A woman who was “in hell” after spiralling into gambling addiction – blowing £500,000 and even losing her home – has warned of the terrifying rise in people struggling as online gambling platforms thrive.
Lisa Walker’s habit began when she won a jackpot of £127,000 at a casino – which turned out to be the start of a nightmare, and which she now describes as the “worst day of my life”.
It resulted in the breakdown of her marriage and the loss of her home, with Lisa and her children ending up homeless in a hostel at one point.
Now 53, Lisa has managed to bounce back from her addiction and has been in recovery since 2018 – after a wake-up call came in the form of her missing her wedding night in order to gamble in Las Vegas.
But as Christmas approaches, she warns of the “trap” that awaits people who turn to gambling to make some extra money – and the rise in addicts she sees every week in her job as a support worker for fellow gambling addicts.
“It’s terrifying how easy it is to gamble these days – it’s available in our pockets all the time,” Lisa, from Essex, told Need To Know.
“18 years ago, when I was at the height of my addiction, it wasn’t online and on our phones.
“I’d be knackered, having had no sleep, but I’d still find the energy to get up, get dressed, and drive to a casino or the bookmakers.
“That was bad enough – but now you don’t need to leave your home or work, or even a wedding reception – you can gamble anywhere, anytime.
“If that had been the case when I was gambling, I dread to think what could have happened.
“If I’d had it right there on my phone, who knows what could have happened.
“I could have ended up in prison or dead.
“It’s so easy to access, it’s highly addictive, and the problem is only getting worse.
“There are the stresses of Christmas coming up, the cost of living crisis, and taxes rising – it’s all doom and gloom, and people think gambling is a quick way to make a bit of money.
“We launched New Beginnings, working with women starting their recovery from gambling addiction, three years ago, and in that time, we’ve seen the numbers are only rising.
“We started with one small group of six women a week, and now run triple that amount, as well as two health and wellbeing groups weekly.
“Probably 80% of service users are gambling online – it’s just so easy to fall into the trap and cross that line into addiction.”
Lisa is well-placed to help the women at New Beginnings, knowing just how much stress, secrecy and shame come from living with a gambling addiction.
In 2001, at the age of 29, Lisa won the jackpot sum, which changed her life forever, and she began gambling four to five times a week, finding herself hooked on the rush it gave her.
But the win was a one-time fluke, and Lisa ended up spending up to 10 hours a day placing bets.
While she loved the “buzz”, the dangerous habit left her in sizeable debt so severe that she had to declare bankruptcy and sell her house to pay it off.
She said: “It was a life of self-destruction, and hell on earth.
“It’s a very easy addiction to hide, unlike with drink or drugs – you can easily spot if someone is under the influence, but gamblers are good at masking it.
“You could be sitting next to someone on their phone on the train and never know they were gambling.”
It wasn’t until 2018, confronted with the reality that she had chosen gambling over spending her wedding night with her husband, Gary, that she realised she desperately needed help, and joined Gambler’s Anonymous – which she still attends weekly to this day, and has vowed to continue for life.
Slowly, she has rebuilt her life.
Lisa added: “It’s an ongoing commitment to take recovery one day at a time.
“I get clinical support once a month from BetKnowMore, attend weekly meetings, write in a journal, and go on dog walks – all things that help me and my mental health.
“Now, I’m living in a little two-bed flat with a garden and life is good.
“Ironically, I now live on the same street as the house I lost to my addiction.
“The dream world of the compulsive gambler includes a big house, car and money – but I’ve now got everything I could want out of life through not gambling.
“I’m rich, not financially, but in life.
“My grandchildren will never know their nana as a gambler, and I get to help so many people – so I lead a lovely life these days.”
With the festive season fast approaching, and bringing with it an expectation of gift-buying and spending money, Lisa is sharing her story to help warn others away from gambling sites.
She said: “Christmas puts so much pressure on people.
“People gamble to make ends meet and buy that extra gift, or to escape the loneliness the holidays can bring, and it only gets them into trouble.
“We want to buy these expensive gifts and get into debt – but for what?
“I remember the games I played with my parents growing up, and I remember the look on my granddaughter’s face last year – but I couldn’t tell you what someone bought me.
“The time spent with our loved ones is what we remember.
“It isn’t worth getting into money trouble over, and turning to gambling makes that all too easy.
“But if it is something you are struggling with – reach out for support.
“There are fantastic programmes, like New Beginnings, out there that will take you under their wing and hold your hand through your recovery, and GAMSTOP to restrict online gambling services and ads.
“It’s the kind of support I needed 18 years ago, and I often wonder what life would have looked like if I had been helped then.
“I’m proud that now, at least, I can be the one to offer it.”
