A tipster has been banned from gambling sites because he is called Pablo Escobar.

He was given the name – which he shares with the infamous Colombian drug lord – by his mum and dad.

But Pablo, who runs the betting firm Escobets, said: “It’s ridiculous. They say it’s not a recognised name or think I’m having a laugh.

“I’ve tried complaining and telling them it is genuinely my name, but it doesn’t help.

“They seem to think I’m just taking the mickey and they don’t believe that’s what I’m called. At first it was funny but now it’s starting to impact on my business and it’s frustrating.” The 26-year-old, from Canvey Island, Essex, said firms with which he had encountered problems included Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair.

He added: “I’ve no idea why my parents christened me Pablo.

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“On the whole I do really like my name – it’s different and a definite conversation starter.

“But it causes problems as people tend not to believe me – like when I try to book tables in restaurants and they flat out tell me that’s not my name.

“Now my mates just call me El Pablito, which means ‘Little Pablo’ in Spanish.”

Drug lord Escobar – subject of the hit Netflix show Narcos – was behind more than 200 car bombings in the Colombian drug wars and organised the bombing of a commercial airliner in which 107 people died.

His Medellin drugs cartel was accused of being behind up to 80% of all the cocaine shipped to the US.

Escobar was killed during a shoot-out in Medellin as he attempted to escape from the police on December 2, 1993.

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