Online bingo gambling addiction left woman £45,000 in debt

A WOMAN has racked up debts of more than £45,000 after becoming addicted to online bingo.

Kelly NieldSWNS

Gambler Kelly Nield, 32, went to the limit on five credit cards

Kelly Nield, 32, would play non-stop for up to eight hours at a time, reaching her limit on five credit cards and draining her savings.

Her addiction became so bad that she began to have suicidal thoughts and even turned to self-harm.

Mother-of-one Kelly said: “You get to the point where you can’t see a way out.

"I just wanted to find a way to make myself stop and when my thoughts turned dark I knew I had to get help.”

Kelly was signed off sick from her job as a residential childcare worker in 2012 when she was tempted to try online bingo after stumbling across Foxy Bingo – promoted on daytime programme The Jeremy Kyle Show.

But her online bingo habit quickly spiralled out of control.

She said: “I would gamble from the second my family left in the morning until they came home at night.”

Drugs, alcohol and sex would not be advertised before the watershed but why is it OK to advertise gambling

Kelly Nield

When they were home she would sneak off to her bathroom and bedroom to play.

“My partner and I were saving £500 a month and I would just access the accounts and spend what I could.”

Kelly, of Billinge, Merseyside, finally came clean to partner Ian Nairn, 37, and found the strength to visit her doctor – both of whom supported her battle to take control of her life.

Kelly is now hitting back at the advertising of online bingo sites.

“Drugs, alcohol and sex would not be advertised before the watershed but why is it OK to advertise gambling,” she said.

Dirk Hanson, of gambling support charity GamCare, said: “We applaud people who come forward and admit that they have a problem.

“Women in particular are drawn to online gambling.

"It is a reality that people can get hooked on these websites.

"They should be fully aware of the risks before getting too involved.” 

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