Scottish Pro Poker Player Found Dead in the Philippines, Foul Play Suspected

Posted on: July 15, 2024, 03:54h. 

Last updated on: July 15, 2024, 03:54h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

The mother of a Scottish professional poker player found dead in the Philippines believes her son was murdered, The Scottish Sun reports.

Darren Young, poker, Philippines, murder
Poker player Darren Young, pictured above, was found dead in a luxury apartment in Manila in May. A local coroner ruled he died of natural causes, but Young texted friends just hours before his death to say he was worried he had been drugged by a couple he met at the casino. (Image: Sunday Times)

Darren Young’s body was discovered in May in a luxury condo he rented in Bay City, Metro Manila, the country’s “Entertainment City” casino hub.

Young, 32, a former triathlete, scored a smattering of deep tournament runs in relatively low buy-in events in the mid-2010s, according to the Hendon Mob Database. But he made his real money online, according to his mother, Jackie Bain.

His poker winnings had funded an extensive trip through Asia. Before he arrived in the Philippines he had visited China, Pakistan, Dubai, Thailand, and Cambodia.

‘I Think I’ve Been Drugged’

Young had only been in the country a few weeks before he wound up dead. Authorities determined the cause of death to be double pneumonia. But Bain says her son was very fit and healthy and believes all is not as it seems.

Young, who was the father of a five-year-old girl, sent a text to friends just hours before he died that said: “I think I’ve been drugged.” Although there was no sign of a struggle at the scene, his wallet, watch, bank card, gambling chips, and cash were missing.

He was staying in a luxury condo by himself. That’s where they found him on the bed,” Bain said. There was [sic] no signs of a struggle but he had nothing with him. Darren had a pile of poker chips — they were gone.”

Young had been winning big at local casinos and told friends that he had met an American gambler and a Filipina and was getting bad vibes from the couple.

Friends and family raised the alarm when he later became uncontactable.

‘I Was Just Screaming’

“I got a call to tell me they had found him. I was just screaming,” Bain told the Sun. “Darren was the nicest lad. He was kind to everybody and well liked. He was making thousands and liked nice clothes and fancy restaurants.

“Darren was the kind of guy who would give you everything he had if you needed it more. We can’t believe this has happened,” she added.

Bain said that a pathologist in the UK had raised concerns about the official cause of death after examining Young’s body once it had been flown back home. The UK pathologist ruled out pneumonia, but further tests were impossible because the body had been embalmed in the Philippines.

The British Foreign Office told The Times of London it was liaising with Philippine police about the case.