates bet and eventually decided to try it herself.
“Well, I’m super duper afraid to create this video, but baka maging help,” she said. “So, it started in 2021 [with] online sabong in a money app. I don’t have [an] idea kung paano siya laruin. So, nakikinood ako dun sa mga kasama ko sa bahay, hanggang sa sinubukan ko na siya.”
Her gambling started innocently, with Lars picking either red or blue at random. But as her knowledge of the game grew, so did her losses. She admitted to losing as much as Php 600,000 over time.
“So, habang tumatagal, feeling ko nagiging expert na ako,” she said, recounting how she became more engrossed in the game. “To cut the long story short, naging adik ako sa sabong.”
When online sabong was eventually removed from the app, Lars transitioned to playing baccarat, which she found even more addictive. She said her gambling became more serious as the app was directly linked to her bank account, making it easier to deposit large amounts of money.
“Naging baccarat queen naman ako,” she confessed. “Kung titingnan ‘yung transaction history nung gaming app ko, para siyang nire-regla. Puro ako deposit, deposit, deposit, wala ako nawi-withdraw.”
Lars recounted how her addiction worsened to the point where she was borrowing money from friends, lying to them about her account being limited when she actually had no funds left. This realization, she said, marked a turning point.
“I met evil in the form of gambling,” she said. “Natuto ako magsinungaling… naging makapal ‘yung mukha ko.”
In her video, Lars urged others involved in online gambling to stop before it’s too late, acknowledging how difficult it can be to let go.
“I made this video for a realization na tumigil ka na. Alam ko mahihirapan ka, alam ko nanghihinayang ka sa lahat ng mga napatalo mo. Tanggapin mo na hindi na kayang bawiin lahat ng ‘yun,” she said.
Lars Pacheco rose to fame as the second runner-up in the ‘Miss Q&A’ pageant on ‘It’s Showtime’ in 2018, and she reached the Top 6 in Miss International Queen in 2022. Her courageous admission serves as a stark warning about the dangers of online gambling addiction.
