A former bank worker has been banned from the profession for 2.5 years for setting up multiple bank accounts so he could gamble with no fewer than 68 credit cards, news website Nu.nl said on Thursday.

The bank, which was not named in the ruling, estimates the former staffer cost it €850,000, the website said.

He had raised the limits on the credit cards to the maximum level and made sure his colleagues were not aware what was happening. This involved using one card to pay off the other, to stay under the radar.

The banking sector’s disciplinary committee said the former bank worker had broken every rule and that his actions showed how easy it was to get round the bank’s system of checks and balances.

The 2.5 year ban reflects the fact that the banker had taken steps himself to conquer his gambling addiction and the fact he had said he never wanted to work in the financial sector again, Nu.nl said.