Mother-of-two says winning £25,000 was the worst thing that ever happened to her
Gabby Walker, a mum-of-two from the UK, hit the jackpot while gambling and said the big win only exacerbated her gambling addiction.
After the win, Gabby spent £1,000 in one day on gambling websites and afterwards lied to her family, friends and partner to get them to give her more money so she could use it on betting sites.
Gabby has vowed to stop before she loses 'everything' and said she 'regrets' the time she has lost with her kids while glued to her phone placing bets.
'That's why now I'm trying to keep myself busy so I don't have time to sit down and think about gambling,' she said.
'Whether or not people understand it, the urge to gamble is horrible.'
In a TikTok clip, the mother revealed she won the £25,000 on her birthday two years ago while with her partner on a £10 bet.
'It might not seem a lot to everyone but to me, that was life-changing,' she said.
'I should have been able to do so much with that money but because of my gambling addiction, I couldn't - I spent most of it being put back on to the gambling websites.'
In one day, Gabby gambled away £1,000 and said the urge to bet every day is all-consuming.
'It's like something's taken over you and you have to gamble, you have to do it, you have to do it there and then,' she said.
'You might not have any money, you don't care where you're getting the money from, you'll lie to your friends and your family just to put it on [gambling websites].'
Recalling the weeks after her big win, Gabby said she regrets the time she spent away from her children gambling and then trying to recoup her losses.
'Looking back now, I regret it because I was spending less time with my children because I was always on my phone. I was constantly trying to get that next win - trying to win it all back so I didn't lose everything,' she said.
'After winning that £25,000, I felt like I'd lost everything because I put it all straight back on when I should have been spending it on a holiday or activities to do with the children but I didn't. I was selfish and I spent it.'
Gabby has maxed out credit cards and would live month-to-month waiting for her next pay cheque, asking her partner to pay for necessities to get by.
'I don't think about what's around me and my surroundings at the time, it's just gamble, gamble, gamble,' she said.
'It's put a wedge in my relationship because I have that gambling issue.
'I never have any money, I lie to my partner and say, "Yeah, I've got money", whereas I don't because I spent it all on gambling.
'He has to always fund for me to survive for the month and for the children to survive for the month. It's awful, it really is.'
Gabby has come to terms with her addiction and is trying to keep herself busy and distracted so she's not tempted to pick up her phone and get back on the gambling sites.
'I'm glad I've got the stage now where I'm wanting to change and wanting to get better, although it might be difficult and I know it's going to be difficult,' she said.
'There are going to be days where I'm not going to be able to get through it but with the support of my partner and my children just being there and keeping me busy and just distraction from being on my phone.'
She added she will also start a budgeting plan where she will outline all the money she has going into her account every month, then put aside cash for essentials and give the rest of her funds to someone close so she can't access it.
'I'm going to work out what I've got left at the end of the month...I might send it to my partner, put it in a pot, send it to my mum or my dad, I don't know, anyone, just to keep it safe until I need it,' she explained.
'If I feel the need to gamble or want to gamble then I'll have to be open and explain the urges.'
Gabby said she knows quitting gambling won't be an 'easy road' but she's determined to stop.
'I know it's not going to be easy and I've got a long road ahead of me but I need to do it, I need to stop gambling because if I don't, I am going to lose everything,' she said.
'I'm going to have no family to support me or anyone because I'd have lied to them to get money.
'I'll lose my partner because that's not fair on him and I'll lose everything. I can't continue gambling all my money, I can't.'
Thousands online applauded Gabby's vulnerability, offered their support and shared their own struggles with gambling.
'What I did was lock myself out of all my accounts, contacted customer support and got them to block my accounts, contacted my bank to decline transactions made to gambling sites. This helped massively' one viewer suggested.
'It's the big wins and the max wins that hook you. Also, these streamers gambling fake money, that's hooking people. Stay strong! You've got this!' a second wrote.
'The way I stopped is by making my identity associated with being a non-gambler. Should I gamble? No, because I'm not a gambler. I've got money should I gamble it? No, because I'm not a gambler,' a third explained.
'I won over 60k in the space of six weeks and still managed to get into 23k worth of debt, it literally ruined my life. I can totally relate,' a fourth replied.
'I won 20k. 24 hours later took it to 30k and lost the lot in about two minutes. Gambling is no joke, I'm off it now and I'll never do it again. All the best to you and whoever is going through hell,' someone added.
'From someone who has been in a relationship with a gambler. It's hard but the first step is admitting you have a problem. You have to do this for your family. It breaks people,' a mother said.
Where can you find support in the UK for gambling addiction?
GamCare's National Gambling Helpline - Call 0808 8020 133 for free 24/7.
GambleAware - National Gambling Support Network service and the leading independent charity and strategic commissioner of gambling harms. education, prevention, early intervention, and treatment across Great Britain
Primary Care Gambling Service - a free, confidential NHS service for over 18s who experience harms from gambling.
GamLearn - A lived-experience network for people that have been impacted directly or indirectly from gambling related harm.
Gamblers Anonymous - a local support group service of people who share their experiences that uses the 12-step approach to recovery
Citizens Advice Bureau - a charity that can advise you on a range of issues, including finances and gambling.
ChapterOne - a place to find information that will help you understand the causes of gambling harm, and where to access the right help.
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