Grodno photographer sold photoshoots but didn't do them, losing all money in an online casino. He told how it happened
Ihar Trykisha tried to limit himself: he asked banks to block payments, contacted online casino support services to block him there, but eventually relapsed and found ways to continue playing.
Ihar Trykisha. Screenshot from a video on his TikTok.
In January, news widely spread: a 27-year-old resident of Grodno sold subscriptions for photoshoots and received prepayments from girls from different cities of Belarus. They did not receive the photos, and the money, as it turned out later, went to bets in an online casino. According to investigation materials, we are talking about 17 girls and a sum of about 3500 rubles. The court found the young man guilty of fraud and sentenced him to two years of home detention.
In the comments under this news, the victims themselves later wrote: some claimed that not all had filed police reports, and there might be more victims.
Now the photographer himself, Ihar Trykisha, has published his version of the story on social networks — about gambling addiction, fear, and an attempt to return to a normal life.
"I am that photographer"
He began his story with a confession.
"I am that photographer they wrote about. This story is so that others do not repeat my mistakes," he wrote on Threads.
According to him, it all started in 2022.
"My first game was for 5 rubles, I didn't win anything then. I put it off for a month. Then my girlfriend left me, out of boredom, to pass the time, I went into [lottery] Belbet," Ihar recounts.
The first bets were small, then — a win, which "created the illusion that everything could be controlled."
"I started to get lucky, in a few hours my balance became 2000 rubles. This was a turning point: I became a hostage to a false impression and the belief that it would always be this way," he describes.
Ihar started playing much more often, but later wins turned into losses. He started taking out loans and trying to recoup losses.
According to him, the addiction was based on emotional swings: short bursts of winning and long periods of losing.
"It seemed like the situation would repeat itself, just like the first time. I started getting into my first debts just to live, I wasn't working then. It seemed to me that I could win periodically and not have to go to work," the young man says.
"They lent me 1500 rubles. I paid 800 rubles of debt, and lost the rest"
Ihar admits: he was always emotional and vulnerable, feared criticism and failures.
"Due to low self-esteem, it was difficult to work. Any criticism was perceived as pain. In 2021, when I left my job, I was very afraid to get hired anywhere. It seemed that I was not like everyone else, I was worse than everyone, and I would be judged. I feared criticism more than the possibility of being jobless on the street," he writes.
At some point, according to him, playing became a way to escape stress.
"I played and played. But for amounts of 100-200 rubles. This was until the end of 2022," Ihar recalls.
In September 2022, his friend (at that time) began demanding the return of a loan, threatening to go to court. The young man admits: instead of getting a job, he started borrowing from other people to repay his friend's debt.
"My whining helped me gather money. They lent me 1500 rubles. I paid 800 rubles of debt, and lost the rest," Ihar recounts.
It was then that he got the idea to play with large stakes. When the young man lost everything — he had his first nervous breakdown, he started hitting and scratching himself to get out of that state.
The addiction gradually grew stronger. According to him, the realization of the problem came in early 2023. He tried to stop, got a job, but as soon as money appeared on his card — he went back to playing and lost everything. When he lost, panic ensued.
"I took it out on colleagues. I brought my family to tears," Ihar describes.
He tried to limit himself: he asked banks to block payments, contacted online casino support services to block him there, but continued to relapse and found ways to continue playing.
In 2023, according to him, debts grew, and his main job and photography side hustle no longer covered the losses. That's when the idea came to sell photoshoot subscriptions in advance — to quickly get money and clear debts.
"I thought I'd return everything"
Ihar claims: initially, he genuinely intended to fulfill the photoshoots and repay his debts. He put together inexpensive service packages and began selling them in various cities, mainly Brest and Minsk. By spring 2024, he had stopped playing, but one day 350 rubles for a photoshoot came to his card, and he relapsed.
"I believed: now I'll win, return everything, and live normally. But I lost," he recounts.
All the money again went to the casino. Shoots were postponed, cancellations accumulated. People started demanding refunds. Ihar sought new clients, borrowed again, complained about life and asked for help on social media, photographed something else — but, according to him, it was unprofitable.
Ihar himself admits: at some point, he could no longer stop.
"I understood that I wasn't returning money, and I was afraid of police reports. But by then, I was no longer capable of responding rationally. I played for days, could go without eating or drinking. My hands were constantly bandaged from the scars I inflicted on myself during nervous breakdowns," he writes.
For one month, he managed to stop, but after an argument with his girlfriend, he was drawn back to gambling. He continued to sell subscriptions and immediately lost all the money.
Detention
In spring 2025, police officers came to his house.
"My heart sank to my heels. I thought I would be judged for not paying money," he recalls.
After his detention, according to him, a scene occurred at home that he calls a turning point: Ihar fell to the floor, cried, and couldn't speak, at that moment his mother hugged him and said that everything would be alright.
"At that moment, for the first time, I felt needed," he writes.
In court, Ihar pleaded guilty. The charge was under the article on knowingly unfulfilled service. The court sentenced him to two years of restricted freedom without being sent to a correctional facility — home detention.
After this, Ihar turned to psychotherapy, began taking medication, and tried to rebuild his life. He says that since spring 2025 he has not gambled and is trying to work — he got a job at a factory, where he worked 12 hours and listened to audiobooks, started going to the gym. Now he is getting a new job.
"The salary won't cover all the debts. There are many. But I want to pay back everything I can," he writes.
At the end of his story, Ihar adds:
"I am not justifying myself. A person must realize the problem himself. I just want someone to learn from my story."
What they write in the comments
Under Ihar Trykisha's story on Threads, a large discussion unfolded. Commentators divided into several camps: from harsh criticism to cautious support.
The loudest voices are from people who call his confession not repentance, but an attempt to elicit sympathy.
Some commentators write that the text focuses more on his suffering than on the harm caused to others. They remind him of responsibility and note that "in remission, one does not collect money, but takes responsibility."
There are also comments from people who claim to be among the victims themselves: they write that they did not receive the paid photoshoots and are awaiting refunds.
"I also couldn't use my subscription. I really want my money back."
Another commentator notes:
"There was only one photoshoot. And then deceit and excuses. And what about the refund for the unused subscription?"
Some ask specific questions — whether debts are being accounted for, when and in what order money will be returned.
Alongside the criticism, words of support also appeared. Some thank him for his openness, call the confession important, and write that such stories can help other people with addiction.
Ihar himself, in response to comments, writes that he keeps track of debts and tries to return money whenever possible. He also notes that he understands the criticism and does not expect quick forgiveness.
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